Always learning...

 Two big lessons learned today.

Lesson 1.  What looks like this before being washed...

...looks like this after.  Not at all quite what I had in mind but after about 10 seconds of mourning it's perfect tidiness, I decided that I love it.  It helped that Matt really likes it, too.  The only big difference to our lives is that instead of gifting it, we're keeping it.  It's too messy for the person we had in mind. 

Lesson 2.  Repeatedly poking a needle through three layers of fabric (Denim - sometimes 2 layers of that -  batting and then upholstery canvas) hurts like hell.  I finally started using a thimble even though it makes me feel like a Grandma.  I'm actually taking a couple of days off to let my thumbs and index fingers heal. 

I got about 1/4 of it done before wimping out.  

I picked an orange quilting thread.  

It don't think it's a perfect choice but matches the little orange dots on the backing fabric.  Maybe I'll be learning a lesson from this, too.

I'm bummed that my tidy OCD rectangles will get so messy but, on the other hand, I'm sure I'll learn to love it. That's just the way I'm made.

In the meantime, I'm knitting scarves like Christmas is coming.