Tiny Chunks of Time

The past weekend was the sale.  Let's just say we sold a lot which was great.  Bad thing is that it was cold, rainy, and I didn't have much time for sewing.  Sunday DH sent me home around noon so I had some time to myself.

I have been struggling to finish the blocks for this quilt.

I have had a tough time with this block.  So of course it makes sense to just put the whole quilt aside since I couldn't wrap my head around this one block.  Right? 

The pattern was made using an accuquilt drunkard's path template.  There are no directions for cutting if you do not have one.  I did realize that some of the pieces are two half units put together so I know that I will be piecing these.  I thought at one point if I started out with HST that it would work.  Lets just say giant fail.  I actually drew the block out several weeks ago to try again.

That way I knew where I wanted to put each color, and could figure out each piece I needed to cut.  I finally got brave and started cutting Sunday. 

Five hours later this is my pile of parts, nothing is sewn yet, but they are all marked so that they can have their halves put together.  I have a curvemaster foot which I need to use to put this together without massive amounts of pinning.  DH said he would move the machine I need this week so maybe I will get this one done. 

Tuesday I got home earlier than usual.  We had lots of little chores to do in the kitchen.  We eat a lot of salad because of my diabetes, and we have discovered that it is cheaper, and the food last longer if we prepare our own.  No bagged salads or cabbage for us.  We usually make a huge bowl of a green salad with baby spinach, romaine, and red leaf lettuce which lasts us the week for dinner. I made salad because we had not had the opportunity to go grocery shopping and do the salad over the weekend which we usually do.  Then DH started chopping cabbage to make slaw.  We have a cabbage type salad daily for lunch, so we chop up 1 very large head of cabbage, and a smaller head of red cabbage as well as 1/2 a large bag of baby carrots.  This usually yields us 3 half gallon jars, and one gallon ziploc which lasts us for the week. We vacuum seal the jars which helps  keep the slaw  for the week. While DH was chopping slaw I started cutting parts for this block, and while he sealed the jars I finished up sewing the block.  I had to take a few minutes to review a Youtube video on how to use a Tri Recs ruler set. 

I know this block as 54-40 or Fight, but it is also known as Grandmother's star.  This makes 15 blocks sewn together, one cut out, and I have patterns for 5 more.  I still need to choose 3 more blocks to have a total of 24 which I will need to make my quilt. 

Doesn't it seem silly to put a quilt aside because of one block?