{Post 1,658} My View

I added both the long outermost border rows this AM. When I spin around in my sewing chair towards my quilt frame, this is my view. Now I just need to add the three rows of border to each short side. All the HSTs are pieced. So exciting.

Every block is my favorite. I see one I like, then my eyes move just a little, and there is one I like better. Then back to the first...

And the nit-picky border is so worth it. Hats off to Bonnie Hunter for another great design! I was going to use just one fabric, but the HSTs make it sparkle. Since I made them as Leader/Enders, I only made about 30 of them “on purpose”. There are  about 530 in the borders.

{Post 1,657} HSTs Galore

I need to piece 28 more 2-1/2” square HSTs to complete the number needed for my quilt top. I  am so excited to do this!

Today was a laid-back day for sewing. I am teaching a friend’s 7-year-old sign language. He comes on Thursdays for 60-90 minutes. We visited with his family when I took him home. Timmy got to play outside with his friends while I chatted inside with MINE, and that was more important than making progress on my quilt top.

Here are a pile waiting to be trimmed to the perfect size (even if it means only taking off a few threads), my singletons, and three-sies.

{Post 1,656} Whew—Lots of Piecing!!

This is my Moth in the Window quilt top so far. Once I realized each block had 30 pieces (and there are 70 blocks), I was curious how many pieces of fabric are in my quilt top so far. Any guesses?? 3,140 so far.

I still need one more row on the outside borders of the HST with half solid black. Three rows at the top and bottom, plus the 4 corner blocks. I need lots more HSTs to complete it, but I am well on my way!

This has been a huge effort, but I’m glad for it. I will be piecing a very simple quilt next. In fact, as I clean up my cutting table and debone some more shirts, I am already working on the next quilt.

{Post 1,655} Blocks Finished

To my new readers: please leave a comment so I know you are out there. I particularly want to know what you enjoy.

I sewed my last six Moth in the Window blocks. I have them laid out in order, and now to attach them to the mother ship. In the meantime, I’m sewing border triangles to make up for the ones still needed. So excited to see this quilt being finished.

Here are the blocks laid over my quilt frame over the rest of the quilt top. Two groups of three:

{Post 1,654} One More Block and Rearranging!

If you read my post earlier today, you know I had 3 boo boos in my layout. I was also missing a block. Here is my rearrangement and the missing block.

This would be 42-1/2” square if the blocks were sewn together.

{Post 1,653} The Process of Scrappy

Last night and this AM I pieced a few more string blocks (trying to keep the string bucket down to a minimum). When I added the 6 new blocks to the design wall, I thought it looked pretty good with attention-getting colors spread out. I came upstairs to write this blog post and saw two identical fabrics touching and two nearly-identical ones also touching. I did not notice them when I was looking at them in person. So it goes. I circle the spots needing some attention with yellow below.

{Post 1,652} Retreat and Sewing

I got back late last night from a ladies’ retreat at a Christian camp in the mountains of NC. Such a serene setting. Great food, wonderful music. Like a little bit of heaven on earth. Because of stressors at home, I aimed to have a very relaxing time. I did drive up and back (about 2 hours each way) in my van so I could transport others. On Saturday, instead of going zip-lining (yea—right!), hiking (nope) or ingesting large amount of sweets, I took a two-hour nap. One of those never-move, didn’t-I-just-lie-down types. Felt wonderful. I got to have meals with friends. I also saw a few older friends whom I haven’t seen in years. All in all a good weekend.

My husband and I took another nap today after lunch for a couple hours. I am liking these naps. They are becoming a habit. I used to go-go-go ALL the time and beyond. Now I am seeing the need for rest. Emotional exhaustion is harder to recover from than physical.

Timmy was brought to church, so he’s been with us most of the day. While he “helped” Poppa outside after we all got up from naps, I sewed six more string blocks. That brings my total to 43. Here are the ones I have (minus one). They will finish at 6” square, so this would be 42.5” wide by 36.5” high.