Early Birthday Loot

Yesterday was an early birthday celebration at quilting (QB's). Due to schedules, we had a joint birthday celebration and Janis and I ended up with some good birthday loot -- fat quarters and good food! We always have a potluck lunch and the birthday girls get to decide what they are collecting in the way of fq's. This year I chose jewel tones, purples, blues and greens. Here's what I ended up with: They are really much richer and warmer than they appear to be in the picture. My plan is to use them in the Nearly Insane quilt. My goal is to try to do at least one block a week. At that rate it should take me 2 years. Yikes! Well, I suppose since I have several UFO's older than that, 2 years would actually be a realatively short amount of time.

I have managed to get a start on the Nearly Insane quilt. And now I know why it was named. It certainly will be a challenge. Here's Block #1. It took two tries to get the center measurement correct. This block measures 6.5" unfinished. I learned just how important that scant 1/4" really is when piecing things on such a small scale. I had this pieced out to the rectangles surrounding the center square in a square before I realized it was too big. Being off by just 1/8" or less adds up quickly when you're working in a small scale. I think this project will be a good learning experience. If nothing else, it will help hone my precision piecing skills.

Meanwhile, the pink heart log cabins are taking a well deserved rest while I work on the High School Senior quilt top and some test ideas for the QB Christmas Challenge which I cannot show here -- at least not until December. But I can spend the year teasing you.

More Happy Blocks

The second set of Happy Blocks are completed. Here they are all up on the design wall. They really do make a fun quilt. This is such a neat project the Heartstrings group is doing. All the quilts are just so darn, well, Happy! Take a look at their blog and see what I mean: Heartstrings blog.

Meanwhile the bin of pink strips keeps staring at me. It's a darn good thing they can't talk! I've got a good start on the rest of the log cabin blocks needed to finish the log cabin heart quilt. But, I think I'll put them aside for a short while and go back to working on the high school senior quilt. Now I just need to stop drooling over the Nearly Insane quilt...

Hearts

Finally, some sewing and something to show for it. Besides finishing all the log cabin hearts I also managed to get 2 of teh 32 regular log cabin blocks completed. After more than a week of no sewing it felt good to get something accomplished. Now I just need to prioritize all of my many ongoing projects. I really do think I have ADD. I am so easily distracted. Am I the only one who goes from project to project without completing the first one before starting a second, and third and even fourth? So many quilts.

While browsing quilting blogs the other day I found several references to being easily distracted. At least I know I'm not alone and that I'm in good company.

I also found a Quilting Bucket List -- a list of quilts the quilter wanted to do before she died. I liked that idea. There are SO MANY quilts I want to do. But I wonder, if I actually put them down in writing, more or less in the order of importance, I wonder how many there would be? Would it count if they get started but not completed? Do you see a recurring theme here? I definitely need more discipline.