Scrappy Sampler

I have returned from our long trip across the pond and am still sorting out jet lag, bah. I hate jet lag. This time has been especially rough, for some reason. Not sure why. We had a fantastic time, I got to do just a bit of sewy tourism when I stopped at Frou-frou in Paris and Liberty in London (and took in lots of inspiration in tile floors and colors, etc...) and I picked up a couple of UK sewing mags in the airport before our departure flight. Maybe I'll share more of that later, for now, I have a quilt I finished up a few days after we got home. 

I had picked up two quilts from my quilter a few days before we left, but didn't have time to bind them before our trip. I did have time to pick out binding fabrics, and I thought I needed to buy matching thread for one, but I ended up using some from my thread box luckily. 

The first one I finished is one I've blogged about before, here and here. I started making these sampler blocks way back in 2016, many of them from the Sampler Shuffle that was coordinated by Pat Sloan. I supplemented with some blocks from a Summer Sampler and some other traditional blocks, and then I had plans to try my hand at free motion quilting it on my domestic. I sashed it with a magenta from my stash that wasn't quite the best match but I didn't care because I knew it was a first go at FMQ and didn't expect much. I got the backing ready, and then it just sat. And sat. And sat. For years! I didn't really want to quilt it myself, and so I never made time for it. 

A few months ago, I was clearing out a drawer and found it and decided it was time to make a decision. Finish it or get rid of it. I opted to finish it, but it was really small because I was going to quilt it and wanted to start with a doable project. I'd say, crib size. I don't do crib size. So, I took it apart and then made another few blocks and made a bunch of hourglass blocks to set them with. That made it lap size, and I took it to my quilter, and here we are. The end! 

Haha okay, not really. What else about this quilt...well, I made it from scraps, in a narrow color scheme. I think most turned out pretty decent, some I really love. I'm happy to have this UFO done. I didn't realize it was as old as it is until I went looking for when I started it and realized it was 7 years old. I think I've been in a clean out mode, lately, I'm not sure why. But it's been really gratifying to use up fabrics I don't want anymore for scrappy backings, and to finish off spools of thread from my thread box, Which I did for the binding. And the backing on this quilt, consequently. I just didn't think of it initially because I did the backing months ago when I took it to my quilter. 

First Quarter Status

I end up hearing a lot about quarters when my husband talks about work. Quarterly goals, statistics, all sorts of things. I'm sure you do, too. And it just kinda bleeds into life, right? Well, I suppose really, it's okay, I mean, we are 1/4 of the way through the year already (Really?!) and I thought it would be a good time to check in with some in progress things. So here's my status.

I have two quilts at the quilter's that I'm expecting back any day now. They've been out for 6 weeks now, so it's about time. They are my All the Good quilt and a Christmas Shimmer quilt. No rush on either of them but I am starting to get antsy!

I just finished my sampler WIP, and I'm excited to have that wrapped up. It's waiting to go to the quilter's when I pick up my other two, along with my Little Women economy block quilt.

I am also working on my EPP WIP, and I've appliquéd (is that the right verb?) the EPP center onto a piece of fabric I've had in my stash for ages. I made a daughter a pair of pajama pants and had just enough left over for the center portion, which is great! I've also pieced the strips of churn dash blocks. Next up, I need to trim the center to size (I cut it large just in case it shrunk down while piecing, or in case I wasn't quite centered with it). That's got me a bit nervous, though, so I've been avoiding it, haha.

And, I'm working on a linen top right now. After I finished the sampler top, I decided to try this Fira top out of linen. I made a muslin to check the fit at the bust, and the darts were not happy (possibly due to the stiff muslin fabric, possibly due to my quick careless sewing since I thought I was checking the bust fit and not the dart placement...). I made a slight adjustment to them and I'm working my way through this pattern with a scrap of linen from fabrics-store.com from a different project. It feels good to use up leftovers! And, as long as I don't need the rest, I'll have enough to make a napkin, which I've also been slowly working on. I thought it would be nice to have some linen napkins, and that I would use up what I have left that isn't large enough for something else. They'll be mismatched, but I think that will just add to the charm. 

(Checking on the fit before I top stitch the yoke down on the shoulder)

So, next up are finishing the Fira top, finishing the EPP medallion quilt top, hopefully binding my quilts when I get them back, and then I want to make a couple of t-shirts for the summer in some specialty knits I bought from Salt Lake Sewciety. One is a merino wool, and the other is an athletic material. 

