11 down, 23 to go!!

Ah... such a great weekend! I played in my sewing room all weekend... about 6-8 hours every day for all three days. It was great!

First, I consulted my final plan:


pulled piles of fabrics:


and sorted thread, ribbons, laces and beads into carry-along cases:


Then, I took a deep breath on Sunday morning and started sewing. I started with block 1 on the lower right-hand corner and worked my way across. I got blocks 1 - 7 done on Sunday and then started in again on Monday. Here's the right hand corner:


and the middle blocks:


and the lower left corner:


The lower right corner is the darkest since it is farthest away from the moon. Then the blocks grow gradually lighter as they move across the quilt. I don't have an overall picture but you get the idea. Right now it is laying on the guest bed but I'll probably move it to the design wall tonight and maybe I can get a full picture then.

Before I went any further, I decided I needed to get the moon block done so I could get the right mix of fabrics going in the blocks that will lead up to it. Doing this block took awhile... I was initially going to applique the moon onto an already made block but then I decided to play a bit. I sat and thought about it and had a snack... then I got on the computer to find a polygon that would work as a moon. Turns out what I wanted was a decagon, a ten-sided polygon with enough area for seams that would still give the appearance of a circle. So, a couple of hours later, we have a moon of silk from a vintage kimono:

I really like how it came out, although I'll probably add some slightly darker pieces to the corners to continue with the circular theme. I may also offset it from center a bit in the final phase... we'll see how things work out.

By the time I finished the moon block I was so tired that I was cussing at my machine. That's when I decided it was time to stop and let it go for the night! I've used 20 different fabrics so far, with many more to go. I can't wait to get back to it this evening!

So, 11 blocks done, 23 to go! Stay tuned!