The Kit I Never Made

In organizing for the New Year I have a never-ending goal of reducing the number of kits I have  waiting to start or possibly complete. I came across a very old, untouched kit from Keepsake Quilting that I think was sent as a promotional sale or bonus item with my order. The fabrics were in rich muted browns and greens of autumn foliage without any bright golds or oranges – a typical Thimbleberries palette – and was named Autumn Floral Wall Hanging. The selvage dates the fabric back to 2006 by Thimbleberries for RJR fabrics. 

I’d been thinking  – for about fifteen years or so –  “Some day I will make that up when I want something quick between other projects. It is only18½" square so how long can it take?” Piecing? Not long. Batting, backing, and quilting? Hmm... I smell another UFO on the horizon. "This kit is not my preferred color palette so maybe it will stretch me." I finally opened up the package to get a good look at the fabrics and read the instructions. It has seven fat quarters, all stacked flat and layered, then folded in half, for an 18½" square wall hanging. That size wall hanging is less than the area of one fat quarter. This kit will generate a lot of scraps, even when making a scrappy backing per the instructions. While I am considering, why don’t I refold this seven layer flat stack into my configuration for fat quarters? This storage method shows off the seven prints much better.

Per the pattern, one of the pieces is cut from a trapezoidal template… certainly doable but sort of a pain. Maybe I do not want to make up this pattern after all. Where would I use the completed quilt? Would I give it away? It is kind of small for a community quilt. Who would I give it to? Since I prefer brights and pastel colors and tend to buy what I am drawn to, my stash could use an infusion of these fall tones. I could now file them with my other browns. Decision made. Punt. Do not make this kit. File away the fat quarters for use in another project instead. The advantages of this path forward are:

• Check one kit off my long to-do list
• Fill in weak color areas of my stash
• Avoid generating scraps less than a fat quarter

There is a Marvel TV series on Disney+ titled Hawkeye, featuring a super hero extremely skilled with a bow and arrow. When his protégé Kate Bishop queries him, “What is the best shot you ever took?”, he replies, “The one I never took”. Perhaps my best kit is the one I never made.