Five!

Today is my blogiversary!  Five years!

When I started this blog, I never would have guessed that I would last 5 years!  I had no idea what I was going to say, or if anyone would read my blog or care about what I had to say.  Thank you all for reading, commenting and sticking with me through it all.  I've had a lot of fun, and I've made so many friends.  It has been so rewarding to do this "blog thing".  And your comments and friendship have made it that way.  Thank you from the bottom of my indigo heart!

We won't be having any parades or big parties around here to celebrate today.  I'm under the weather again.  I thought I had finally gotten over the flu, but now I've got it, or something remarkably like it, again.  Flu, Part Deux.  Lots of unglamorous coughing, nose-blowing and medicine-taking going on around here.  And precious little quilting, unfortunately.  Ugh.  Please tell me this will be over soon. . . . I'm so tired of being sick.

Sorry, I'll stop whining now.

I do actually have some quilt-y content.  And about time too!

First I'll show you my most recent fabric acquisitions.  I had to go get some fresh dots for Nat'l Polka Dot Day last week.  I'm sure you understand.  And they just happen to be the colors I need for my challenge for my local quilt guild!

We're doing a color challenge this year.  Had to pick a crayon from a bag, and that's our primary color for our quilt.  The opposite color on the color wheel is our secondary color.  I picked the orange crayon.  Now, I've never particularly cared for orange, except for at Halloween.  But I'm changing my tune lately.  These new citrus-y oranges are calling to me.  And that makes my secondary color blue.  So, I happily accepted this challenge.  I even have a couple of ideas!  (now if I could just feel well enough to go play in the quilt studio)

I accompanied my friend C. on her trip to a local quilt store for more fabric for her project, and these jumped into my hands while I was there.  Actually, I need the white print for a project I'm in the midst of working on, but the blacks just had to come home with me.  They're for another project that, so far, is just fabric and a pattern in a bag.  But they were perfect for the project!  That one might get moved farther up the queue now.

And, I have managed to get in the quilt studio and make some Low Volume blocks in the past month.  It's so nice to have the pieces all cut and ready to sew when I've got time or motivation.

the whole thing

I've got 70 blocks made out of the 80 that I need.  So, I decided to lay out all the blocks on the "design floor" and see how they looked.

one end

I decided to leave open spaces for the extra 10 blocks instead of being a row short.  I wanted to see how big it looked.  My living room carpet is another nice neutral, isn't it?

the other end
Can you see the "stealth" cat?

Quilt Inspector 1

And, of course, the Inspectors' came to do their jobs.  It's amazing, really.  They can be dead asleep way at the other end of house, upstairs, and yet they still know when quilt blocks go on the floor.  I'm telling ya, it's a sixth sense, isn't it?  And, of course, I just couldn't do it without them!  hee hee!

Quilt Inspector 2

See that really dark piece at the right-hand edge of this picture?  It's gone now.  It was glaringly obvious that it didn't work.  Thanks for pointing that out, Shade!

Dunkel performs the "wad test".

So, that's where I'm at now.  I know what I want to do for the other 10 blocks.  I think I need to cut more fabric, but that will have to wait until I feel a little better.  Hopefully, soon.  I'm ready to get this one finished.

Now, to celebrate, I think I'll go take a nap.

Happy quilting!