TGIFF: Rabbits and dragons, oh my!

WHY did I decide to enter 2 quilts in the QuiltWest exhibition?

Because I'm an exhibitionist, that's why. I thought it might be nice to see my own quilts hung. But now, when it's nearly ready, I'm wondering why-the-hell I let it go in the 'to-be-judged' section?
Nightmares are running through my head. They involve bespectacled quilt-judges (spectacles on those glasses-chains that were popular in the 80s of course) gasping,"Oh my goodness, Marjorie, what shoddy work this is! Her in-the-ditch quilting is at least a thread-and-a-half out".
They probably won't. They're probably lovely.  I'm probably being paranoid.

But I'm used to being my own worst critic and I LIKE IT THAT WAY.  So let's detract marks for:

Consistency - The Rabbit Tree is consistently inconsistent in the FMQing.

Construction - The Rabbit Tree DOES NOT LIE FLAT - major sin in quilt-exhibition world. 

And let's not even TALK about the machine binding on my Dragon quilt.
  
I still have a long way to go.

So I figure Marjorie and Myrtle aren't going to say anything I don't know already. I'm just not sure I'm ready to invite criticism from others...

Yes, I did the bigger spirals, and yes, I lost the ghost-tree effect. Oh well, it still looks GREAT and it was quicker to do than the last one. (And yes, it IS a different one, the owl is in a different place, and the border has flowers as well as leaves quilted in).

Still, it's been a learning curve.

I've learnt how to do a rod-pocket PROPERLY. (Apparently I've been doing it wrong all these years).

I've sewn  plastic pockets on the front. I didn't figure out how to keep them in place so they're a bit crooked, and I was so excited at managing to get the bias on neatly that I sewed down all four sides of the first one, so I couldn't actually put anything in it... But I have now sewn plastic. (Keen to do a sewing bag with a plastic pocket, and now I've actually finished this freaking lovely Rabbit Tree 2, I can sew something else).

I've labelled them according to Quilt Exhibition specifications (back of bottom right corner).

I've made quiltbags for them.

By the time this is posted, it will be finished and delivered and out of my hands. TGIFF!!!

TGIFF is on over at Color Me Quilty so hop on over and say hi! Pat also has an amazing Quilting Embellisment Day and there's still time to link up, so go and have a look!

And there's also the Blogger's Quilt Festival at Amy's Creative Side to go and drool over! Fun festivals galore!