Tuesday, June 25, 2019

Fresh block piecing

Hi everyone, and happy summer! How are things going for you?  Our housing saga continues. We thought we had found a house but it did not work out.  The search goes on.  We're coming up to a deadline, though, and it's a hard deadline, because we have to move before school starts, so we will find something else this week.  Somehow it seems harder to move now than it did to move across the country.  And real estate, which is weird to begin with, is really weird here. Lots of odd rules to get used to.

In spite of the drama around here, this past week I actually managed to sew some blocks! It's been an experience with my stitching stuff stashed everywhere and needing to be put away the second I'm done with it, but I finally figured out that I could fit in a few minutes of cutting without too much mess, and then stitch up what I had cut when I had a few minutes longer.  It worked!  Here are the blocks I made the past few days:


Oh, gosh, those make my heart happy! These are 6-inch blocks for my old and new sampler quilt.  It happens that these are all blocks from Tula Pink's sampler book.  I decided to work through those before I tackle the more traditional blocks.  If you recall, for this sampler I'm making 48 blocks that each finish at 6 inches.  Half are the more modern blocks from Tula Pink, and the other half are traditional blocks, many with lots of pieces.  The Tula blocks have fewer pieces and are much simpler to put together, which certainly suits my life right now.


I cut these blocks in some quick moments and stored them in sandwich bags until I could stitch them.  Here's a tip-- be sure to label your sandwich bags! I spent way too much time trying to remember which cut pieces went with each block.  By the way, don't those flowers look great?  They are a spot of sunshine for me.  I only planted pots this year so I could take them with me when we leave.  ~Sigh~ I really do love flowers.

Anyway, I now have 17 of the 48 blocks finished:


I love them all!  It's kind of funny to see how alike they are, and yet so different.  When the whole thing is together I don't know if it will be really apparent which blocks are Tula blocks and which are more traditional. Or maybe it will be super easy-- we'll see! Stay tuned!

Hope you all are having a good week.  Last week, in addition to house drama, I had a part of the orientation for my new job and got the keys to my new office.  This week I'll be moving books and such into the new place and trying to get things set up.  This is very exciting! I really can't wait to get to work in the new place.  Not really looking forward to moving all those boxes, but it kind of goes with the territory.  Keep your fingers crossed that it goes well!

Sharing at Let's Bee Social.

17 comments:

Rose said...

I pull up your blog everyday just to see if, maybe, you had a few moments to share. After reading all of your shared moments I don't want to miss anything. I was pleasantly surprised this morning. The Tula blocks are real interesting. Can't wait to see the finish. I'm hoping the transition into the new job continues to be as exciting as it is for you right now. And you've lived in temporary housing before and made the most of it, you can do it again. Have a great day!

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

sorry your didn't find the house that you wanted and hope you do soon and won't have to move into something temporary

piecefulwendy said...

Well, I'd say you're handling all this really well. I'd be stressed to the max. Your little blocks are so pretty -- little beams of sunshine while you are waiting for things to settle! Glad you can take your flowers with you too! Hope you find a house that not only works, but delights you! You have lots of transition going on!!

Alycia~Quiltygirl said...

Those are fun and happy blocks!! Glad you are getting a bit of sewing in! Good luck finding a new place - I think that would be a very stressful time and LOTS of fabric would need to be cut - haha

Louise said...

These are very nice blocks! I'm glad you had a chance to stitch a few, since it makes you happy. Best of luck with the house hunt :)

Preeti said...

It is an eclectic mix of blocks which will fit together perfectly in a summer sampler :-) Sending lots of good luck your way. Hoping you sell your old home soon and find your new home right away.

Quiltdivajulie said...

Sending all good thoughts for the housing drama -- so many have difficulty finding a new house what with it being a seller's market and all. GOOD LUCK on the new job, too!!!

JanineMarie said...

Mari, these blocks are adorable!! And a great distraction from all you have going on. I like how you can’t totally tell the difference between the Tulas and the Traditionals. That means they complement each other well. I do hope all works out for the best with your move. In the meantime, hold onto the sanity of sewing.

Shelina (formerly known as Shasta) said...

You have a lot going on with new work and looking for a new home. I hope all of it works out to your satisfaction. Those blocks all look great! I am glad you are finding the time to sew so you can relieve some stress.

scraphappy said...

Best of luck with the house saga! We made offers on three different houses before we finally found one that worked out. It was frustrating at the time, but in the end it all worked out. I hope you find just the right place and that you are able to move in time. So many logistics to figure out and interlocking pieces to make work. Sounds like it will all be worth it for the new job though. Enjoy!!

Carole @ From My Carolina Home said...

I know that feeling of being under the gun to find a house, I hope you find something good soon. Great progress on what will be a fun quilt.

Jayne said...

Its hard enough moving in the best of circumstances, but in your case doubly hard because you haven't found your new home yet. I guess having your new job to look forward to helps a bit, but I also imagine the stress is there regardless! Your blocks are lovely, but those flowers are divine! Love the gorgeous vibrant colors!

Danice G said...

Hoping you find that perfect house soon. Your blocks look really summertime and pretty.

KaHolly said...

All of your blocks look great! Picturing them with your pretty flowers is perfect!

The Joyful Quilter said...

What a great concept for a quilt. SEW glad that you found some stitching time this week!! Better luck with the NEXT house. Surely, you'll find something soon!

Kate said...

Very pretty blocks. Having to work your stitching time in during a move isn't easy, glad you found a way that works for you. Fingers crossed you can resolve the housing issue this week and it all works out wonderfully. When we moved last time, we couldn't find a house, we had finally decided it was going to have to be an apartment and we'd build. We gave it one last go and found a house. So don't loose hope.

Bernie Kringel said...

Cute, cute blocks. I love the idea of old and new. How creative of you.
Hang in there with the house hunting. The perfect house is out there and is just patiently waiting for you to find it. :-)