My quilting journey.
Last week I foundation pieced 21 Thrift Blocks and added
three 16-patch blocks to the one I had already finished. If my math is right and I don’t mess up any
blocks while doing the final trim (both highly unlikely), I am within 31 blocks
of reaching my goal. We’ll see!
The only other news to report…
Somebody had a too close encounter with a skunk.
Several of my quilty friends have been showing off these
zippered bags. Of course, nothing would
do but that I made one too.
This was the result of my efforts. I had been cautioned that the instructions for
the zipper were counter-intuitive, but I lucked into a tutorial on YouTube that
helped a lot.
One of the appealing features of this bag is that when it is
open and the sides are turned down, you have easy access to the contents. It took a lot longer to finish than I expected. My seam ripper and I bonded over the experience. This week I hope to return to my regularly scheduled projects.
We spent Sunday in New Braunfels celebrating our grandson’s
22nd birthday. Such fun. He heads back to Texas A&M this week for
what may be his final two semesters.
The quilt retreat last week was wonderful, and I am so happy
to be home again! The retreat center we
used is in Mt Calm, Texas, and meals composed of comfort foods and desserts
were provided. Plus the snack table included lots of chocolate. It ended up
being a 2-pound trip. Now the sugar
withdrawal and portion control work begins. I believe I spent 17 days in July on the road. That's highly unusual for me.
I completed 68 Thrift Blocks bringing my total to 328. If my count is correct, I need 56
more. I also decided to make my first
16-patch with the blocks.
The last day I was there I pulled out my Picnic Quilt
pattern project using Kaffe fabrics and threw the completed blocks on the
design wall. When more blocks are made,
I will be able to space out fabric repeats, and I expect some of the goodies gleaned from Wanda's Kaffe scraps will make an appearance.
One member of our group wears an apron when she sews and I
liked the pattern so much I, of course, had to make one too. So, my retail therapy there consisted of the
pattern and two yards of fabric (on sale).
As I was packing up for the return trip, this guy decided to hitch a ride.
The predicted cool down for the weekend has been a disappointment. As I write this, the temperature is 98 degrees, and the showers missed us though we did hear a little thunder Saturday afternoon.
