Some Days Are Nuthin' 'Cept Try, Try Again

I broke away from my current quilt project--a big one--to try to complete a quilt for the VA hospital in Fresno as part of the "Quilters' Embrace" program of the GATEWAY QUILT GUILD. Being an "orange" person, I have this pattern that caught my eye almost a year ago. I was trying for the K.I.S.S. (Keep it simple, stupid) method by choosing a latticework of multi-color two inch squares (actually, two inch strips sewn in pairs and then cut in two inch wide sections) combining the olive drab and orange colors in the quilt and mixing them with the traditional patriotic colors.

By the time I finished sewing the three pairs of big blocks together, I (a) decided this was not K.I.S.S., and (b) wasn't sure if the two design elements were going to look right together. I put it away for a few nights and slept on it.

Monday I sewed together the horizontal row connecting four blocks together and stitched it to one row. Then I laid everything out to view what it would look like finished.

IT LOOKED AWFUL!!!!!

I ripped out the the latticework and went back to square one to choose how to connect these big blocks depicting today's Army in action. I came up with this:


I had to make two attempts to sew this design together. The first time, I got the stars upside down. I did more ripping out than stitching yesterday. Some days are like that.

I'm further behind than I was last week, but I think the end result will be more pleasing. The question is, will I get this finished by Veteran's Day?