36-patches & Paul

Amanda (CrazyMom) is hosting a 36-patch quilt along, and (like Candace - WraggedyPatches), I figured......"why not??!?" ;0)

Amanda's directions call for 8" wide fabric pieces......But I was more interested in making the blocks from strips from this collection from Connecting Threads; already organized in strip combos here..... Sadly, though....one 2.5" strip isn't long enough to produce the 18-like colored squares. :0( HOWEVER, I wasn't going to let 2.5" regulations of the quilt-along hold me back.

Instead, I did some quick calculations, and realized that if I cut the strips down to 2.25", I would be able to create a complete block. So, that's what I did ;0)

Choosing two strips, and piecing them length-wise, I was able to subcut them into 20 twosies (2.25" wide), even though I only needed 18 twosies for the block. SO, with a little trimming down, I'm able to make one 11" (unfinished) 36-patch and one 4" (unfinished) 4-patch. These measurements don't play nicely with much of anything......except themselves! So, the game plan is to make up all the 36-patches and use the 4-patches as possible cornerstones with sashing? Or maybe the 4-patches will appear in a border??

Paul is home again today and tomorrow. This morning, he was peeking (more like peering?) at his blueberry bushes. I couldn't resist trying to get a picture of him with his "gardening" hat.

He must enjoy his limelight on my blog, because he was all smiles when he actually saw me with the camera! :0) {{Truth be known, Nancy---I think he likes those "stud muffin" comments **wink**}}

And I DID get my 8 miles in this morning after dropping the girls off at school. The humidity has finally broken for the most part; still HOT due to the cloudless sky, BUT the humidity is out of the air and there is a nice breeze, making the outdoors quite bearable today. So...yeah....8 miles this AM; it wasn't too bad. I took my share of walks again, and enjoyed quite a bit of shade for the first 4 miles.

As for now, we're enjoying a relaxing afternoon. The girls are watching Narnia (Prince Caspian), Paul is browsing the Internet for some fishing "stuff," and I will be either (a) putting my feet up with one of my Kindle books OR (b) writing the final portion of instructions for Splendidly Marching Along.

{{Three Hours Later}}
Or how 'bout reading on the Kindle for 20 minutes, and then taking a 2-hour nap?
;0)

Happy Thursday!