I knew I would have uninterrupted time for hand sewing so I prepped blocks that needed hand sewing for the trip to North Carolina. I also did some investigation on freezer paper applique. Wow! I sure wish I had done that earlier.
I had already prepped the large circles with minimal difficulty. But I used the freezer paper method for the small circles, the melons, and the tiny triangles. It sure helped to keep everything uniform and smooth. Although I don't think anything could have helped those teeny tiny triangles - they were so small and difficult to work with.
Over all I am very pleased with Block J 10, which is one that I had been avoiding for years because of the melon shapes. I knew that if they weren't uniform it just wouldn't look right. I'm glad I waiting until my applique skills got better.
I think that there are only about 9 blocks to go now. Then the center section will be finished. My summer goal has been to finish those blocks. I can work on sashing when school starts since that will not require such focus - I hope!