One Foot in Front of the Other

Good morning, my friends. It's hard to know what to say or where to start. To start, I'll tell you about how my day went yesterday. Like most Americans it was hard for me to concentrate on much of anything, but I managed to get in a little bit of time in the sewing room. Enough happened there to cause me to decide to return to Plan A with the "Mosaic" quilt. For now, I'll tell you about what I learned and how I'll proceed. At the end, I'll say something about the way forward.

Of course, the day started with slow-stitching. I finished up the first of seven small blocks for the Girls' Getaway quilt.

With that one finished, I moved on to the second one...Wine Tasting. I've stitched a little more than what you see here. Probably, this won't be finished until tomorrow.

When I made my way into the sewing room, I was armed with the Kindle version of this book. (Pay attention because this is the last time I'll show the book.)

Starting with the photo I'd chosen as Plan B, I began by drawing a diagonal grid. The book goes into some explanation about this. To make quilts using this method, one works with just one square of the grid at a time. She explained that she likes a diagonal grid because it imparts an energy that straight vertical and horizontal lines do not. Also, it makes certain errors less noticeable. She explained as well that her choice to make the squares 2 inches (2-1/2 inches unfinished) was decided simply because she had some 2-1/2 inch scraps she wanted to use. The grid could be from squares of any size, but I'll stick with the 2-inch size.

If my photo were square, I would have drawn a line from corner to corner. My photo is rectangular, and so I lined up the 45° angle line with the edge of the photo, and then lined up the edge of the ruler at the corner. (Sorry for the blur in this next image. My Panasonic camera is getting a spa treatment right now. I'm using my old Nikon point and shoot, which has always had a problem auto-focusing up close. There is no manual focus, and so sometimes I get a blur like this.)

When I'd drawn lines in both directions, it looked like this.

She also recommended numbering the squares to make it easier to hold your place. Working with a numbered square is easier than trying to remember "fourth square from the left, third row."

Then, I cut 2-inch squares from freezer paper. These will be templates to create each individual square from the image. In this case, I needed 54 squares.

She also recommends using a foam core board as a sort of design wall. I can pin the pieces to the board as I go. (I think I might have a smaller board, and I'll look today.)

Then, starting at the upper left corner, I made the first piece. The freezer paper is ironed to the fabric, and then it's trimmed leaving a quarter-inch seam allowance. The book doesn't mention this (unless I missed it), but I decided to number the pieces there as well. If everything were to fall on the floor, it would make reassembling it easier.

And there we go. The first of 54 pieces is finished.

By the time I got to the third piece, I was already stumped. A suggestion in the book is to cut a 2-inch square from card stock to help isolate the part of the image you're working with. This also helps when choosing fabric. I can lay the card stock down over the fabric to see how it will work for what I'm trying to accomplish.

This technique includes applique, and so I wanted to draw out the lighter bit of green toward the bottom of the square. Since I couldn't see it through the freezer paper, I used a piece of wax paper to trace the shape.

And then I could place that on my light box along with the freezer paper square and draw it from there.

I skipped over the third piece, deciding I first needed to do some more reading in the book. I moved to the fourth square and added it to the two already pinned.

Already I was on pins and needles about the election, and working on this new technique wasn't helping one little bit. I decided to bag it there and do some slow-stitching, which helped to calm my fraying nerves.

As for the rest of the day...well, you know. I did a little more reading in the book after getting into bed last night. By the time I turned off the light, I'd convinced myself to start again with the photo I selected originally. Plan B's photo is a little too difficult to use as a first try. The one below will be easier. And I'm sorry, but just a peek for you.

Okay, and I hate to bring up anything related to current events, but I'm afraid it is filling my psyche today. Some of you are probably happy with the results of our election. I genuinely hope you are right, and that you see something in the man that I don't. On the other hand, I suspect many of you feel as I do: as if someone just set my hair on fire. It's going to take a day or two to adjust our expectations and decide how we're going to get through the next several years. Here's something I know: we only have to get through one day at a time. If a day is too long, get through it one hour at a time.

Mike and I decided this morning to take a break from news of any kind. As the repercussions affect our lives, we'll deal with it. We'll help others when we can. Mainly, it's going to be like hiking uphill. Head down, one foot in front of the other. Keep moving. Do not let despair rule the day, and do not let it paralyze you. Leaning on one another for support, we'll get through this. Face forward, my friends. Life goes on. We can do this together.