Decisions, Decisions

Thank you for the well wishes after my fall. My mobility has increased greatly. Still can't lift much with my right side and sleeping is rough, but so much better overall.  

Only one missed sewing day due to an overnight out-of-town trip for school.  My team from last year's class placed at the state level for their Jim Harbin video project!!  So we all went to Orlando for the ceremony to find out which place - 2nd!!!  Not bad at all for our first venture into this competition.  It was a lot of fun with dinner afterward for 30+ people at Planet Hollywood and then strolling through Disney Springs.  All new places for me.  It made me think it is good to get out of my rut sometimes.

Fill in the top center gap with A?

On the drive back I was able to get the unsewing done so I can try to make the baby medallion quilt a bit flatter.  This week I should be able to get that border adjusted and make a final decision about another round or not.  It was a very busy week at school, so I never did dig into my 2" squares bin.

.... or B?

All the rest of my sewing was the HST border for the pine tree quilt.  I like the way it is coming together.  I tried a lot of ideas for the next border and I think I am going with a plain border with the darker snowmen fabric.  The brighter snowmen squares were already cut and I just couldn't figure out anything I liked with them.  

..... or C?

I need to make a decision on how best to fill the gap in the top and bottom of the HST border and the corners.  Looking at the photos makes me reconsider the dark corner squares. Maybe the "not quite as dark" snowmen fabric for the last border will be better - but is there enough?  Why do I worry so much about these small details?  Just pick something and move on.

2026 15 Minutes to Stitch

15 minute days this week = 6/7

15 minute days/Oct = 27/31

15 minute days/2026 = 236/302

Success Rate 2026 = 78%

   

2026 Stash Totals

Used last week: 0 yards out this week 

Used year to date: 44.79 yards

Acquired recently: 0 yards  

Acquired year to date: 35 yards

Stash movement for 2026: 0.14 more yards acquired than used

Linking up to:

Kate at lifeinpieces  

Donna at quiltpaintcreate   

Frederique at quiltingpatch

Angela at soscrappy!

Another Medallion in the Works!

About 10 days ago I had a clumsy fall that resulted in rib contusions and excruciating pain.  Can't sit, can't lay down, can't bend, can't carry, etc, etc.  With my limited mobility I am not using my right side much at all, so sewing progress has been slow, but not impossible. It is most comfortable to just stand up straight, so I have been doing a lot of arranging and thinking, with short bits of sewing when I get things figured out. 

Just before the fall, I had finally gotten the 9-patch border on the baby blocks.  Not perfect at all, but I am happy with it.  There are waves in the outer setting triangles.  The plan is to unsew enough of them to adjust and flatten it out a bit.  I had thought of making a piano key border, but it is already so big for a baby quilt that I might just go with 4-patches in lots of blues as a kind of final border/frame.  

Sitting and looking at the orphan Christmas blocks and the Christmas fabric all over the table led me to start another medallion style quilt.  I never saw that one coming!  I am leaning into the blues and so far it is going well.  The medium blue with snowmen were already fussy cut and were just the right size to make it around the trees.

The next round took more thought which was good since I could do that without moving.  The triangles were already cut and there was no more of either of those fabrics.  The math worked out for the HST to nearly cover four sides.  I went through several ideas on the direction of the HST and I think this last photo is what I like best.  I will finish mathing it out and figure out the best fabrics to fill the gaps. Looks like green is a no!

Every day I feel better. Cutting is harder than sewing, so I'll keep working on whatever requires the least cutting.  Digging through the bin of random 2" squares to start the baby blocks border might do the trick.

2026 15 Minutes to Stitch

15 minute days this week (and last week) = 12/14

15 minute days/Oct = 21/24

15 minute days/2026 = 230/295

Success Rate 2026 = 78%

   

2026 Stash Totals

Used last week: 0 yards out this week 

Used year to date: 44.79 yards

Acquired recently: 0 yards  

Acquired year to date: 35 yards

Stash movement for 2026: 0.14 more yards acquired than used

Linking up to:

Kate at lifeinpieces  

Donna at quiltpaintcreate   

Frederique at quiltingpatch

Angela at soscrappy!

What Comes after Quadruple Check?

In math I always tell the students to show their work and double - triple - quadruple check.  They want to know what comes after quadruple check!!  If only they would at least double check. 😣 

I feel like I made some real progress on the Baby Blocks quilt.  Lots of math and finally some sewing.  It will work.

Good thing I like math!

The upper right and lower left sections are completed.  I double-triple-quadruple checked the math on the inner sashings, so the next step is to trim them down.  I had made them wider just in case, but turns out I didn't need to.  Still, I appreciate the safety net.

Getting Closer

Next step is careful trimming and then lots of pinning to get it all together.  I am finally feeling excited about this one again!  Not sure if it is because this step is almost over or because my math worked.  Somewhere along the way, I realized that the big problem was having the 9-patches on point with setting triangles instead of making them as a square in a square.  Oh well, lesson learned.

I was looking forward to making another crayon for the RSC since those are fun, but October is make a plan for the blocks.  That just didn't happen with all the planning for this quilt.  Maybe next week.

2026 15 Minutes to Stitch

15 minute days this week = 6/7

15 minute days/Oct = 9/10

15 minute days/2026 = 218/281

Success Rate 2026 = 78%

Knowing I was closing in on a finish for this round kept me going this week.  Only missed one day when I just could not keep my eyes open when I got home from school.  I slept 12 hours that night and was still tired the next day.

   

2026 Stash Totals

Used last week: 0 yards out this week 

Used year to date: 44.79 yards

Acquired recently: 0 yards  

Acquired year to date: 35 yards

Stash movement for 2026: 0.14 more yards acquired than used

Linking up to:

Kate at Life in Pieces 

Donna at quiltpaintcreate  

Frederique at quiltingpatch

Angela at soscrappy!

