More postage

This feels like progress. I have sewn all of the postage bits into 4 by 8 blocks. For a little bit of history, it was when I had reached the 4 by 4 block stage that I decided to make a larger quilt...so I stepped back and made more colorful and neutral pairs, then 2 X 2, the 2 X 4, then 4 X 4 to reach this 4 X 8 step. 

Admittedly, some might want to count these blocks and get an idea of the eventual size of the quilt, but planning is more appropriate for those who like "productivity" and "finishing quilts." 

As Molly says, I have put myself in a Quilting Quagmire...lots of fussy quilts with tiny bits and/or hand work.  I would think this is an invitation to start a new quilt except for the way Molly is glaring at me.

Lollipop

I found the next steps in the Stonefield quilt and the blocks all required lots of appliqué of small pieces. Turns out I had already finished making the easiest blocks for the month. So I looked at this Lollipop block...it looked like a circle with two strips of rick rack sewn across it. Then I realized that it wasn't rick rack, but fabric that had been cut like rick rack. Then I remembered that I live at a time when there are gazillions of print fabrics many of which can pass for a lollipop. 

Then I interviewed Molly for my new podcast Diatribe. She has become quite a chatterbox. Here she is hanging out in the empty shelves over the refrigerator. 

And everyday I convert some 4X4 postage blocks into 4X8...and I don't forget to twirl the seams.

Molly's Rebuttal

 I was saddened by the ridiculous and false claim in yesterday's post where staff claimed to doom scroll as though she spends any time in civic minded pursuits. Unfortunately, I can attest that she, like many others, are trapped in the underbelly of the darker parts of the web: cats.

A scientific random sample of screen shots from my staff's web browsing demonstrates the frailty of the human condition. What is even slightly interesting about a mother and father raising their kittens? 

I do salute the organization Tiny Kittens for the work they do, especially with free range cats who have had no previous experience supervising human activities.

If you are currently not employed by a cat or kitten, you may go to YouTube to watch this family's livestream here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAtMeQyhMW4.

Unbroken

 Here is Molly providing an historical reenactment of me on break from the blog. The only detail I would quibble with is the omission of doom scrolling on a device. 

And even I am stunned at how little progress I can show...this has two more circles appliquéd. For a while I was sewing one wedge a day.

And here are three blocks appliquéd for the Stonefield quilt by Susan Smith. These were the last blocks needed to finish one of the monthly booklets. The next step is to figure out what my next step is.

Meanwhile, I found these blocks in a box...minus about six blocks. So I made some more and now this is ready to be put together.

Clark County Quilt Show

The Clark County Quilter's show was two weeks ago, and this was my favorite. It was made by Lynn Czaban. I looked up her previous work and found that Lynn is quite well known for her realistic quilts and you can see her interviewed about the quilt that won AQS in 2015 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ko7Q4upaESc. So yeah, this is Lynn just trying improv out. Sigh.

And while we are discussing expertise, here is Buddy eating from his new dinner bowl. I call it his candy dish. On occasion, he gets a tablespoon of Molly's regular food which he would otherwise inhale.

Really Slow Stitching

This quilt was originally inspired by the Jen Kingwell Pick a Petal Quilt but I went a bit off course. One of her blocks was a glorified nine patch and I made about a quilt and a half of uneven nine patches. I was next going to appliqué the wedges but didn't like how much that would have hidden the background. So I played around with paper cutouts of curves and came up with the quarter circle arcs. The appliqué is a bit slow going because I am slow going. 

I am still making blocks for the Stonefield quilt by Susan Smith. I really like the block on top but think it may be too bright for the quilt. But I will wait and see when I put all the blocks together. This was an incredibly easy block to make...given I changed the block from having mitered corners to partial seams. 

And here are some cross blocks for the Stonefield quilt.

This morning as I was heading out on a morning walk, I noticed a nosy neighbor right on the property line daring me to say something. I didn't.

Flash Forward

 Here's the latest Stonefield block...and this is the last block for the month...whatever month. This would have a lot more meaning if I was still following the books in order. 

Meanwhile, most of my time has been spent working on this quilt. It may look very similar to the last post...however...at the point that most quilters move ahead and sew the quilt blocks together, I usually come to the realization that I want it to be bigger. In this case, I decided to add a row and a column. I then had to move the blocks around etc. and so I am back to where I was at the last post, except with a bigger quilt.