FINALLY

Hi everyone!  We're back from vacation, actually we've been back for a week.  We had some unexpected things come up, if you follow me on instagram, you already know, but I'm going to post about our trip tomorrow.

Today I wanted to share with you my latest blocks, completed since I've been home and before we go off again to the beach for a week.

First up, I made a little 6-inch block for a friend who's having a bit of a rough time lately.  A few of us decided to make something to brighten her days using a rainbow color palette.  Lots of color always makes me smile.

I chose this free pp pattern I found on Craftsy.  I think a mini quilt of this block would be fun.  But I'll settle for the one now and add the mini to my to-do list...

In That Stash Bee, Kelsey asked for Arkansas Traveler blocks from Lee's  free tutorial in a scrappy style ala Rita.  I've made these blocks before with no issue.  But these two blocks for Kelsey were Issues.  First, Debbie warned us to check the size of our templates to make sure we'd get 12.5" blocks.  I did.  But I did not get 12.5" blocks.  I reprinted for block 2 before I realized it.  I tried to take block 1 apart to enlarge it but being the diligent quilter I am (haha), I'd trimmed all of my seams to a quarter-inch and didn't have enough seam allowance to make the blocks bigger so I had to start over.

I ended up sewing a few things wrong here and there, stopping multiple times to be Mom, cutting out new diamonds to make block 1 over again and wanting to hurl my machine through the window before I got these blocks done.

Every once in awhile we have these experiences, right?  Chalk it up to summertime family-togetherness.  When the kids and Chris go back to school and I have 6.5 hours every now and then of quiet, I'll make loads of progress...  Besides, if everything went perfect all of the time, how would we appreciate it so much when it does??

So, these are my latest finishes.  I was SOOO glad to get them done, packaged and mailed out this morning.  Phew!

It's raining here, but instead of sewing, I'm off to clean house.  Vacation, rainy days and an injured dog that has to come in quite a bit lead to a messy house and a tired Mama.

Does anyone hear the schoolbells ringing yet??