Weekly Samplers - Week 8

The Traditional Tuesday - Week 8 block and the Modern Monday - Week 8 block have been posted on Jenifer's blog.

I didn't even try to press my seams open this time, but I did twirl my seams on the back, and that really worked so slick.  I don't know why I've been so reluctant to try twirling seams before.  It sounded like courting disaster by cutting through a few stitches, or maybe like it would be more work.  Hah!  It took a couple of seconds with a sharp seam ripper and that time was quickly made up when the pressing went so much better than trying to press 6 layers of fabric flat.  I've been thoroughly won over.

I've been making two sampler blocks a week rather than just one, so after 8 weeks, I have enough to lay them out on the design wall and get a feel for how these quilts are going to look.  Here are my blocks to date on the Traditional Tuesday sampler.  I'm already thinking of what I'd like to use for sashing and will look for a pale greyish blue fabric to match the blue that appears in the flowers in my neutral fabric and see if I like it.

And my blocks to date for the Modern Monday sampler.

Bet you're sorry now you didn't join in on these quilt-along samplers.  Well, the good news is that the block patterns are all still available, and at one super quick-to-piece 6.5" block per week, you can easily catch up.  Just jump in now and make one of the past blocks every week until you're caught up.

I've got all the links posted on my Traditional Tuesday Page and my Modern Monday Page.

I had to peel all those little 2.5" HSTs off my design wall to play with my sampler blocks today.  The box has been moved to my sewing table so I can start sewing the components together for my Great HST Caper or modified depression block project.

I made serious headway on the scrap trimming this morning and will soon need to iron a new pile of scraps for my daily trimming.  I've got a couple of movies taped on the PVR that I'd like to watch, and will haul the ironing board and iron into the living room sometime this week.  Oh, and I've been meaning to trim a quilt and make bias binding too... not sure why that didn't get done... maybe tomorrow.

Other things I want to do this week:  deciding on a backing for Shady Lanes (do I want to piece one or use 108" wide muslin?); adding borders to the one-a-day 9 patch; maybe a little crumb-piecing and the dreaded of all....housework.  Yuck!  It's getting very hairy and dusty around here.