Revisiting UFOs

I was attempting to reorganize a couple of drawers in my sewing room without completely reorganizing my sewing room a month or so ago. It didn't really work that well, so I don't really recommend that approach. However, it did unearth a couple of UFOs that I've avoided for a few years. It didn't really unearth them; I've always been able to see them and have just ignored them. But this time, I wanted to reclaim the drawer space so I gave them a second look. 

One was the 6" sampler that I've hinted at recently. I had a sampler all sashed and ready to quilt complete with a backing (but not basted). I was going to attempt to machine quilt it on my domestic and felt like it was a size I could achieve. But...well, I wasn't all that interested in doing it. I have too many other things I'd rather do. So, when I cleaned out that drawer, I took a hard look at it and decided I needed to either finish it, or get rid of it. I decided to finish it, in a different way than I had planned. I decided to take it apart and set the blocks between hourglass blocks so it would be larger and have the appearance of stars. But, I didn't have quite enough blocks, so I have been adding to them over the past few weeks. I think this will be a lot better for me and the way I use quilts. This picture doesn't have all the blocks I have finished in it, I'm up to 56. I'm shooting for 60 so I can make a 60x72 quilt.

The second was an English Paper Piecing project I started when I was pregnant with the twins. I wanted to make sure they both had baby quilts and figured I'd have zero time to finish them after they were born, so I really wanted to finish beforehand. But...I got nauseous in my sewing room. It was the most tragic thing! Still, I wasn't about to be deterred, AND I was bored just sitting on the couch all day. So I decided to try English Paper Piecing the top. I saw an amazing design on Instagram and it had the piece sizes, so I just kinda went for it...but I ran out of steam. And felt a lot better, so I opted to make the baby quilts on the machine instead.

The problem was that when I got to a certain size, it because really hard to continue to add to it. I was adding from the center out, and figured I'd get around to rounding it out into a square eventually...but I couldn't figure out how to do it. So, I left the center and the completed blocks to add in the corner and forgot about it. 

But, I'd really like to finish it up somehow. I do like what I have, but adding to it seems daunting and it's way too little and not square. So, my current plan is to buy some yardage to appliqué it on to, and then add to it in a medallion style to make it larger. I'm going to start with a border of churn dashes and then I might do a zigzag or a diamond type border around that. 

As for the squares I had made (hexagons, I guess, more precisely), I decided to make more in different colors and make it a block based quilt rather than medallion, so I've started basting more diamonds. And I think I'll go with the color scheme I posted for my Fabric Friday on March 10. I'm out of practice, I haven't English paper pieced in years, so the basting is going slowly, but I'm looking forward to having some handwork to work on during movie nights and things. And I think it will be much easier to finish, since it'll be more in rows than this one and won't require so much thought to square it up. 

And, if I'm not mistaken, those are my only UFOs. I have a bunch of orphan blocks and leftover HSTs that I would have made as I cut them off of other projects, but I don't consider those UFOs. I'm pretty proud of myself that I don't have more! I did do some UFO clearing out during the pandemic and I'm sure that helped a lot. 

A Memorial Quilt

I think we've all seen the elusive traveling quilts, where a small group of quilting friends get together to piece together quilts. Each person starts with a theme and a color scheme and creates the center. They mail it to the next person who adds to it, and then it continues on through the circle until it makes it back to the owner, much larger than when it starts. I say elusive, because there don't seem to be that many but they always look so interesting and spectacular. I was always intrigued by them.

And then, my dad died. He had early onset dementia and was not doing well, but he died from a stroke. We all had a chance to say goodbye, it wasn't a sudden death from the stroke and we felt very blessed. But, I was five months (or so?) pregnant with my twins and was already extremely uncomfortable. I didn't feel able to really mourn the way I wanted to, which was to go to the mountains, his favorite place. So I sat and mourned as best I could. I brainstormed quilting ideas. 

First I made a mountain mini quilt, designed by Amy Ellis. I love it and it hangs in my living room. 

And then I thought of those traveling quilts. And the wheels started turning. I started brainstorming memories that could be turned into quilt blocks. Mountains, obviously, specific phrases, favorite books, favorite foods. I originally thought I might assemble it as a traveling quilt but quickly realized that it would be best to assemble the blocks and then try to work out how they all fit together. 

