taking a run at it

I baste. I have basted. I will be basting.
Basting a quilt is like a hurdle in the path of a quilter.
We have to take a run at it.
We clench our teeth, we're up and over and hit the ground running.

We always stand at the starting block with hopes high.

Planning a quilt is sheer pleasure.
We dream, we draw, we shuffle through pictures and take mathematical leaps in the dark.
It is all exhilarating stuff.

And making a quilt top is a joy.
We smooth out the silky folds of delicious fabric.
We snip and slice and stitch.
Magic emerges under our fingers.
We shake out the finished top and toast the day we learned to quilt, the day we learned to sew, the day we were born on this good earth.

And then we fold the top up and think about basting.

We plan the backing.
Repeat steps above.....

Then we ponder basting.
We worry about basting.
We remember basting.
And at last, thankfully, we remember quilting.
We think about the joy of The Complete.
We think about our next project.
We baste.
It goes lickety split.
We wonder why we waited so long.
Quilting beckons.
And the finish line.
We are sprinting now.
We can feel the wind in our hair and hear the distant cheering.