Decisions, Decisions

After finishing off the dozen log cabin blocks Friday night, I admitted to myself that I don't really feel like piecing right now.  I want to keep quilting!  I want to use up some of my massive stash and somehow decrease the excessive amount of fabric I have out in the garage.  So out I went, and dug around in a couple places where I knew I had tops and backings stashed.

First option:

A vintage Double Wedding ring quilt top which I think I got at the Zion Thrift Shop in Fullerton, California.  Some idjit washed it at some point in its history, so even though it (fortunately!) doesn't need any seams repaired, it does need to be pressed before it's basted and quilted.  This backing fabric doesn't match the vintage feel of the quilt top, but it's pretty and pale; I wouldn't have to worry about possible bleed-through.  I think I could use the walking foot to quilt the pieced arcs; I would need to free-motion something in the open spaces.  Another tick mark against it (after "needs a pressing") would be the need for a bias binding, with lots of stops and starts and angles.

Therefore, I'm slightly more inclined to go with this second option:

A Double Irish Chain quilt top I pieced last year.  I kind of like this red piece from last week's thrift store adventuring for a backing, though I would need to be very careful with color catchers in the wash.  Like the Double Wedding Ring, I could quilt most of it with the walking foot (and FMQ the open squares).  Unlike the DWR quilt, it doesn't need a careful ironing first, and the binding will be a straight-forward affair.

So I think I will go for the "easy" quilt first, and then, if I still feel like quilting after it's done, have the more complex quilt as a follow-on.