So I made blocks. Lots and lots of blocks. For nearly four years. Periodically I would see a pattern that was perfect and it would get added to the list. Lots are paper pieced and by the end, I was really done with paper piecing. In my mind, it's a necessary evil. I love how the blocks finish but I sure don't love making them. Here are few I liked a lot (not necessarily the making part, but the design, haha). Hufflepuff was from Fandom in Stitches (which has reliably good paper piecing patterns, usually for free) and the aspen leaves are by Center Street Quilts, available on Etsy. The lettering is all paper pieced as well, designed by From Blank Pages.

I also really liked this camera block, a free block of the month block from Fat Quarter Shop years ago as part of one of their charity fundraisers.

Finally, I finished the last block. Somewhere between the first block and the last, I purchased an embroidery machine and so there are several machine embroidered blocks I designed. I love what they add. Possibly my favorite is this digitized version of an illustration from the book Me and My Dad by Mercer Mayer. It took HOURS of digitizing, and at least four attempts at the multi-hooping before I got it right.

Once they were all finished, I laid them out and they fit pretty well together, I got pretty lucky. I added strips of fabric here and there to make them fit, but it wasn't as hard or awkward as I feared. I'm really glad I assembled it this way, I never would have thought of the camera strip otherwise, and I think it's a fun detail. And it turned out to be a great size: generous lap size. Nearly twin? Maybe it is a twin. But it lives in the living room, not on a bed. 

I took it to Marion McClellan, who is absolutely fantastic with custom quilting. She gets all my really special quilts, and she did a great job with this one. 

I love it. I love pulling it out and remembering. And I love pulling it out and telling my daughters the stories of their grandfather. They were too young (or not born yet) and only remember him in his illness. He was among the best of men, and, as Billy Joel says, only the good die young. I ache that they will never know his goodness. 

In Memory, long arm quilted by Marion McClellan, started in 2018, completed March 2021.

Around the World BOM

When Whole Circle Studio announced an Around the World monthly sampler, I knew I had to sign up. The quilt is stunning, and I couldn't pass it up, I think I signed up the first day and got to take advantage of the early bird pricing.

I was not excited to sew more paper pieced blocks, I had just finished a bunch for a memorial project I'll post later, but I thought it would be worth it. I think it was. Originally, I figured with only one block per month, it wouldn't be too tiring, but by the end, I was so done with paper piecing. I wouldn't mind never paper piecing ever again. I know I will. But I'm sure not antsy to do it. :)

I chose really similar colors to the original, subbing in some for others I didn't love. They're all Kona cottons. And I redid completely one of the blocks because I wasn't happy with how it looked, especially with all the other blocks around it. I originally made Dubai with an orange background, and it ended up being too similar to the Cairo. I redid it in pink instead and had just enough to complete it. 

One change I made was using letter patterns I already owned instead of the one designed by WCS. I didn't love some of her letter shapes, and I already had one I really liked, by From Blank Pages. So I did a little math and increased the size of the pattern so it would fit better into the blocks. It also meant I had to be flexible and measure to get the piece the right size and shape to fit into the block. It was difficult, and I think it was worth it. I love it with the letters!

I also decided to add a nice, wide border to it. When the top was completed, I was underwhelmed by the size. If you've been around my blog much, you know I like BIG quilts. Oversized lap quilts are my preferred size, and by oversized, I mean practically twin. Or, if it's square, practically queen. ;-) And after all the work of the paper piecing, I just wanted the finished product to be larger. So I added a nice wide border in a light gray. I love how it turned out, and the size is much more me. 

I knew, after all the work, I had to send it to Marion McClellan for custom quilting and she did a stellar job. I love the winding road in the border with the pebbling, it's perfection. I am never disappointed with her quilting. 

Before I took it to her, I consulted her on the backing; I had purchased more fabric than I needed intentionally because paper piecing is such a fabric hog, and I had lots leftover. I asked her if it would be awful to pair pretty dense paper piecing with a pieced backing and described what I was thinking and she was supportive! Of course she acknowledged normal backings are easier but also said she thought it would look amazing and that if it were her, she'd definitely consider it. So I went for it; I figured how large the back needed to be and then divided that evenly and cut a bunch of squares to make a pieced back. I do like it; it's different than I pictured, and I might like it more if I hadn't tried to use up my least favorite colors, haha. But, in the interest in not wasting fabric, I went with what I'd like most to get rid of. 

I really love how it turned out, and I love having it in our living room!

