Lazy Sunday, Catch-Up Edition!

First – Yesterday. Balm to my soul. Nuff said!

I received several mails asking how I paper piece my blocks, have I drawn them out in EQ or what --- so I figure that showing you here is an easy way to answer.

Remember magic markers?

This is a photocopied page for the block I was doing. There are no templates or cutting directions in the book, so it is up to you to take each drawing and decide how you want to execute it.

With blocks this size, I find it very easy to cut the block into workable sections and just paper piece them, leaving more than 1/4” excess beyond the edges of all the sections. Then I trim each section 1/4” from the edge, remove my papers, and sew the sections back together.

But first --- I have to know which color goes where before I cut the block all apart or I’m likely to get everything in the wrong order, in the wrong spot, or forget what is what. That’s where the markers come in. I use them to just put a slash of color on each piece so I know which color goes where. After the block is color coded, THEN I cut it into sections and I start sewing.

These are the 4 blocks completed yesterday! 10 more to go! And since I had all my stuff already together for Sew Day yesterday, this stuff can just continue on to Norfolk and Virginia Beach with me tomorrow – so the car is already half packed ;c)

Yard Sale Saturday is still in full swing as some folks have added NEW items to their listings! I’ve moved the linky to the top section of my page so you don’t have to wade through my sold items to get to it. I like having it at the top ---hopefully you will too! Click to get to Yesterday’s Post HERE!

In answer to some questions about Yard Sale Saturday ---YES you must have a blog to participate in selling your own quilty items. No, you can not just link to your etsy shop. That’s not what this is about.

Blogs are a way of communicating more than just saying “Here is my shop”. I hope you understand why I want to keep it that way. Blogs are more personal, or can be if you let them be, and an etsy shop is just ---well ---- a store. I only used etsy as my checkout point because I wasn’t going to be here all day to answer emails and deal with inquiries. I’m fine with using etsy as your “Shopping cart”, but you must have a blog that links to the etsy to begin with.

To link up in Yard Sale Saturday, you MUST have a blog. There is no time like the present to start one, to become involved and start recording your life, your thoughts, your quilting accomplishments, and making some new friends along the way.

The downside to using etsy for me was limiting my sales to the USA and Canada, because there were too many variables in shipping that couldn’t be added ahead of time without having everything boxed, weighed and measured for each country before entering it into the system. That, and I really didn’t think a $10.00 shipping charge on a $4.50 book purchase was going to interest anyone.

So what’s up for today? Getting all the packages from yesterday’s Yard Sale sales packaged up and ready to drop at the post office tomorrow on my way out of town! Got some book orders to throw into that mix too. I’ve got to repack the trunk show, exchange out some of the quilts for some others I’d like to include --

And this afternoon we are off to the airport to pick up our friend Michael who has spent the past two weeks in Kenya for his mom’s funeral. He’s been missed!

Happy Sunday, Everyone!