You're off the hook Lara. I'll just have another admiring look at Judith's block and will wait a bit longer.

Mind you, there are still blocks to come from Irene and Jup and ??????

Here is Shirley's Star. I don't want to keep Deecee waiting any longer! ;-) I've got some good momentum and want to keep rolling right along. It's time to finish this project up and move on to the next!

What perfect fabrics. Looks 3 dimensional!

Love your colour choices Lara. Great block.

I like them, too! Just lovely. I have been looking at the BOM threads about the heart blocks. I am only on page 7 or so and the heart blocks are WONDERFUL! Love that project, too.

I'm doing the House BOM - passed on the Star BOM - but didn't know about the Heart BOM. I must go and check it out.

Edit: Judith are you referring to Affairs of the Heart or another Heart BOM?

If you are referring to Affairs, I am doing that but haven't done very many yet.

I am referring to the Affairs of the Heart. I thought I saw that you and Lara were involved with that particular BOM. But, remember, I am only on page 7! I will have to check out the House BOM, too.

You got me all excited there for a moment - I thought there was another new BOM for me to look at.

The AOTH blocks are lovely - I find them a little time consuming doing them by hand. Some are using machine applique which makes them a lot quicker.

I like doing the hand work but it means I don't get very much done in the time I have available. I am running way behind the schedule - but that is O.K.

That means anyone can join in at this date and probably still finish before me!

Ah, Affairs of the Heart... On top of my general inability to find enough time to sew lately, I've been torturing myself with indecision about that project and have finally come to a decision I can live with.

Since my blocks are meant for a quilt for my young daughter, I have been very concerned with how practical or durable the blocks are. I really hate the ones that I did on the machine, and I don't feel that the embroidery is especially durable either way. But since they are beautiful and I am stubborn, I have decided to do 9 of my favorite blocks by hand and make them into a wall hanging for my daughter. Then I'm going to take the rest of the pink and purple batiks I bought for that project and make a twin-sized variation of the Civil War Love Letters quilt. Since that one will be paper pieced on the machine it will be much more practical for a little girl, and it will still have a "love" theme. I'm going to make the heart center medallion variation. I'm going to do it on my own schedule and only do the blocks I want to do for my specific quilt. I think I might start a personal diary thread to post my pictures and progress so that I can get all the encouragement and feedback that this board offers without having to follow along on a BOM.

Anyway - that is the plan! If only I can get Penny Haren done.... I have two more blocks ready to stitch! They are coming soon....

I love applique. I started out with the needle turn method and love it. Two years ago I learned a way to machine applique that looks more like hand. I have tried the fuse with satin stitches and don't enjoy doing that. I have tried the blanket stitch by machine and it is better but, I still don't like it for most projects. The way I do it by machine uses the invisible thread with a tiny zig zag stitch. That is what I am using on the Pieced Applique project. All of that to say that I know what you mean when you say you are running way behind schedule.

Lara, I think your thinking and ideas for how to use the AOTH blocks and how to still use the fabrics and love theme for your daughter is brilliant! There are times for me that a schedule or a deadline is helpful . . . . . there are times that it only puts pressure and quilting is supposed to make us happy~not burdened. The only thing I ask is to be able to find your PDA to keep up with what you are doing!?!?!?!?!