Not For the Faint of Heart!

On Wednesday this week, I once again participated in the monthly meeting of Charity Quilts - the tops we tied were among some of the most gorgeous I've seen and all donated to help warm the lives of someone living in an old aged home.  The most recent recipients are residents in a Philadelphia area facility that accommodates elderly and infirm at no cost.  We have received letters from the nuns running the facility to express the appreciation they all have for the quilts.  Warms the heart!
Our Chairwoman, Mary, will be resigning her post in May, and therefore, we are scrambling to ensure the survival of Charity Quilts - something so many of us care for deeply.  We are hoping to set up a team of folks who will pull together to do the many aspects of the job - which for many years have been done by just two - two very dedicated individuals.  
Anyway - during the lunch break, Mary introduced us to a project with which she has challenged us.   
Through a lottery type drawing, we each (those of us participating) got packets of fabric and directions to follow in cutting it up and sewing it back together.
I picked yummy fabric in purples.
My pattern is called Basket Weave.
Here's the kicker.
In most instances, the fabric provided is Exactly the yardage needed to make the top!  The project is also called A Five Yard Quilt.  As in, you NEED five yards, you GET five yards, and if you screw it up - too bad!

Here are the fabrics I drew - as well as the directions.
They sat on the table as is for three days - taunting me....terrifying me.  I know me....I know how often I "think" I know what I'm doing...and then find out I didn't!  I was itching to get cutting...and sweating that I'd mess it up!
And then the e-mails started coming in.

"Ooops, I made a mistake in the pattern!  Don't worry if you have already begun cutting - it won't make a difference there."

And then another e-mail:

"Uh, Oh!  Made another mistake -  you don't need NINE squares - you need 35."

Huh?  What?  I'm pretty sure that if I'd "thought" I needed only 9 squares, I'd probably been pretty lackadaisical in my cutting....and since some of the yardage was EXACT, I might not have been able to cut enough pieces.
Thank goodness I had a healthy fear!  By waiting - waiting until the last of four e-mails came in, I may have saved a lot of aggravation.

 And so, it is cut and carefully numbered......

  laid out
and two squares are sewn together.

So far, I don't like them, but perhaps, when all are laid together the basket weave will show and I'll be happy.
Looking at the pictures, I can see that they don't show the true colors....they actually do look better than this in person.
And I am no longer as scared!