Broken Dishes Progress

It feels good to say that I've really had some good, quality sewing time lately. After those busy weeks with Emma's school stuff and having very little time for sewing, I'm starting a 2nd week now with much time set aside for working on quilting projects.

Last Wednesday and Thursday, I sewed with girlfriends, working both days on Broken Dishes, a quilt I started approximately 4 years ago. I was making really good progress, so I kept it going on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with steady work on those blocks. The quilt requires 42 interior blocks and 30 border blocks. Here's an interior block, all 64 pieces of it!!

There is much stitching in a single block for this quilt, and it's easy to get discouraged. I am sure that is why I've worked on it in fits and starts over these past few years. I seem to be inspired to work on it when I have an opportunity for a sewing day with friends, or some such event. Now that I am close to having all the blocks done, and can see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel, I am motivated to finish it without delay! Hoorayyy!

I've played around a bit with the possible layout of those interior blocks.

I've placed them randomly on the family room floor. There are so many colors, I really don't think there is going to be a "wrong" layout;  more than likely I will just go with what looks pleasing to me at the time I'm ready to do the rows.

This is Gracie. Doesn't she look like a perfect angel? Cats can be very sneaky. Just prior to this picture, she was frolicking on my quilt squares.

No harm done, I suppose.

I'll close by backtracking a bit to the labor-intensive nature of the construction process of this quilt. The many steps involved in making a single block of this quilt is somewhat illustrated here. The first step is to sew together 8 pairs of fabrics on the diagonal, cut them apart, and press them open. I have 3 stacks of squares at this point in this photo. Each triangle needs to have the points clipped, so you see my little pile of "ears" in the bottom left of the  pic. The next step is to join 2 HST blocks on the diagonal, clip those apart, cut off more points, and press open. This produces the QST blocks that comprise the block shown at the top of this pic. Whew. It seems like a lot of work.

On the bright side, though, my points are matching up pretty well, all in all. I've got a few "duds,: but I am pleased overall with the results. I've not resewn very many. I hope to be creating rows on Tuesday when I meet with Sharon for a day of sewing together.