Blocks and blocks...

Life has been so busy lately that I haven't had a moment to post anything here. My second son was married in Belgium a week ago. A whirlwind trip full of friends, family, wine, beer, shopping, chocolate, and very little sleep. I don't think that I ever adjusted to Belgium time before I had to return to the States.

The minute I returned home, I was back at my machine working/playing/creating....

all fun!

The first thing I did was complete the next block for the Millenium Compass Quilt. This will be part of a BOM class starting in October, so I need to get the sample done.

Next thing I did was begin an online class called Encrusted Crazy Quilting with Sharon B. The first week's assignment was to create a crazy quilt block between 6 and 12 inches. I'm happy with the first one but wonder how difficult this will be to embellish due to the bold prints and dark colors. Sharon B assures me that I should go for it.

For the second block, I chose a wider variety of fabrics but toned down the colors and patterns. We'll see how this turns out. For the second week, I am to begin stitching. I have been experimenting with another block, so I already got my feet wet and am ready to go!

I thought that before I get too involved in my CQ class, I would get my Block Swap for August done. This month's partner wanted any block in black and white with a splash of red. Anyone who knows me well knows that this is one of my favorite color combinations. My partner posted a picture on her blog of all the squares she has received so far, so I tried to create a block that she didn't have yet....an offset Log Cabin.

Well, since I had the fabric out, I decided to do another one. I had recently purchased Karen Combs' acrylic template for making cubes, so I decided to give it a try.

So, it's been a great week home. I'm definitely back into the swing of things.

Finally...the elated lovers...my son, Luke, and his beautiful bride, Clemence!

Summer's coming...

I find it hard to believe that the first day of summer is less than a month away. It has been a beautiful spring with lots of rain to make everything lush and green. My garden flowers are loving it. However, in my time, I wonder where it has all gone. Maybe it's my age, but each day runs like a river into the next. I often have to look at the calendar to know what day of the week it is.

I got to spend some time at the Cloth and Bobbin on Wednesday talking to Johanna about possible summer classes. I sat on the floor looking at patterns and fabrics, having very little time constraints....a rare thing, indeed. Our first decision was to use some of David Butler's fabric. We chose 4 fabrics from his "Curious Nature" line. As I began to cut the initial squares, I realized that they all really needed to be fussy-cut due to the bold design and the nature of the pattern. 

Next, we chose a cool paper-pieced wall hanging that will be done in these fabrics, some of which are from M & S Textiles Australia. Rich colors and crazy Aboriginal designs are enough to get my creative energies flowing.

I've also been working on a quilt from Karen Combs' book, Celtic Pieced Illusions, using a yellow to orange range of batiks for the background with a beautiful fall-colored ginkgo leaf batik for the interlocking design.

So, how many projects do I have going on at the same time?......oh no...too many. I also just got my Block Swap partner for June, so add that to the list....oh, and keep working on the BOM for the fall....deep breath!