I've been quilting quite a few applique tops lately, and they always prove interesting. This one is very soft and pretty, and looked lovely when it was finished. I've quilted three tops in this particular pattern, and they were all very different fabric choices.

Then I did this black and brights bird top, which went to the other extreme. It was so vibrant and colourful, and made a very dramatic statement. It's fun being able to work on such a range of patterns and fabrics; I never know what's going to come through the door next.Within the next fortnight  I have to quilt a huge pink and white candlewick top, that will be a first too!

All the applique is making me want to start a project of my own, but I'm trying to take a lesson from JulieKQuilts. She's been trying to focus on one main project at a time, and seems to be getting some good results that way. She writes " If I can just stop thinking of the next quilt, and cutting out pieces and parts for quilts in the far future...I can make real progress". Ouch, I've been doing that just lately, cutting out so many different things that I'm confusing myself, and I can't really point to any one thing that I've acheived.

So I decided to focus on one main project (I will never, ever be able to work on just one project at a time, I know myself too well to make that promise), and see if I can't move it along to the the next stage. I picked my Leader-ender pastel strippy, because it's getting to be a huge pile of sewn pieces. I don't want to suddenly find I've made far too many strips, so I've been sewing bits together all weekend.

I think I now have enough pieces  for four strips about 70" long, and  I'll have to put some thought into whether I make the top four or five strips wide. And how to set them all together I suppose, but I really am on the downhill side of this project. I want to stick with it and see if I can get all those pastel squares completely sewn and the remainder of the fabric put away..

And of course my first reaction is that I'll need another Leader-ender project, and what can I cut out for that? Common sense tells me that I already had at least three other projects I was piecing in fits and starts, so I should pick one of those and  hmmm, 'Focus' on it for a while. Rats! I do love to cut fabric up but I'm going to try to be good and see if I can't get some projects finished around here.