Blocks and Blocks

With only 34 commenters, the odds were definitely in your favor if you commented to win my giveaway. In a rare occurrence, Random Number Generator picked the first commenter!

Shannon said:

If I had enough money to purchase one thing to improve my sewing/quilting room, I would buy... a bathroom so i didn't have to go upstairs 20 plus times a day :)

Shortly after I emailed Shannon about her win, she was already shopping with her $25 Pink Castle Fabrics gift certificate.

Thanks to all of you who entered, and have been following my blog these past three-and-a-half years!

Recently, I invited eight women to my house to discuss modern quilting, and the possibility of organizing a Modern Quilt Guild (MQG) chapter. I'm excited about our conversations! We discussed "What is modern quilting?" according to MQG, and on our 50" TV, watched a slide show of many wonderful MQG online examples of modern quilts.

Though these quilters are very excited about modern designs, quite a few of them hadn't yet sewn "modern." So for our next get-together our challenge is to make a modern quilt block. It can be any size, and must include at least one solid fabric. I chose to make this 17-1/4" (unfinished) Octagonal Orb quilt block, by Elizabeth Hartman. Eventually, I'll sew this into a pillow. Do you know how much I'm lovin' aqua these days?! I can't wait to get the aqua swirl glass lamps I ordered for the guest room!

17-1/4" unfinished block

Speaking of MQG, lots and lots of blocks have been submitted to Quiltcon for the organization's first convention in Austin, Texas, next February. Blocks will be used in quilts donated to the Austin Children's Center. Recent Quiltcon blog posts have been reviews of various categories of blocks submitted. Though I won't be going to Quiltcon, a block I made will be in one of the donation quilts. In this photo of "pictoral" blocks, mine's the skyscraper block, lower right.

Catching up with the Blogger's BOM, I've completed July (top row) and August blocks - I'm making two of each.

8-1/2" unfinished blocks

For nearly a year I've been sewing 1-1/2" squares as leaders and enders. During that time, and in spite of several months of no sewing activities due to our move, I have made more than sixty 16-patch blocks. It will take several more months of "leadering and endering" to have enough 4" blocks to make a quilt of any size, even with sashing around each block, but I bet it will be pretty.

My least favorite design, in fabric or embroidery, is hearts. You'll never find a heart in anything I create for myself. However, I'll gladly make hearts when they're requested by a dear friend, Di. This 6-1/2" unfinished pink "healing heart" block is already on its way to Australia as a remembrance of her husband's sudden passing. I would happily make stacks and stacks of heart blocks for her if it would help give some small measure of comfort. She's having a rough time, and who wouldn't after 40 years of marriage? 

Unexpected life challenges such as Di's remind me of why we moved to Florida - to enjoy life and retirement while we're young. (And yes, 59-1/2 is still young!) We never know when life will toss us overboard and upset our otherwise steady way of living. Life can change in an instant.

The pastor at a new Evangelical Free church we've been attending likes to say that as Christians here in The Villages we should: "Play hard! Pray hard! Finish well!"

Finishing well means using our remaining days to do good. Serve others. Bear fruit. Psalm 92:14 says:

They (the righteous) will still bear fruit in old age,

they will stay fresh and green,

Okay. I'll admit it. 59-1/2 is old, but I'm clinging to that "fresh and green." Linda