Getting it Right

I woke this morning happy it was Saturday. I couldn't wait to see what  Barbara Brackman had in store. Lately, it's been feeling a bit like Christmas, with a gift to open every week.  When I saw this week's block was the Cotton Boll, I thought great, easy! I'll have it pieced with plenty of time to spare before my guild meeting.

I chose a stripe so the block would radiate from the center like the cotton boll.  I cut the fabrics using the rotary directions and sat down to sew. I liked how efficient it was to chain piece, a stint at the iron, a bit of trimming, two more seams and done. Ya' think. Not. The pattern didn't match. Was the problem with the cutting? Could be. Could I make it work? Maybe. I pinned, I sewed, I pressed. I contemplated,.  Heck, I thought, no one is ever going to notice. It's one of fifty-two blocks.
And I could hear my friends saying, " but you know you will......."

Of course. So, I did. Do it over. This time I printed out the template. Marked it with registration lines from fabric so I could re-position it accurately.  I placed my ruler on top and rotary cut the 1/8th inch carefully. And as I sewed I could see it was going to work. The needle met those little triangular "ears" at the 1/4 " mark coming and going. The stripes matched,. Perfectly. I didn't take short-cuts. After all, why? I waited all week and it's going to take a whole year. This is slow sewing which is why it is so satisfying to me.