On Following Directions...Quicky WIP Wednesday

Taking time off from my busy baking/cleaning schedule to tell you a funny story.  Some of you know already that I am a former teacher.  Well, teachers are pretty notorious for not following directions - they always want to start right away, because they are so eager to show what they know, or to do the task at hand.  Well, my teacher genetics reared their ugly little head last night with this.  (Lorna McMahon, you are going to laugh at this,)  I was making Lorna's adorable deer from her amazing Forest Friends quilt and it clearly says to read the directions all the way through before starting.  Naturally, I thought I knew better, and the result was this:

Now to the untrained eye it might look okay, but if you look at it closely, it's wrong wrong wrong.  The extra long antlers, the little random knob on the head - nope, not supposed to look like that.  Plus I had to add a bunch of pieces to the top and bottom to make it work - yikes.

Now why did I mess this up, I ask you? Well, because I didn't follow the directions.  I thought I was so smart I could do it bit by bit and well - I couldn't.  Now I don't hate it, it's stillI kind of cute so I've decided to leave it, add a little to the sides and make a little pillow out of it instead of taking it all apart and trying to figure out what I did wrong, but it definitely serves me right.  I should know better, after all, I am a teacher - huh!

I've started some new ones, and this time, I read the pattern twice and I seem to be getting it right so far..

These deer are so darn cute!  I had to go to a friend's birthday party last night and I had to stop before I got these finished.  It made me a little grumpy because I want to see them done (correctly, that is..)

I'm also quilting my Mountain Majesty quilt and having fun with it.

And I finished  the top of this quilt which I'm calling Every Which Way - made from squares and HST's from leftover fabrics from other projects.  Love to actually be somewhat frugal sometimes with the fabrics.  I know my grandmother would be appalled at my stash - she actually made scrap quilts from clothes and leftover fabrics.  But it's not my fault there are so many beautiful fabrics in the world, wanting to be cut up into new and interesting designs, is it?  

Hopefully I'll have some time later to check out more blogs from Freshly Pieced and Sew Fresh Quilts, but I do have 32 people coming to my house for Thanksgiving tomorrow so it may have to wait.  

In closing I  have to say how much I love this holiday - great food, family & friends, gratitude - there's nothing better.  So much to be thankful for every day.  

And at the risk of politically incorrect, I want to say that I love this country I live in, too.  So much freedom, opportunity, beauty, inventiveness, spirit.  It ain't perfect, but I'm glad to be here.  I'm not saying other places aren't great, too.  Just want to give a nod to the good old USA since we're kind of celebrating its beginning tomorrow.  For those of you who will be celebrating tomorrow, Happy Thanksgiving.  And to everyone  -  Happy Day!  Every day.