Getting back to normal

With any luck, my house renovation interruptions will be on the decline so I can get back to normal sewing. I have not quilted in 2+ weeks. I've had limited piecing, but even that has been restricted due to distractions. Our house addition/renovation is set to get drywall on the walls next Tuesday, so I have the next 3 days to hopefully knock out a custom quilt.

In the mean time, here's a little progress on something I am puttering with. I have at least 4 blocks to redo because I used the wrong fabric. I assure you without the distractions, and having continuous quilting time, I will be much more focused. I have been unable to leave piecings out because of risk of sawdust, so they all go into bags at the end of any sewing session. It has been too easy to get mixed up on what fabrics go where.

Hope you have a warm & sunny Memorial day weekend-

Back in the Saddle & Riding High

Many thanks to Michelle who sent me the show program from MQS. It arrived today, and I am amazed at the number of quilts, especially in the Wall division. It is a big show and I hope to get out to see it in person some day. Now I have known for a week or so that I won the 2nd place award and suspected that it had a monetary prize. You never want to say "Hey, how much am I gonna get??", but the show program lists all prizes in black & white. $1000. Holy crap. Yes, $1000. One thousand. All I can say is thank goodness the world didn't come to an end this weekend. That check will come in handy, paying for this...

That mess of sticks is my downstairs. My kitchen specifically. It is actually progressing at a miraculous pace, but none the less, it is the reason that you have not seen as much quilty posts in the last few weeks. Hopefully, once the plumbing and electrical work finishes in my basement, I'll be able to get on to the 3 custom quilts that await me. Too much risk right now with saw dust. On Friday, though, I decided I had to sew, so I started on a new quilt that I had designed recently. It uses many batiks, including shades of black. Hopefully the black won't be a complete beast to see to quilt.
It may not look like that much - 16 blocks of each, but it represents nearly 8-9 hours of work. I must be slow I suppose. The largest blocks are only 6"x6". Those smaller 9-patch stars took a long time. I know it doesn't look like much yet, but stay tuned.

I do have a question for you all though. I paper pieced the diamond rectangles, as the angles can be persnickety to get right. I found I had some June Taylor foundation sheets, so I used these rather than regular printer paper. My question...Has anybody used these and NOT removed them before finishing the quilt?