Small Steps

Today is my first day back at school.  Summer Break is officially over for me.  My girls have a week left.  We've been busy, as we were all summer, doing what we do.  Karate and dance, orthodontist and doctor, haircuts, family games and school supply shopping.  The days have been flying.  There are a few new and different things in the mix, too, which have some of us exploring the outer edges of our comfort zone!

I am following along with Amanda's Facet+Plus Quilt-Along at This Mom Quilts.  I am not caught up, and I most likely won't ever manage to be, within the dates she has set for us.  I'm OK with that.  I just do what I can do.  I have to resign myself to that attitude about most things this time of year, and if I accept that, I find I'm much happier!  I will be sad to see the finished quilts at the end and know that mine is not among them, but, I know I'll get there eventually.  These fabrics are too pretty to leave sitting around for too long!

Despite not keeping the deadlines, I am finding that I really like the QAL format.  I've never done one before, but I will again!   Focusing on just the cutting, or just the first step helps me to keep from getting overwhelmed.  But I suppose that's why QAL's are so popular!

I am only able to devote an hour at a time, maybe three or four days a week to sewing these days, so progress is slow, but it's steady!

It's been fun to watch these blocks grow.

The coloring page has been an absolute necessity, particularly since I am using three different color groupings! Thanks, Amanda, for providing it!   I have had to put sections up on my make-shift design wall in small groups in order to make sure I have everything in the right place
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Luckily, when I put the last part up there, I had exactly the right combination of colors and block orientations!  Whew!

I've sewn a double line on the diagonal so I have lots of bonus HST's!!

I am hoping to start step two, which is the same as step one, but with the lighter colors where the darker colors are now, for some Friday night sewing.  But, there's still school clothes shopping to do, and I fear that might win!  Amanda's schedule has us piecing the quilt top on Monday.  I look forward to checking out the #fandpQAL posts on Instagram to see what everyone else did.

I will keep plugging away, making small steps toward what I think is going to be a real beauty of a quilt top!

                                                  I'll be linking up to :
                                      Let's Bee Social at Sew Fresh Quilts
                                   The WIP Link Up at Silly Mama Quilts
                           Needle and Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation
                   Can I Get A Whoop-Whoop at Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

One last thing.  Both of my girls and I are doing a community theater production of The Music Man.  I'll share details as we go along,  but for now, Oh Boy!  What have I gotten myself into?!