Blocks - we have blocks!

Well, edges at least.

Today's mystery post from Quiltville assembled the edges and corners for an on-point setting.  Blocks tomorrow.  Whee!

But Bonnie IS taking it easy on us. . .

Double brick blocks and triangles.  Nice easy sewing.

Bless you, Bonnie, I took all the Christmas decorations down and I was exhausted.

Can't wait for the next step on New Year's Day.  Will the mystery be revealed?

Barbara Brackman isn't taking it easy on us for Christmas

This is the latest block for the Grandmother's Choice Block of the Week by Barbara Brackman:

She gave us templates in Adobe Acrobat but I took one look at that block and said "foundation paper piecing".  Since I don't have BlockBase I had to draw the block first in EQ before printing out the foundations It was time consuming but the only way for me to construct this block accurately.  I'm rather pleased with how it turned out

BUT.....................

Couldn't she have picked an easier block for the Friday before Christmas?

Guess again!

Could this be it?

Or this:

I really like this a lot and it appears the number of all the subcomponents of the blocks agrees with what we have made, unless I miscounted.  I was thinking that Bonnie is not one to leave those 3" green squares plain  so I tried square in a square blocks with different color corners.

I know - somebody stop me........

Easy Street part 5 - my guesses were wrong!

I just finished part 5 of Easy Street:

and these don't fit in with my guesses.  Whoops!

Now I'll have to fire up EQ and try again.

Easy Street guess (possible spoiler alert!)

I was fiddling around in EQ last Saturday with the components made so far in the Easy Street mystery and came up with this:

Or, maybe even better, add sashing:

I have no idea if the number of each unit made matches up with what I used in the sketches;  I was just brainstorming.  I like the look of both of them, though, and I like that they don't have a border.  If either isn't the design I need to save these idea and use one later.

The Christmas Card Economic Index

Here's a new economic indicator we can use:  how many Christmas cards have you received?  We've gotten six and three are from family.  Has the expense of purchasing and mailing any greeting cards killed the industry generally, is it the region in which we live, or has the past years' economic downturn and lack of significant improvement been the death knell for Christmas cards?  It seems worse this year than any other.  By this time in December, the front of my secretary desk is usually covered with cards, but this year's display is paltry.

The people from which we would expect to receive a card are not out of work, to the best of my knowledge, but are they penny pinching to be safe?  Counting the cost of cards and postage, each holiday greeting can set you back $1.00 to $1.50, and that's if you buy the cheap ones.  We're using up the ones we had left over  from past years at my house, and had just enough, although I did purchase a few specialized cards for Mom, my brother and his kids.  We sent about 35 cards - you can calculate the cost.  Ouch.

But I  wasn't going to forgo sending Christmas cards - it's an essential part of the season to me, the same as baking cookies for the goody baskets I give to the neighbors, the postman, garbage men, and others.  Baking is expensive but I didn't want to give up the activities that make the season special for me.

At least not yet.

Addendum (12/18/12):
OK, just as I was bemoaning the lack of Christmas finances to complement the Christmas spirit, I received my mail and got six cards in one batch.  I guess the problem isn't technology or money, it's procrastination!  Probably more will arrive today.

Spoiled, much?

I think it's safe to say that Tuxedo is living the rescue cat's fantasy life.

Easy Street step 4

Not quite as speedy as last week but done before lunchtime.  The purple is definitely growing on me.  I need to do something else purple next year.

So much for a relaxing visit with Mom. . .

I left on Tuesday at 7 a.m. for a visit with my mother.  I got there after a 6 1/2 hr drive, and we had a nice afternoon.  She wasn't feeling very well so she went to bed early that evening (she's 89 so she often turns in early).  We both didn't get up until about 8 a.m.this morning, she because she didn't sleep well and I because I was still worn out from the drive.  We spent the morning talking, and planning to visit the cemeteries where both sides of my family are buried that afternoon, to remove some old flowers and tidy up a bit.  But my husband called with a medical problem and I had to throw my stuff back in the suitcase and leave a little after noon so I could take him to a doctor appointment tomorrow.  I got back at 6:45 p.m. today, just about 36 hours after I left - a little over 13 of those hours were spent driving.  To say I'm tired is an understatement.

Hubby is fine right now but needs to have a problem checked out.  It's not life-threatening or anything but it can't wait.  That's what I get for thinking I can slip out of town for a day.  I was going to come home tomorrow anyway, I just cut my visit short by about 18 hours.  I think I'm getting too old for these long drives - when I crawled out of the car in the driveway this evening I was moving like I was 89 years old!

Another step down Easy Street

The third clue for the Easy Street mystery was released and a little more than three hours later, I'm done.  Finally, finally I get to use some of these lovely aqua fabrics.  I just love them!  Now for some green next time?

Thread Head quiltalong progress report

After I made the half blocks on Tuesday I cut out the rest of the setting triangles and borders for the Thread Head quiltalong quilt.  I especially love the blue background fabric, but I am very pleased with how it's all coming out.  This thing's a bias nightmare, though, with all the edges of those triangles, so progress is slow.

I was also slowed down by the fact that I cut the setting trianges the wrong size and then had to trim every one of them.  I don't know what I was thinking but I cut them for a 10" block, not a 7" block.  DUH!  I mixed up two projects in my head I guess.  So, instead of having plenty of fabric for the job I barely had enough, which is good because this is from several years ago and I probably wouldn't be able to find more.  I'm trying to scrounge up enough of the "Prairie Home" gold to make the binding;  I had enough to cut about half of it after cutting out the inner border, and ThousandsofBolts.com had a few more fat quarters left, so I'm hoping it will be enough.