Alien quilt top has landed

It has been a long journey through space and time, with a few detours along the way. However, I am happy to report all have landed safely.  Soon the birthday boy will be 4.  I have only one week until the big day and I am pleased to say the quilt top is finished!  I have to toot my own horn here and say, "THIS IS TOO CUTE!"  I am so happy with the final result of this quilt top.  This quilt was made entirely from inspiration.  I had a very small idea of what I wanted the end result to look like, but mostly I just decided to have fun.  This was easier said than done.  Not having an image of what I was trying to complete drove me mad on occasion.  It was almost too freeing!?!  Many times I had to walk away and give myself a break.  There were several blocks that had to be omitted from the final draft because they were just too ugly, or they colors were wrong.  For the most part I had to trust that it would work it's self out.

I was stunned at how difficult it was to trust in myself.  I know I love to quilt.  I know that I am an artistic and creative person, yet to create an entire quilt out of just my imagination, no planning, no drawing and no measurements, was quite a lesson in trust.  I constantly found myself doubting my abilities!

Often when something turned out different or unexpected I found my first reaction was to hate it!   I had to force myself not to trash it.  Force myself to look at the unexpected in a new way.  I had to Trust myself and it was so hard!  As I worked out the details of this quilt I had to remind myself not to judge, but to be open to all the possibilities.  It was only when I did that my creativity was able to blossom.  As soon as the negative thoughts and self doubt crept in, it was as if all the creative energy was completely drained from me.  Being open and trusting in myself was genuinely an alien experience.

There are so many things I love about this quilt, the end result was completely worth the journey.  Not only did I learn new techniques, I also learned a great deal about myself.

I have several blocks that I love, but I have to say this label block is my favorite.