"Fiddley" But Fun

Hi Everyone,

I have been wanting to get started on two different sew-alongs the past 10 days or so, but what with my self-imposed, "patriotic projects only" period of time, I couldn't get started until after the Fourth, and then we were on our trip, so yesterday was The Day.

First off are these fun little blocks.  I know they are appearing all over blogland and I've been chomping at the bit to get them going.  The idea is to make one per day.   They are cakestand blocks that finish at 2 inches!  If you are interested, it isn't too late.  You can find all the details here at the Temecula Quilt Company. 

As the title of this posts suggests, they are a bit fiddlely, but lots of fun.  I made the HSTs a bit larger and squared them up to help with the tiny construction.  I need to make some more to catch up.  I have all my fabric cut, but I know once I'm caught up, I won't make just one a day.  I always have better luck making a few at a time.

The other sew-along that I'm working on is Pam Buda's Nabby's Dowry and you can find those details here.  The first step consisted of making 162 HSTs that finish at 1.5 inches.  You have until Friday before the next step is posted, so there is plenty of time to get those done!

Both of these little projects use scraps, so I did the cutting for both at the same time. 

I actually stayed up late working on the basket blocks.  This is rare for me as I usually do my sewing during the day so that when my husband is home in the evening, we spend that time together.  Last night was not normal, though, as my husband had a sleep study for his sleep apnea, so I was home alone.

Lately, I have been waking up around 4 and usually think I have "heard something."  In all fairness, I did actually hear a tree branch fall in the neighbor's yard last week, and that resulted in waking up my husband and making him search with a flashlight.  It wasn't until daylight that we figured out the source of the sound.  Anyway, I was nervous that I would "hear something" last night when he was gone, so I went on the offensive and stayed up late.  I woke up a little after 4 and immediately turned on the tv to forestall hearing anything, and that worked okay.  I didn't get my usual amount of sleep though.

Neither did my poor husband.  He has had sleep apnea for years and so he has done sleep studies before.  The idea is that the patient shows up around 9pm, gets hooked up to all sorts of machines, and then "sleeps normally."  He was informed that women are never in the room he was put into because it is too noisy.  I'm thinking "since when is noise a factor for just women?" but then I remembered my night, so I think I need to keep silent on that point.  He said that the air conditioner vent was blowing right down in his face, so he was cold all night. Needless to say, he didn't sleep all that much, and when he finally did, they woke him up to readjust something. 

I expect that it will be an early bedtime here tonight!

Have a great day!
JoAnne