Come Fly With Me, designed by Whole Circle Studio, long arm quilted by Marion McClellan, completed March 2022

Threads of Memories and Dreams

 I might do a bit of catch up posting to get some the quilts I've finished recently but haven't posted about, even on Instagram. This is one of those, though I have posted about this quilt project. Several years ago, I started a Patchwork City Sampler, designed by Elizabeth Hartman. The book has 75 blocks, 25 each in three different sizes, and includes several layout suggestions. Naturally, I decided to take on the largest one, using every single block, and I determined to make it a travel-themed quilt. When I started, my goal was to make each block represent a specific travel memory. And many do. But, finding travel-themed fabric and making each block look distinct while still maintaining that goal proved really difficult, so I expanded it to include travel dreams as well as a few more generic travel themed blocks. 

I worked on this quilt for years. I started blocks in late 2016 and finally finished it up during the pandemic in 2021. The final stitches in the binding were put on in January of 2022

There was probably at least a year in there where I didn't work on it at all. I amassed loads of travel prints and more memories to include along the way, even a few pieces of fabric I bought while traveling. I was always searching online for great travel prints and looking in every quilt shop I visited for themed fabric. Which means this is probably one of the most expensive quilts I've ever made, as well, since I would buy a fat quarter or a half yard for just a few small pieces of fabric. Honestly, I still catch myself looking because it was such a long project that it became a pretty entrenched habit. I tried to make up for all the fabric purchases by using other prints from my scrap bins and was mostly successful. I worried a bit that the blocks would be too eclectic to look good once I tried to put them all together, but it actually turned out pretty great. I remember reading somewhere, maybe on Amanda Jean Nyberg's blog, that kitchen sink quilts, where you put in any fabric you have, actually often work out just fine because your scrap collection has one common denominator: you. And if you like it, it probably fits in with your style. I think there's probably some truth to that, as long as you stick with fabrics you purchased or you are more judicious with the scraps you accept from friends. ;)

When I pulled it out during the pandemic, determined to finish this long haul quilt, I started thinking about sashing and binding and backing, and of course, quilting. I decided early on I wanted to have it custom quilted and I took it to Marion McClellan. She's just amazing. We decided this would be a great quilt for graffiti quilting and she even added a nod to covid since I had a couple of covid-interrupted trip blocks in there. I attempted to up the contrast and stuff to make it easier to see, quilting is hard to photograph!

I used an amazing metallic essex linen for the sashing and a light blue essex for the binding. I wish you could see the sparkle in the linen, it's perfection, I backed it with a wide-backed Ruby Star sateen and it drapes beautifully. 

This quilt was a major labor of love. Over 75 blocks, because, I learned my lesson from a previous sampler quilt, and I remade a couple of the blocks I didn't love. I am so happy I did. There are still blocks that aren't my favorite (they can't all be favorites, though, right?), but I know I would have kicked myself if I hadn't replaced the blocks that were not square and that I didn't even really like. Here's a few I love, including a couple with the covid fabric.

I was really ready to be done with this project. After so long, I was ready to see the finished product, what I had worked so hard on and spent so much time and money on. But now that it's done, I almost want another long-term quilt project to work on. 

Threads of Memories and Dreams

quilted by Marion McClellan

completed January 2022

February Bernina Block Party

Hooray, I finished the final big block for Bernina's Block Party! It's actually a great accomplishment: the instructions have been horrendous. Really bad. My biggest issue with them was that every single pattern had cutting instructions to cut triangles. To make half-square triangles. Seriously. And, not only that, but every block that needed HSTs needed at least 4-8 of any given pair, so why not use some quicker methods? Same for flying geese. Instead of using the square-on-the-rectangle method, or even better, the four-at-a-time method, she included instructions to cut triangles for every piece. Yuck.

Anyway, I redrafted most blocks to include making HSTs or Flying Geese the easier way. But I tire of doing my own math so I'm glad this project is almost done. I'm also excited to see my quilt put together! The pattern is really pretty.

This is the biggest block, at 24 inches, and it went together in a couple of hours, even with my need to redo the math. That's been one good thing about these blocks: none of them have been very time-consuming.

Oh, and I did get the backing for my Summer Sampler finished, too! I'm feeling a pinch on our budget right now, though, so it's not going out to a long-armer just yet. :-)

I'm linking up to Elm Street's One Monthly Goal.

One Monthly Goal: January Recap

Checking in for One Monthly Goal link up. My ONE monthly goal was to finish my taupe shirt. I also hoped to get a set of clothes sewn up for my girls, and I wanted to sew up the Bernina Block of the Month.

