Project Quilting Quarantine -2 

My goal for this year was to finish a lot of UFOs.  Note the past tense.  The coronavirus hit, and what does everyone do?  Post tempting quilt-a-long projects to do while we are all stuck at home. AAAARRRRGGGGHHH!   Since the middle of March, when everything shut down, I have started 3 new quilts and a table runner.   How many UFOs have I finished?  None.  Zip, zilch, nada.  I did finish my PQ 11.6 Vibrant and Vivacious challenge, but since that wasn’t a UFO, I’m not counting it.  Oh well, there’s always the rest of the year!  

One of the new quilts that I started was from a quilt pattern called “Elvira” for Gudrun Erla’s Quarantine Quilt-A-Long.  I finished the top, and I was thinking about finishing and submitting it for the first Project Quilting Quarantine Challenge, which was “Big”.  I reasoned that it qualified on many fronts – 1.  I used a large-scale print for one of the fabrics.  2.  Even though I made the ‘crib’ size, it is the biggest crib size ever! At 49 X 65, I would consider it more of a lap quilt, or a couch quilt than a crib quilt. 3.  And last, but not least, this whole pandemic is by definition, BIG! 

I ultimately decided against submitting it, for a few reasons.  First of all, I started it before the challenge was issued, so it really doesn’t meet the rules.  I know that the rules are really flexible for PQQ, because after all, there is nothing at stake here.  The PQ quilt police aren’t going to come after me!  As Kim stated when PQQ was announced, it is only for fun, inspiration and community building.  Another reason is because I started making fabric masks for family and friends, and that took quite a bit of time.    It all boiled down to the fact that I just didn’t need the extra stress that would have been incurred by trying to get the top pinned, quilted and bound by the deadline while trying the masks done.  I decided that the masks are more important right now than a finished quilt is, no matter how good it feels to finish one.    

Speaking of masks… I wanted a mask for myself that would be bright and cheerful and spring-y.  

I remembered that I had a piece of a bright floral print by Karen Montgomery in my stash.  I dug it out and made myself a new mask.  It qualifies under the “ 3 layers stitched together” criteria because it has interfacing stitched in between two layers of fabric as a filter.  So here is my PQQ Floral Challenge Project.  Quick, easy, no-stress and very useful!  ^.^