Pressing the 9-Patches

I'm didn't keep track of all the little things I did this week, but I kept working away at things.  The biggest was getting the 9-patch strips pressed and accurately measured.  I think I may be ready to figure out the math and move forward. 

Pressed - getting closer

 2026 15 Minutes to Stitch

15 minute days this week = 6/7

15 minute days/Sept = 27/30

15 minute days/Oct = 3/3

15 minute days/2026 = 212/274

Success Rate 2026 = 77%

Holding steady at 77% stitching time.  My personal goal was not to go under 75%, so my numbers are good.

  

2026 Stash Totals

Used last week: 0 yards out this week 

Used year to date: 44.79 yards

Acquired recently: 0 yards  

Acquired year to date: 35 yards

Stash movement for 2026: 0.14 more yards acquired than used

Linking up to:

Kate at lifeinpieces  

Donna at  quiltpaintcreate

Frederique at quiltingpatch

Angela at soscrappy!

Better Late Than Never

A week of slow and steady.  Some planning, some unsewing, some thinking ahead, and bit of sewing.  

eraser fronts

The actual sewing was to make more erasers for my students' individual white boards.  Every year some disappear and with the increased class size this year, I really needed to make more.  Each batch uses up a bit more from the flannel scrap bin, but it seems like the bin never gets emptier.  I think I am at least finishing up with the smallest bits though, so I actually used larger pieces for the backs.

eraser backs

I should have made these weeks ago, but at least they are done now.  

 2026 15 Minutes to Stitch

15 minute days this week = 7/7

15 minute days/Sept = 24/26

15 minute days/2026 = 206/267

Success Rate 2026 = 77%

Mathematically, I am curious about how long it is going to take to nudge my stitching minutes forward now that I am back on track!  It doesn't matter, but numbers fascinate me.

  

2026 Stash Totals

Used last week: 1 yard for 8 white board erasers

Used year to date: 44.79 yards

Acquired recently: 0 yards  

Acquired year to date: 35 yards

Stash movement for 2026: 0.14 more yards acquired than used

Linking up to:

Kate at lifeinpieces   

Donna at quiltpaintcreate

Frederique at quiltingpatch

Angela at soscrappy!

A Welcome Change

I totally avoided the Baby Blocks quilt this week and it was a glorious feeling to just handle fabric and sew wherever the whim took me.  I am a "make it up as I go along" person and it turns out that's a real thing.  Having to be so careful and precise on fitting in each round of the baby blocks is just not me.  I will get it done, but after a break.

First, I got caught up on the RSC crayons.  Quick, easy, and fun.

All Caught Up!

The next closest project at hand was the random Christmas blocks that were made at least 20 years ago in Guatemala.  The original pattern was for a twin/full size quilt that was all various Christmas themed blocks.  Our sewing group learned several of the blocks and then moved on to another project, so it got set aside.  

Rediscovered Christmas Blocks

I don't have any desire to finish this as originally intended, nor do I have the pattern.  The candy cane blocks are pot holder size, and for as long as they have been up on the design wall I have been thinking pot holders for my daughters as a remembrance of Guatemala.  I emptied my little drawer of Christmas scraps to see about backings and that led to sorting, pressing, and trimming to usable sizes.  That was a good task for several zoom meetings this week.

Glorious Mess

That led me to be more creative with my potholders.  Some of these scraps worked perfectly to add a bit of size and make them more interesting.  I even unsewed the red angel block and used it to frame up a pair of candy canes.  With two blocks done-ish and one ready to sew, I am liking this change of plans.  We'll see where it ends.

Making Changes. Where will it end?

2026 15 Minutes to Stitch

15 minute days this week = 7/7

15 minute days/Sept = 17/19

15 minute days/2026 = 199/260

Success Rate 2026 = 77%

Still creeping ahead slowly.

  

2026 Stash Totals

Used last week: 0 yards

Used year to date: 43.79 yards

Acquired recently: 0 yards  

Acquired year to date: 35 yards

Stash movement for 2026: 1.14 more yards acquired than used

Linking up to:

Kate at lifeinpieces   

Donna at quiltpaintcreate

Frederique at quiltingpatch

Angela at soscrappy!

Full Steam Ahead!

I made the needed blocks, did some math, and decided to wait until I was fresh to do anything else.  My later thoughts led me to the idea of working the borders backwards.  I need to complete all 4 sides of this nine patch on point border even joining the corner blocks.  Then .... figure out the inner white border.  On the previous rounds getting the corners on wasn't a big deal.  For whatever reason, this time it is.  I think this new idea will work.  If not, I'll try something else, right??

This round has been a doozy!

Since I wasn't thinking about making 9 patches fit, I reached for a no-brainer.  I had never made the August block for the RSC and of course September is now needing to be made as well.  I cut the paper foundation, pulled colors from the 2" strip bin, and then cut into the odd shaped scraps.  Neither of these are colors I have a lot of.  Yellow needs to be arranged and then sewn.  Purple needs more fabric.  It was nice to work on something that was not a struggle.

Crayons in the making!

2026 15 Minutes to Stitch

15 minute days this week = 7/7

15 minute days/Sept = 10/12

15 minute days/2026 = 199/260

Success Rate 2026 = 77%

Creeping ahead slowly.

  

2026 Stash Totals

Used last week: 0 yards

Used year to date: 43.79 yards

Acquired recently: 0 yards  

Acquired year to date: 35 yards

Stash movement for 2026: 1.14 more yards acquired than used

Linking up to:

Kate at  lifeinpieces

Donna at quiltpaintcreate 

Frederique at quiltingpatch

Angela at soscrappy!