side swipe

I took all the stuff I needed to make four different bee blocks to the East Midlands MQG meeting on Saturday.  It was a glorious day, the sun shone, the company was excellent, the food was divine...all of which meant that only one block was completed by the end of the day.  But I was all prepped and ready to go for a big sewing week this week.  Then things started going a bit wibbly wobbly (technical term!). 

On Monday, I sent off my PTS10 parcel and it cost me a tenner in postage!  Then, I realised that I had starched two of the bee blocks with 505 basting spray rather than spray starch - note to self: red top = starch, blue top = glue! #doofus #poorironingboard

On Tuesday, I was 95% finished bee block #3 when I decided it wasn't good enough and scrapped it, starting a new one and cursing myself for changing my mind half way through and ruining what would have been an ok block. At the same time, an ok block would have upset me so I was right to start again I think.

Yesterday, I got a card through the post saying I owe £18 custom charges for some fabric I bought for my niece's quilt #swearword.  And then the wee man ran full pelt into a table (not the corner thank goodness) and got a massive goose egg bump with a straight line bruise through the middle of it.  He was chasing a girl.  A metaphor for his future maybe?  Anyway, the first person I wanted to call and talk to about it is no longer here and can't give me the sage and sensible advice that I would probably ignore anyway.  Side swipe!  Anniversaries come round regularly but first anniversaries are unique and, in this case, flipping rubbish (and not until next week). 

So I have taken today as a day's leave to have a pity party give myself a chance to breathe and I managed to finish the reworked block.  It's for Brandy as part of the Modern Mavericks bee.  She wanted Dresden plate blocks in a very limited palate of greys, blacks and white. I wanted to make a really light one and had planned to have the whole block as one giant plate - no background but soon realised that, the way I was going, the final block would end up over 20" square so I improvised.  So here it is:

not exactly how I envisaged it

And the two blocks together (I made the first one a wee while ago)

I love the first block (pattern from the Fat Quarterly Shape Workshop book) and am conflicted about the second block but it's much better than my first attempt and I am waaaaaay behind getting this to the ever patience Brandy so off it goes.  I wish I had gotten the maths right on my total Dresden idea though.  I may make another one.  Maybe I shouldn't be sewing right now #conflicted.

My other blocks this week have been for Sarah, also for the Modern Mavericks bee.  She wanted x&+ blocks in lime and grey....

a little more glued than starched!

I like these blocks and they came together well although they're just short of 12 1/2" square.  I think my 1/4" seams aren't scant enough.

Anyway, I'm off to the Post Office to pay my exorbitant custom charge and post these blocks off  to the US and Canada and probably buy some cake on my way back home.  Cake might help lift the mood.  And the big pile of Glimma that I'll have too (it was 25% off! #justification).