The One

 

This.  Block 60 in the Sampler Spree book.  Simple, elegant.  And the one that got me.

I'd been feeling a little smug, 59 blocks in.  I've always been a bit challenged when it comes to fitting pieces in various configurations.  (Remembering that awful day in second grade when we had some kind of standardized test where they showed a hand or a foot from different angles and we had to mark whether it was left or right.  Absolutely awful.  I had no clue.  I remember sitting at my wooden desk in despair and realizing that I was stupid.  My second grade self figured it must be so.)  

But many years have passed and I'm not stupid and now working with the sampler blocks has been affirming and I was feeling pretty good.  Minimal ripping in that regard.

And then block 60 came along.  There is a LOT of fabric in my wastebasket.  I finally figured out to cut according to the outer edges of the strip set and ignore the inner triangles.  Just don't even look at the little pictures in the book that are supposed to help.  Totally ignore the template.

Thing is, I realize that most people probably breeze right through this block, feeling relieved, it's only 16 pieces.  Some of those little blocks have 36 or more pieces.  It's ok, I have learned to work around this little brain glitch of mine.  On to block 61.  I can glance at 61 and know how it goes together.  

Sampler Blocks

 

My design wall is filled with little sampler blocks these days.  Six-and-a half inches square.  I'm enjoying the book Sampler Spree by Susan Ache.

Most mornings I make a block or two, usually two.  It fits in with my usual way of making things, a little at a time.  There is even a facebook group of folks working on these blocks, although many of them work with one color scheme each week.  I like a really scrappy look, so I just add colors as I feel like it.  I have no problem finding various colors among my small fabric pieces.

The finished quilt, if I get to that, has 100 blocks.  Some of the blocks have teeny pieces, a few use templates.  I'm about 1/3 of the way there, we'll see.  So far, making these little blocks is addicting.  And I'm getting much faster at visualizing and sewing.

I had always ignored the 1/4" stitch on my sewing machines, but with my new machine I can also click over one position toward the edge so it makes a nice scant 1/4" seam, using the regular presser foot.  I find it much easier than using the 1/4" piecing foot.

We are at the All Star Break, so there won't be as much baseball for the next few days.  So proud of the Cincinnati Reds and their recent run.  Baseball has been fun.