Unfortunately, my one month goal was a fail. I did try: I took my shirt to our neighborhood sewing night, and I showed it to my friend who is much better at garment sewing than I am, and unfortunately, it wasn't salvageable. When I attached the facing, it stretched a bit, and that's what was causing it to flip up. I did mess up on one part, but unfortunately, that wasn't what caused the problem. So, it's hitting the bin. The fabric was old, it had been in my stash for a while, and it was good practice for me. I'm disappointed, of course, but I also recognize that I need practice.

I did finish the Bernina Block for January, and I love it. I struggle with the math on square in a squares or I would have refigured the center block so the main print wouldn't have seams, but otherwise, I love how it turned out. I'm excited to see this project finished. Not going to lie, I'm partially anticipating the end because the instructions are so frustrating.

While my taupe shirt didn't happen, I did get a shirt for me sewn sewn, twice. I did a trial run with some leftover black rayon that I bought for Halloween costumes, and it was perfect to practice with for my dress out of Cotton and Steel rayon. The first one didn't go so well, so I did it again. It turned out better. No pictures because I've been too lazy to take them.

And, I sewed my girls their mermaid dresses. They're not really mermaid dresses, but the sparkly mint fabric made me think the girls would feel like mermaids, so that's how I've thought about these dresses ever since! I sewed them using the Pippa Peplum pattern from See Kate Sew. No pictures, because, see above. :-)

So, this month was pretty okay! Not unproductive, even though I didn't accomplish my one monthly goal. I'll be back in a few days to check in with my February goals. :-) Happy sewing!

Oh, Samplers

It's been too long since I've posted here! I've been sewing, but slowly, and not finishing very much. I've been working a lot on some samplers.

Anyone else's sewing desk look like this?! Please say I'm not alone! :-D

Oh, samplers...as I've written before, samplers aren't really my thing...but I guess this year, they are! *sigh* It's been really great, though, to sew a block at a time.

I currently have five, yes, FIVE samplers in progress. They are in various states of completion, so I thought I'd share my progress here. No finishes today, and pretty poor pictures, but I am finding it's hard to get around to taking really good pictures, so this will have to do. :-)

Months ago, I sewed up a bunch of six inch samplers as part of a contest on Instagram. They all were in Sweetwater fabric, and I made a good number of them, and plan to eventually make more...I've shelved the Sweetwater sampler just for a bit, though...I'll be back to it, maybe when I finish up one of my other many samplers.

Last year, while I was still pregnant, I started a six-inch sampler. I started it with the Moda sampler shuffle (the patterns are still available on Fat Quarter Shop's blog). After the 30 blocks, I decided I wanted a few more. I didn't want to set them on point, so I needed more to make it a bigger quilt...but I didn't want to make it too large. My goal became 48 for a six by eight layout.

My goal is to free motion quilt it on my home machine. I've only done small quilts so far, so this will be an adventure! I'm almost there, too. I've sewn 47 blocks, so I just have ONE to go. So close...and then I need to figure out what color to sash with...

I've made these blocks from scraps (including my backgrounds) and I wish I could say it put a dent in the scraps I pulled for the project, but I don't think it did, really. Part of the problem is I've been able to add more scraps that fit with the color scheme...but my bin is still overflowing. I'm going to have to figure out another scrap project. And soon! These represent only the scraps I pulled for the limited color palette for the sampler.

I also embarked on a Patchwork City Sampler quilt from the book by Elizabeth Hartman. I'm sewing these with travel-themed fabrics and I love it so far. I don't have many blocks done, but I'm okay with taking my time. I've finished 18. Out of 75. This is going to be a very long term project. Below are some of my favorites so far. For these, I'm using scraps where I can, but I'm also not shy about pulling yardage from my shelves.

In addition to these three...I've joined two more sampler sew alongs. *yikes!* The first is the Bernina Block Party and it's a year-long sew along. We're six months in, and I've been able to keep up, happily. I'm excited about the finished quilt, but I haven't loved the directions, to be honest. So I've been switching things up as I feel like it. For instance, anytime the pattern has you cut squares in half to make half square triangles, especially if there are multiples, I sew them two at a time. Because why wouldn't you? I do think it's very unfortunate that they're trying to make it beginner friendly, but by not using standard piecing shortcuts (for HSTs or flying geese) I think they're actually making it less beginner friendly. Just my opinion. I'm awfully glad that I'm experienced enough to figure it out on my own! I am stoked about the fabrics I picked and I think it'll be a cool quilt.

