I made up three Affairs of the Heart blocks - finally - after trying out different methods such as back basting and freezer paper on top. I finally decided that the pieces were just too small, I wasn't that comfortable in using the backbasting method; and with the freezer paper on top I was very concerned that I would not quite place the pieces right so that the symmetry would be lost. So I decided to machine applique them, with a fusible, using variegated threads to add some dimension. I did the embroidery stitching by hand. I was quite happy with the results but I'll only do a few more like this and then make a small wallhanging. I'm going to re-think my approach to these blocks as I know now they'll be machine applique rather than hand applique.
I made a couple of more blocks of Garden at Dusk (from Cindy Lammon's book, Gathered from the Garden), and was able to put together about two-thirds of the top. This quilt will be for my niece Emily.
Then there was practice in hand piecing. I made a Dear Jane block, hand pieced - it took nearly three hours! I surely hope I get faster if I plan to hand piece all 224 (I think) blocks in this quilt. I'll talk about my method as I get going on more of these.
