Moving on to Building Houses

 I have been making steady progress on my Around the Block quilt and am happy to say that the center is complete and all 3 borders have been added and now I am back to building the houses.  The fun part of this is that you make 2 of each house, but they are all so different.  I have 8 more buildings to build and there are barns, churches and a school house besides 6 different styles of houses.  Then there are trees and fences to add to it.  This quilt looked like it was wall hanging size to me, but it is much larger, right now it is about 66” X 55” and the houses that go all around are 10” each so it will be one of the largest quilts I have made to date.

Yesterday I read on a blog that you should make a list of 10 quilt projects you have in progress and using this list work on each project in 3 hour intervals.  After working on a project for 3 hours stop and go to another project.  The idea is that you start to get bored and probably careless after about 3 hours so you get a whole new project out and get refreshed and before you know it you will be finishing up projects.  Well, it was making sense to me so I have a notebook by my cutting table that I have listed the projects I am working on (and I think I only found 8) and I have them neatly stacked in a box with all their components stored with them.  I should get more art boxes to contain things better, but right now I am using zip lock bags.  This little quilt has so many components and with no 2 alike that it is really keeping my interest.  I was getting bored working on the borders so yesterday I played around with making up misc. blocks to practice some Free motion quilting for the quilting challenge by Sew Cal Gal.  I am also following Leah Day at The Free Motion Quilting Project, who has some great videos and has started the year teaching as though you are a beginner.  If you are new to free motion quilting her blog would be a great place to start, her videos are short and her approach really breaks it down into something doable by any new quilter.  She is posting something new each week.  Sew Cal Gal is having guest posts on a monthly basis so you get to learn from someone new each month.  My goal this year is to practice my quilting and get all my tops done.  I have been surprised when I do get a top quilted by how long it takes…not as long as I thought!

Given that the winter weather is feeling more like Spring I have been doing more work outside than what I usually do at this time of year so my quilting time has been cut down, but I try to fit some time in each evening.  I find it relaxes me and keeps the creative juices flowing.  Today I am planning to go out and wash a few windows, really unseasonable for me, but I am tired of looking out through the dirty window in the kitchen when I am doing dishes. 

A clean, fresh view… a great way to start the new year!

Ferne