LOTS OF DOINGS

 I finished my Not Joe project this morning.  Then I removed the paper that was covering the other 'Gift' blocks hanging on the design wall to see how the new one went with them.  It works with them really well!

Then, I put the zippers onto the backing I made for Nebula and loaded it onto the longarm.  I put the batting on the machine, too.  Then I thought it might be a good idea to measure the top.  And lo, I discovered that it was 97" by 96".  Good grief.  That means the backing and the batting are too small.  I was so frustrated.  Luckily, the Monday Sewcial group was able to talk me down and I eventually got over it.  I need to make the backing bigger and buy a bigger batting.  No big deal.  Phfft.

Then I made the next month's part of the SeaMQGBOM2023 and added it to last month's.  It still needs a small border around it.  I'll get to that tomorrow.

Then I went onto Amazon and ordered a king-size Dream Cotton Request batting.  It won't be here for 10-14 days.  That will give me lots of time to make the back bigger.  I could even quilt something else in the meantime.  Life is good.

NOT EXACTLY LIKE JOE'S

 I started working on what was supposed to be the project Joe showed us yesterday in his Quilt Freedom Workshop.  I wanted to make something that would work with my other 'Gifts' blocks.  That meant more orderly, less improv-y.  I made a strip set but didn't want to cut into it until I knew how it would look.

I made a simulation of the strip set on paper, then experimented with it.  This first one is more like Joe demonstrated.  It ends up looking like jagged lightning.

But I cut the complete strip set like this, and liked it a lot better.  

So I cut the strip set into 4" sections then cut them diagonally and sewed them back together.  Then I laid them out to see how that would look.  I was surprised at how long they would be.

I experimented with how they'd look if I sewed them back together crookedly.

Then I cut one of the units diagonally the other direction and sewed it back together.

This was interesting.  I'm going to sleep on it and decide what to do tomorrow.

ANOTHER GIFT

 As a small project to do between bigger projects I made another block for the Gifts collection of blocks.

COMPLETED GIFTS

 Today is Monday.  It is now my favorite day of the week, where it was once one that I dreaded when I had to go back to work.  Life is funny.

Before our Brave Patch meeting, which is now called The Seam Allowance, I put a tape measure on the dead bar of the new Bernina Q24, Erik the Bold, using double-backed tape.

It starts at zero in the middle and measures out in both directions.  It should be very handy.

During our get-together I finished the Gifts block I started yesterday.  There was a lot of pinning, sewing, then un-sewing because the intersections were misaligned, then more pinning and re-sewing.  Sometimes, that was repeated a third time.  All but one looks acceptable.  I should fix that last one, too.  But I'm tired of pinning and un-sewing.

It does look good though, doesn't it.

NEW GIFTS BLOCK

 I'm enjoying making these Gifts blocks.  I don't know what I'll do with them, but I love em!

I got a good start on this one during our monthly Sew Modern Connection zoom get-together.

ANOTHER BLOCK

After lunch, I didn't feel like starting a whole new project or getting out an old project that needed a lot of work.  So, I drew another block design and made it from the fabrics I used for the 'Gifts' blocks.  It is about 18" by 9".

That was fun.

SELF COMPASSION

 I've been reading Brene Brown's Gifts of Imperfections along with my Brave Patch Book Club and making blocks to represent the different Guideposts.

This is my latest, Self-Compassion.  It represents one of the phrases that stayed with me - "the cracks are where the light gets in".  So, embrace the cracks and imperfections.

FINISHING

 Today was another session with Joe Cunningham and his Quilt Freedom Workshop.  He showed some vintage quilts and then talked about using someone else's artwork as a jumping off point for your own artwork.  

While I watched that I was finishing up some projects.

Here is my Gifts block, Things That Get In The Way:  

I love it.

And then I finally finished this block for the Nebula quilt: Block 6

Then I did the drawing for the smaller version and got the parts cut out.

STARTED

 I started sewing together my 'Things That Get In The Way' block.  I only got this far.  I got the parts all made.  Now to sew them together.  There will be partial seams. 

NEW BLOCK

 I designed a new block for my Gifts project.  It was almost fully formed in my head.  I did some erasing and ended up with a better block.

It is "The Things That Get In Your Way".