Churn Dash and beyond

Well ..... I'm very pleased with myself ..... am making great progress on the Churn Dash Challenge that Chookyblue (http://chookyblue.blogspot.com/) has tempted many bloggers to take up.  It all started with the binding challenge that I issued.  While we were zooming she worked on bindings and her Churn Dash quilt was one of them.  Many of us were hooked after seeing her quilt and there was a lot of chatter about doing a sew-along ..... a challenge was issued and viola ....

 

Back in 2008, I had started a Churn Dash quilt but it got shelved.  It was the sashing that bothered me then and after pulling it off the shelf last month, it still bothered me.  So .... plan B came to play and I'm very happy with the new look.

For the next four months we are to make 1/4 of the blocks required.  For the big blocks, 7 blocks are to be made for the month of June.  So far, there are 13 blocks made ...... guess I'm ahead of schedule!  LOL   For me, all the blocks will continue to be made sooner rather than following the plan for each month.  I just want all the blocks and cornerstones finished.  It is the sashings that will take longer to finish up as they all need to be appliqued.  For them, 16 sashings per month need to be completed to make my goal.  Right now, all the pieces are just pinned in place.  Once all the blocks are done, then there will be some switching around of the circles until just the right look comes into play.

At the end of May, it was at this point:

Then, five more large blocks and four more cornerstones were cut out and viola good progress made!  I try to make the blocks in small groups as it goes quicker in the assembly bit. 

These are the fabrics for the next round of large blocks.  

Three more cornerstone blocks ready for trimming and then assembly.  

These are almost the rest of the circles needed for the sashings.  I usually wait until almost the end and then choose what fabric colour is missing and then add them into the mix.

Oh yes, I'm very pleased with this new/old project!  When it has been 14 yrs. since first starting this and then taking it off the shelf this past month, it feels like a brand new project.  See, there is a reason for my UFO's after all!  LOL

A few readers wanted to see photos of our garden.  

This grouping is just outside our patio door.  A hummingbird feeder, a fuchsia and some coleus.

We have so many iris blooming right now.  A lot of them were purchased from a home owner who was clearing out his collection of irises.   Some came with our house when we purchased it.   After these photos were taken, a peach iris and two yellow iris bloomed.  How wonderful they are.  I will try to get a photo in the morning before we get our scheduled heavy rain.  

Those of you wondering how steep our hill is and it goes up about another 24' to our property line.   All those stones and bricks were hauled up the hill by my husband.  He put in a LOT of work and we can now sit back and enjoy the view.  There were semi terraces already established when we bought this house.  He just made them safer and wider to work in.  Before, we were sort of sliding downhill a bit if our foot went in the wrong place.  Dangerous for us older folks.

 

Stop, admire and smell the flowers blooming around you.

Cherish your day, cherish your life!