I very nearly went to bed without doing a post...

My laptop is working very hard right now to encode a divx file to a DVD. Poor thing is running at about 95°c right now, so I'm typing this up on palm pilot #2, because I don't want to lose the place I'm at in the ebook that's running on palm pilot #1. For the record, palm pilot #1 still has all the silver on it's power button. Other than that, they're identical.

Anyway, tonight, since I was feeling guilty about my complete lack of crafting progress, I bound the pink, orange and brown mini Stairways to Heaven quilt. Not that well, if I'm honest - my worries about bias cut binding were completely founded. I don't have one of those top-and-bottom-feeding feet that some people are massive fans of; well, I do but I think it's munted, since a) I'm not a massive fan of it because b) it doesn't feed at the top. It moves up and down, and gets in the way of me being able to grip and pull the fabric through. I just use a 40+ year old foot, polished smooth by literally miles of fabric. It usually works pretty good, but, to noones surprise, the fabric stretched and bunched and generally acted annoying. I've chucked it in the wash, so it should look better when it comes out, but I'll stick with straight cut binding, thanks.

Today before work I went to Spotlight and spent up on 20% off crafting supplies - I got a half dozen sculpeys for $3.20 a pop and some whole kits for air dry animals that were the same. And a sewing kit for a cat that's toats cute, and some bright tapestry wools and 20cm of tapestry... whatever you call it. It's not what I'd call fabric, but, you know, the stuff you tapestry on to. I'll draw some patterns on some and leave some blank. I considered going to the toyshop too - they usually have some cute kits but it was nearly 2.30 and I had to go to work.

Damn work, cutting into shopping and crafting time...

Do I feel lucky, punks?

Is it terribly terribly pretentious of me to believe that a quilt pattern of mine will work fine without any testing - indeed, without me having ever made the quilt before? I had never made the big Stairways to Heaven quilt before I wrote up the tutorial, though it was admittedly the same as the little one, with a bit different maths. And I got all the math right, it was the instructions I got wrong, and that was because I was referring to an old version of the colour mockup, which was wrong.

This colour mockup is right, and I am quite, quite sure this will work flawlessly. I haven't bothered this time with stuff on how to piece your quilt top, or what to do on the back. Indeed, it's a lot more conventionally straightforward, with the cutting instructions, the instruction for the quarter-blocks, the actual blocks and then the quilt top as a whole. And all the maths, obviously, because it's what I'm best at.

I've did it earlier tonight instead of doing the pink, orange and brown version of the Mini Stairways to Heaven quilt top. Which I'm starting to regret giving such a long name to, since I'm having to type it way too much. But it's done now, and looks really really nice.

Usually when I take a photo of a quilt on the lino I put a piece of batting underneath it so you can't see the dark lino through the fabrics. But my batting is still in a neat roll, and it's easier to pack up the quilt tops on their lonesome without batting clinging to their backs. As a result, the colours look a wee bit shite there*, but they're not. If anything, I think this is prettier than it's blue and green cousin.

But back to the pattern - Do I use the last of my money (till Tuesday night) going to Spotlight and getting 4 solids to try it out or do I wait a few days? I'm feeling a massive urge to get all these up before I get bored of writing tutorials, which in my experience can happen at any moment. Or, is someone out there feeling brave, and wants to try a literally untested pattern?

*As have pretty much all of the Stairways to Heaven quilt tops, since I'm really not feeling the actual-quilting bug.