Progress and an Inspiration

Pick A Petal Update

Well, friends, the low volume blocks with the embroidery and applique are still the low volume blocks without the embroidery and applique. I'm okay with that; I'd known from the time that month's ingredients arrived that it would be many months before I'd begin -- let alone finish -- that round.

The last round for Pick A Petal came, right when it was supposed to, with a whole bunch more Lollies, and I spent a very long time cutting and marking. The final round for PAP calls for sixty-four -- count 'em -- sixty-four itsy bitsy fan blocks made from those Lollies and Jen's low volumes.

I'd been working on them in the evenings, hand-piecing as we watched whatever Netflix was offering. And then, just when we needed some new options, along came Ken Burns! Last week's "The American Revolution" provided twelve hours of fan making and now they are three-quarters done!

Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery

Y'know, sometimes we bloggers of a similar persuasion get to know each other beyond the blogs. We'll email each other to share things, to check in, that kind of thing. Some of us have progressed to sending Christmas Cards (Debbie, Julie, Janet -- I'm lookin' at you!) or even meeting in person (Debbie again).  And occasionally a little giftie or even a UFO will show up in one of our non-electronic mailboxes. It's a lovely thing.

This hasn't been the case with one particular blogger that I follow. And I don't know why. Kokaquilts is a spectacular blog and I just know, deep down, that if its owner and I were to get together, we'd hit it off splendidly. But, alas, Linda is far away from Near Philadelphia, about as far as one can get, i.e., New Zealand. I don't know that I've ever commented on one of her posts, much less sent her an email about a great new fabric source. Most likely, she doesn't even know that this blog exists. 

Go take a look; see for yourself the beauty that she creates.

So, where I'm going with all of this is that after all of this time visiting Kokaquilts and seeing the wondrous Bear's Paw at the top every single time, it got to me. I simply had to make a soft-toned Bear's Paw of my own. The first block is pictured to the left. And here's the second: 

What a delight, after hand-piecing 48/64 of those fans (thus far), to sit with Bernina and the stash, and piece.

Obv, this is going to be another long-term, slow project. And I'm just fine with that. There's no deadline.

So, good morning, Linda in Auckland. Thank you for the inspiration. And if I had your address, I'd be sending you a Christmas card this year. For sure.