{Please excuse the dire state of my sewing room. I have so little time to sew anyway, and I tend to favor sewing over cleaning up my space!;-)}

And then...I couldn't resist...I bought the pattern for the Summer Sampler program. I love the quilt. I love star blocks, and I love the layout. I've made all the star blocks and I'm working on the filler blocks.

But those take a bit of time...I'm also trying to decide if I want to redo any of the star blocks. There are a few I'm not thrilled with, but I'm also not sure how I would change them. So, we'll see! Below are some of my favorites.

The thing is, I'm actually pretty excited about all these projects! I don't typically get excited about samplers, but right now, I totally am. And I'm hoping to eventually finish them.

January...

So...January, huh? I haven't posted since December and don't even have morning sickness to blame. I guess twins are a good excuse...but really, I have been sewing, and I've actually sewed a lot, but haven't had a lot of finishes to post.

Still, since it's been SO long, I figured I'd post a few work in progress shots I took today.

Here's a quick shot of my design wall. I have a mini quilt top I started for the Disney Quilt Swap, but I had to drop out because my pregnancy was killer. My partner was a librarian who (among other things) liked Beauty and the Beast. I had to make a book-inspired mini. Lucky for me, I dig books and Beauty and the Beast, too. I swore I'd finish it up at some point, and now I'm trying to decide how to quilt it. I'm leaning towards just simple straight line quilting. Not quite matchstick, but lots of close lines.

I also have my first seven blocks in the Patchwork City Sampler book. I'm using it to feature travel-related prints. Of course, they aren't all destination specific--I've got some food prints and the camera prints. I decided to also include prints that include things that are important to me in traveling. :-)

I also have two quilt tops and backs ready to deliver to my favorite long arm quilter...but I'm waiting until my big roll of batting arrives. I ordered a roll of Pellon batting off Overstock.com after reading about it from Allison Harris, and since I paid $4 a yard for it (YEP.) I thought I'd take some with my quilts since she charges more. Hopefully the batting is nice!!

I also have been working on this English Paper Piecing project. I started it while I was on bed rest. I didn't work on it a ton, but I did a bunch. And I've worked on it periodically while I pump breastmilk. Because pumping is officially one of the most boring ways of spending time ever.

And, I'm working on a new bag. It's a diaper bag pattern from Dog Under My Desk, and while I get nervous sewing three dimensionally, her patterns are extremely thorough. I'm pretty excited about it, and hope it doesn't take too long. The one change I am making is adding this strip of fabric to the front zipper panel.

I've got lots of things going on...and lots to get started on, too. :-)

Moda Sampler Shuffle

Several months ago, I got a hankering to start a sampler project, and settled on the Moda Sampler Shuffle. The quilt along was long over, and I had saved the block patterns during the quilt along, but Fat Quarter Shop has maintained the patterns on their blog, so I used their site as I sewed. I finished all the blocks just a few days ago, and while I'm not finished with this quilt project (I plan to add more blocks to make it a more sizeable quilt), it's always fulfilling to reach milestones!

You may notice a few blocks missing from my lineup. That's completely intentional, but I still finished with 30 blocks. Two of the blocks were applique and that wasn't what I wanted for my project for a couple reasons. First, and maybe most importantly, I hate applique. I'll do raw edge with fusible in certain instances, and I'll do wool hand applique, but I just don't enjoy needle turn or other hand-sewing methods. So, I avoid it. And second, the blocks really weren't the style I was going for. I wanted my quilt to look more contemporary, and the applique designed blocks are very traditional. No thanks. So, I skipped those and don't feel one bit guilty.

I did end up with 30 because I messed up on one, but liked the finished block, so I have two from that pattern (the chevron block), and I chose to remake one because it didn't turn out like I wanted and I wanted to try it again in a different color layout. I'm really pleased with how the second turned out. But, since there isn't anything really terribly wrong with the first, I'll include it too. So, 30. From 28 patterns.

I think I'll add blocks from the Splendid Sampler that's going on now (and from which I'm dutifully downloading patterns), but I'll surely skip any applique there, too. And I might just remake a few from the Sampler Shuffle in different color layouts. We'll see. I have a whole box full of scraps I pulled for this project that didn't seem to get any smaller. For now, I might take a bit of break and prep a new leaders and enders project because I'm out of my current one. There are always plenty of projects, aren't there?