Happy Memorial Day!

Remembering those who have lost their lives in service to our country, as well as those who have served and are now serving in the military and the sacrificies they are making.

I spent most of yesterday cleaning up several of the blocks on Not Fast Food that were way wonky. One thing I can say is that I have definitely improved my paper piecing skills over the course of these blocks, and that's what it's all about, right? When I look at the blocks I pieced initially and the one I just finished up, seriously, they are like night and day.

So today I started putting it together.  The pattern calls for a 3 1/2 inch sashing, but when I laid it out, I didn't like such a big sashing....the blocks looked too far apart, and after all that hard work, the sashing just kind of drowned the block.  So I made the sashing 3 inches instead of 3 1/2.  And I squared the blocks off to 12 1/4."

So this will be set on point, and I was so careful when I cut the setting blocks...you can imagine my consternation when those end setting blocks didn't fit!  And then I realized...duh!  Of course they didn't fit - the top was now quite a bit smaller than the pattern. So I'm going to clean it up at the end...dividing 7/8" and 1/4" is just too hard for my pea brain.

When someone asks, "Do you want a piece of advice?" it is a mere formality. It doesn't matter if you answer yes or no. You're going to get it anyway. 

And Done!

Woo-hoo!  Just finished the last block!  Yippee!  It took a little bit longer because I wasn't paying attention and cut off the seam allowance (on the left)...duh!

Don't ask me what I was thinking...I have never cut off the seam allowance before. A little bit of scotch tape and it was all good. I had to resew 5, 6, 7, and 8, because I cut those off with the seam allowance, but it could have been on the other side where I would have had to resew the whole dang thing.

You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.  Wayne Gretzky

One! Ha, ha, ha, ha, One! One more block to go!

LOL - Now I'm The Count from Sesame Street!  It's because this block drove me in-sane! Aaaaugh! I want to be like Oprah and savor this last block..."no bitter, all sweet," reflect on the journey, the takeout meals, the unwashed clothes, the missed holiday celebrations while I was sewing.  Maybe have Chris Rock or Tom Hanks come and help me look back on how far I've come since that first block...instead, I think I'll just try to get 'er done.   Wine is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.  Benjamin Franklin

Two!

I really wanted to finish this block before the world came to an end today at 6, but we had a guild meeting, an applique class after that, and then I went to the sewing machine hospital to get my machines back!  Yippee!  The 200/730 is sewing beautifully!  They didn't charge me for the 830, but my back is hurting so bad, I left it in the car! 

"BREAKING NEWS*******RAPTURE HALTED: Because of discrepancies surrounding His "manger" birth, Jesus was unable to produce His original long form birth certificate, so the Rapture is temporarily on hold while Trump hires investigators to track down the 3 wise men who were "supposedly" witness to the newly born Jesus back in the day. Unfortunately, this means MONDAY will still come as originally scheduled."

 

Three!

This block was sooooooo hard! In fact, it was so hard that I turned it around... there were just too many places to line up that weren't working. I hope wherever this quilt ends up it doesn't get washed...there are pieces here that are hanging on by the slenderest of threads! I'll have to be more careful on the next block...

I got a sewing machine for my husband! Good trade, huh?

Four! (Four more, four more...)

They're starting to look alike, aren't they?

"Never put off until tomorrow what you can avoid doing entirely."

"I've got five more blocks to go now...

...over the hill and just around the bend...I've got to keep on sew - ing...I've got to sew on....uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh...I'm so tired now...but I just can't lose my stride..."

I crack myself up sometimes!

This was the best line from the Correspondents Dinner: "Donald Trump owns the Miss USA pageant, which is great for Republicans, because it will streamline their search for a Vice President." 

  

Six!

"Donald Trump says he has a great relationship with 'the Blacks'...unless the Blacks are a family of white people, I bet he's mistaken."   Seth Myers, White House Correspondents Dinner, 2011

Mission Accomplished!

"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy." Jessica Dovey
"I've never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure."  Mark Twain