Reflecting on reflections... - or: size matters, yet again!

Monday would have been the deadline for the challenge in Ste. Marie-aux-Mines, except that it was extended by a week, so the 22nd is the date when I last may enter my piece. Last year I missed the deadline although I had made one quilt specifically for that topic. This year I certainly don't want that to happen again. No, I really don't. Especially since Gul La Porte from Carrefour has remembered to remind me of the deadline when we last met - couldn't ever face her in person again, should this happen one more time!
So last Saturday I was working on the facing, had finished the two sides, and then had the brilliant idea to measure the piece. I knew it was going to be slightly under the 130cm length restriction, but I was planning on it being within the 5% tolerance margin. Good I measured before I had finished the top and bottom binding and the tunnel, because - seems befitting to me by now, as I seem to keep running into size restriction problems - of course, it was not a whole lot but definitely shorter than that. Not within the tolerance anymore. And no superfluous batting extending on either top or bottom. Can you imagine how I felt?
So after a telephone consultation with Kathleen Loomis, who did a wonderful job of easing my aching soul, an exchange of photos and e-mail suggestions and after taking off the finished side pieces of the binding I spent a lot of time on Sunday doing this:

I also added to the backside fabric, and did something to the front to extend what I had. Some more quilting, including this pleasant surprise:

Only last week I had written to a friend - in connection with telling her a bit about my involvement with the refugees - that I wanted some more of my own life back for me. So in a way I really enjoyed the fact that I was spending almost the complete day in my studio, virtually no phone calls concerning the topic refugees. But it would have felt slightly better had I been really working creatively instead of fixing yet another of my size-matters-catastrophes. Is it a sign from the heavens that I should not even try to make something to a predetermined size? Or is it an attitude problem on my side why I keep running into these issues?
In any case, I am very happy that there are still a few days left before the deadline. Although by now I really am finishing up the facing, and could even end up on the other end of the allowed spectrum, i.e. 5% larger/longer than the allowed 130 cm... The pendulum swing of life?