48 blocks and more

Norma and I have wanted to sew our version of Atkinson Designs Daisy Chain for some time. When she knew that she was going to be on holiday between Christmas and New Year's we planned on getting started. But first, she needed to prep fabric and do some cutting. In the meantime, I got busy sewing the Sisterhood Gratitude top that I had cut out recently---my Saturday project, LOL. It still needs borders--a pretty blue inner border and the outer border is that patchwork fabric you see in 6 of the pieced blocks in the picture below.



Sunday after I had lunch out of the way, we got our sewing machines revved up. Here's my project box. I am using 30 repros (I'm working in series, ha!) If you look at the pattern leaflet, the greens and pinks form little flowers in the diagonal chains. Well, in my version the blue-green/aqua fabric you see is my green in the design and the red dot takes the place of the pink. My yellow for the flower in the chain has both the aqua and red elements but I don't think it showed up in this shot.





Here I am ready to start Step 1, part C. I had cut pairs of two of about 60 fabrics in 5 different colors. Some were too light or didn't contrast enough with the accent pieces. I weeded those out but still have a few extra, should I need them for variety.



Where I left off last night----half blocks for 48+ blocks. Today we start off with the strip pieced sections that go between the block halves. I know the blocks don't look like much at this point but they will! Judging by the piles of colors, I have more blue cut than any other.



You may have also spotted the iron on pressing surface in that shot? Funny story there. My Christmas pants turned into an iron. As background information---DJ, bless him, often takes on the laundry as his "job" so he had seen the one pair of my slacks was looking a little worse for wear. He has gotten me a top, a sweater (a set of silverware for both of us even) before but didn't want to repeat himself. Walmart doesn't carry quilting hoops anymore or he would have gotten one of those for me. He checked after he was recruited to repair my favorite broken one last week. That is taken care of anyway as my mom called after reading my last post and offered me hers since she no longer hand quilts. Thanks, Mom!

Well, you know we women can be a little picky about our jeans so it surprised me that he ventured out in that territory. Actually I HAD bought a pair to replace the worn ones but he didn't know that. I do appreciate his trying to get something for me though so I would have a package to open. The store didn't have a different color in the correct size. Actually I want a t-shirt from JSU but WM doesn't carry them for some reason and I haven't gone up to Jacksonville to buy one for myself. The other thing I needed was, you got it, an iron. I was currently using an old backup one which was neither hot enough and not steaming anymore. I took the pants refund, added in 20 bucks of my Christmas money and got the Hamilton Beach Easy Touch model. Good choice! But woe be to the husband who bought an iron for his wife for Christmas, right? Well, he didn't, I did ! I'm happy, he's happy--works for us.

On Christmas Eve he had asked me how I planned to spend the check he had given me. Usually there is some quilt book that I have my eye on or I want to renew a quilting magazine, pattern or two, something quilty that has caught me eye. The money is usually spent earlier in the month and he reimburses me, in effect, but not this year. I couldn't really come up with anything I "had to have". A replacement iron, fabric for borders for the Daisy Chain quilt----boring! It is also not something I could point at and say" here is what you got me" like say, the Amy Bradley Kitty City patterns or Dazzling Dog patterns we had gotten in the past. When I worked on those blocks, he was actually excited about my project, often commenting on how cute they were turning out and asking which one I was doing next. It was like he was personally invested in the quilt. Trust me, this is NOT how he usually acts about my quilting. When the quilt failed to take a first place ribbon in its category at the quilt show, he thought it was a personal affront to HIM! LOL. But I digress.

The answer came to me after a few days of pondering. I ordered a couple things online once I decided. The first was the custom button sets for the two of Nancy Halvorsen's books that I already own, Calendar Quilts and Stitcheries and In Season. I am going to do the applique version of the calendar quilts this year as my monthly project in 2010 as I did her "Be Attitudes" this year. I had so much fun with those and expect to with this as well. I also ordered a couple of quilt hangers from Ackfeld Wire similar to what I am using for the Be Attitudes quilt-let display. I'm happy, he's happy--works for us. I am blessed.

Well, my sewing partner has plans with her family this morning so I will work on something else in the meantime. Maybe hand quilt a bit or put borders on the Sisterhood top but leaning more to the hand quilting. I'll get enough machine time put in this afternoon working on those strip sets, LOL.

Hope that you have a good day in whatever you chose to do-------thanks for stopping by!