Beauty or Beast?

I took the plunge last night and tried out a New York Beauty block with mixed results.  Since I am somewhat acquainted with curved piecing, I figured this block would be a cinch.  Ah, stupid, stupid girl.

The paper pieced spikes were no big deal, but the directional fabric came back to bite me (and even my grandmother's adage 'they'll never notice it on a galloping horse' would not apply here no matter how much I'd like for it to) and there's not enough contrast in my selections.  Lessons learned.

So today, between piecing more backing fabric (will it ever end?) and with the kids riding the rails with Gramma and Papa, I decided I'd try again.  I like it, I like it alot. 

I can envision it in blues, greens, purples.  Would I make an entire quilt out of this block?  Probably not, but with the right combination of Xanax and wine there'd be a distinct possibility.  But never say never, right?

So...is it Beauty or is it Beast?  From a purely aesthetic standpoint, it's a Beauty.  From an assembly standpoint, let's just say Beast is the nicer term I could use.  Smile.

Happy quilting, y'all!

Mom's Mini-Retreat

Yesterday, after being abandoned by Co-Def #1 and with Co-Def #2 otherwise occupied, I managed to get backing fabric cut and/or pieced for a whole stack of quilt tops.  I tacked each one with a sticky-note that says 'I'm waiting!' so maybe it'll inspire me to hurry up and get 'em quilted.

There's still two left needing backing, one that needs borders sewn on and two needing threads tied off and clipped.  Any volunteers?  (Crickets chirping...)  Well, okay, be that way! 

Now, you might think that all that productivity was fueled by copious quantities of caffeine...not so, my quilting friends.

 
Hoo-rah for the Belgians!

About 10:30 last night I got a wild hair to try my hand at a New York Beauty block...fueled by all that Godiva sugar, no doubt.  I'm not sure how much is Beauty and how much is Evil Stepsister, but I did alright if I do say so myself.

I learned a very important something about this pattern also...directional fabrics aren't a good choice.

Well, it's back to the salt mines for me.  Oh, all this free time for quilting is such a burden!!

Happy quilting, y'all!