Thursday 31 March 2011

Design a block progress

Victoria will be posting pictures of all our blocks for the Design a block Challenge at 15 minutes play today, and I’m looking forward to see them all. My block started out like this: I pieced together the rectangular scraps into 3 blocks and cut each on the diagonal. Then I did a little switch and pieced them back together into 3 new rectangles. Then I pieced the rectangles together and got this piece of new fabric which I cut down to the required 8” square; no straight grain in sight.




I would happily stop at this point because I loved the block just like this, but the challenge was to get moving and make it into something else so I did. Cutting and sewing and cutting and sewing with lots of pressing in between. I’ll post pictures of the finished block tomorrow.

I’m back from visiting my parents. My father has not been well at all so it was lovely to see them and heartbreaking to leave. He was home from the hospital for a few hours each day, but it’s never enough time is it. I also managed to squeeze in a lunch with my sister, a dinner with 3 of my nephews and coffee with my uncle at the airport so I got a big dose of family in two days. Today is my birthday so my other sister and nieces are coming over for cake. I have the day off and was planning to spend it by the sewing machine, but instead I’m spending it on the couch with an acute muscle inflammation in my back, catching up on my blog reading and looking forward to picking up grandson from kindergarten in a few hours.



Husband came home from a business trip to China the night before I left and this box was sitting on the table when I came downstairs the next morning. With my birthday coming up and all I was so excited to open the exquisite fabric covered magnetic close up box to find two smaller and just as exquisite boxes in a soft yellow fabric nest inside. I opened one of them and found a bag of tea; same in the other. Yeah, talk about disappointment. The tea was a gift from one of his business suppliers and not for me at all. Anyway, I did claim the beautiful boxes and will fill them with even more beautiful quilting supplies; smiling to myself every time I look at them. The tea is not so exquisitely stored away in our kitchen cabinet with all the others. Suits them well for getting me excited like that.-)


Have a lovely day!

8 comments:

  1. Happy Birthday Nina Lise!

    Sorry to hear your father isn’t doing well.

    You make me laugh! Those poor and lovely tea boxes! I’m sure you treasure them in time! I’m familiar with those well meant gifts from business trips, gifted by suppliers.
    My husband always tries to find some nice gifts for me. He went to a market in Shanghai and when he met some women from the US he asked about quilt fabrics. They were in awe over him but told him he wouldn’t find quilt fabrics. Pretty funny, considering they are almost all produced in China.
    He finally bought me a sampler book of Chinese satins for kimonos at a market stall. So sweet. I still didn’t put them to use.

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  2. Happy Birthday. I hope all is well soon.

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  3. Happy Birthday Nina Lise, sorry about your back. So glad you had a lovely time with family. Pooh on those boxes not being filled with silks for you to play with, but they are so
    gorgeous in an of themselves. I love your block, so moody! xox Corrine

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  4. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!! We are both ARIES!! ;-)

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  5. Happy Birthday! Hope you feel better soon!

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  6. Happy Birthday Nina!
    Hope your back feels better soon. I have arthritis in my lower back, and diabetes which will bring on striped nerves on occasions. Maybe that is your trouble too. It goes away, but takes a long time to do it, sorry to say.
    Have fun with your grandson.

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  7. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!! Glad you got to spend time with lots of family. Sorry about your back tho. Those boxes are so lovely and perfect for lots of little sewing treasures. Really love the block you made and can't wait to see what you made from it.

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  8. Happy Birthday, Nina Lise, a little late. - I can imagine your disappointment when you found the tea in those nice boxes. I hope you received something more personal. - The block and the fabrics are beautiful.

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