Brett's mother's quilt top, and an irritating myth about the Amish

Brett's mother's quilt top is finished.

Although it's composed almost entirely of prints from Heather Bailey's Pop Garden and Bijoux collections, I think my favorite part are Tula Pink's four birds from Nest.  They give the whole thing a touch of whimsy.  (I was going to type "a touch of the avian flu," but then I worried they'd get offended and peck out my liver while I sleep.)

Biggest mistake of this quilt so far has been what I like to think of as my Amish block.  Some quilters believe that Amish craftspeople intentionally introduce errors into their work to promote the idea that only God is perfect.  I for one don't buy it: I think the presumption that one would have to try to make mistakes is kind of, well, uppity.  And I haven't met too many uppity Amish.

But as for my sad little block, it only proves that even without trying I make more than enough mistakes to keep a whole damn pantheon of gods feeling smug and superior.  When I was sewing the blocks into rows, I noticed that one had a little nick in it from careless rotary cutting.  It would only worsen, I knew, with quilting and washing, so it had to be replaced.  But I had only scraps of the floral print left, and no patience with trying other combinations that would work in its place.  So I pieced it, clumsily.

And it's fine.  If that's the most noticeable mistake I make on this quilt, I'll trade in my Elna for a butter churn.