"Quilt By The Mile"

It's Spring!!!
Birds are singing, flowers are blooming, trees are budding!  The renewing of life - it is wonderful!
I have had a terrible case of 'cabin fever'.  We have had an unusual past three months.  Cold, raining and the wind blowing.  In January we had a couple of wonderful 70 degree days, not unusual for here and I was able to be outside, got to work in my flower beds, but then the weather went back to winter.  This staying inside
has had its effect on me.  I am really ready for Spring and all the promise it holds!!!

I spent the day last Friday doing one of my favorite things - 'fussy cutting'!  One of the Quilts I am making
has a great deal of very intricate, detailed, one of a kind 'fussy-cutting.  It takes time and peace and quiet.
Friday offered that kind of a day.  I cut out three of my wonderful  'swirling vines' that will be added to this piece on which I am working.  But three was all I could manage.  I still have seven more of the large ones
and 30 of the small ones.  And I haven't even drawn the ones for the boarder!

One of the first vines I placed on one of the black blocks.

When I started this Quilt, I hadn't any idea what it would be when it was completed.  It seems, that is the way of all my Quilts.  I made 32 blocks (Thirty-two 10 1/2 inch squares. Placing two together that are a great contrast, you cut 2 1/2 inches from all four sides and lay them aside.  Then cut 1 1/2 inches from all four sides and lay them aside.  You have a 2 inch square left which becomes the center of the new block you form)  Enough of that!Anyway, they turned out to be the ugliest 32 blocks I've ever made!  Really!  I decided to try to save them several years ago so I placed a green and black fabric square of the same size on top and sewed it on the diagonal then cut it in half.  Now, it seems; I have 64 blocks just as ugly to my eye as I had when they were only 32 blocks!  Mercy!  What's a girl to do?
Last year, in an effort to salvage this growing stack of wasted fabric, I once again sewed more fabric to the blocks.  This time - Kona Black!  Resulting in 128 blocks but at least I could see salvation in this addition.
Now when I put these blocks together on point the result was a wonderful 8 1/2 inch field of black that I could work with.  Finally!
There have been many hick-ups that have caused me to add 30 batik circles to the centers of the original blocks and 49 yellow and teal small circles to the intersections of each of the blocks in order to rid myself of seam bulk!  Finally!!!!
It takes me about three hours to draw one vine and a little more than an hour to cut one out.  I really enjoy the process so this isn't a hardship.  Putting in 49 little yellow and teal circles was a hardship I am happy is finished!  Good for me.
As I mentioned, I have seven more vines to cut plus the 30 small vines for the small batik circles.
And then on to the boarder.  Ahhh, the Quilters work is never done!
But it is what we live for!!!
Hurray for Spring!
We'll talk later--------,
Carol Ann, Quilter