Updating you on my Chuck Nohara block progress. I finished off the incredibly complicated floral wreath block in the upper left. Susan and I (and Bette) are working together on this, with Susan choosing two/month and me choosing two/month. Yes, I chose that one (never again). But June was finished up.
July’s blocks were interesting. I did the sunglasses on the road to my Gwen Marston class. I did the lower two blocks at the quilting retreat, and promptly had to re-do them again. But I could now cross July’s blocks off the list.
I launched into August early because of some planned travel, and hit my first roadblock with a Dresden-plate block.
I drafted my own little Dresden template, then proceeded the way I always do.
I had prepped up the bird before our road trip to two family reunions, but lost it somewhere between my sewing room and the great state of Utah, so I prepped up a second one, stitching it to completion while watching the Olympics opening ceremony. Yep, I changed a few things, but here they are, all done. I need to get them all up on the design wall, all together. Next week.
My friend, Laurel, showed us her COMPLETED New Hexagon Millefiore Quilt, so I thought I should resurrect that project and get it going again.
So I laid it out on the bed in the extra bedroom. . . (warning–lots of nighttime quilting pictures ahead)
. . . found the package with all the pieces and tried to make sense of it. I hated disliked the strong star shape of that rosette (seen here in Katja’s quilt), so after studying Laurel’s rendition, I made some changes, combining some pieces.
Now comes the fretting part. Will it work in the bluesy-purpley combo I have going?
Luckily I hadn’t cleaned up the stuff of the extra bed yet, and so I laid it out, section by section. I think it will work! I said to my husband, then packed it all away to take traveling with me. It was hard to get going on this, as I’d forgotten how much trial and error is involved in the making of these rosettes.
Here’s three sets of bee blocks for the Mid-Century Modern Bee (top is Mary, middle is for Sherri, and the bottom is for Rene). Can’t wait to see what they do with them!
I did finish Simone’s Spelling Bee Block for July while at the retreat, and it was the one thing I didn’t have to re-do. You’ve seen this before, but since this is a round-up post, I wanted to include it.
I made an extra set of words for Kerry for her Canadian Provinces list of Spelling Bee words. Okay, we are almost to the end (I’ve been saving all this up for a while).
In looking at the looming deadline for Road to California entry, I kept pushing forward on getting this quilt finished.
Which led to many rounds of this on my aching shoulder, and a trip to the doctor’s office. I’ve not stitched much since then, which is like tying my hands behind my back and not letting me use them.
So instead, I read a lot, finding this “Cap Slogan Generator” on the Washington Post website, and thinking that THIS is the slogan we all need to see more of.
And since once an English teacher, always an English teacher, I corrected all the logical fallacies in the questionaire sent to me by one of the major political parties (such errors in faulty reasoning!) and yes, I sent it back to them (they had, after all, provided me with a postage-paid envelope). 
I won’t leave you with politics, after all I do have a heart, but instead with this little shot of the shelves above my computer. I’d sent Marsha of #quilterinmotion some of my scraps and as a thank-you, she sent me my first-ever fabric postcard. (I was so excited.)
So, summer’s almost over. Enjoy the last few days of the Olympics, avoid politics, and keep quilting!
OccasionalPiece--Quilt! 
Elizabeth, all you quilts are lovely and interesting, but the millefiori quilt is so stunning! I cannot wait to see it all put together. You have my undying admiration for attempting such a complicated design.
Blessings,
Celia
So glad to see the Chuck Nohara blocks…no IG for me. You persist with such complicated project when others have fallen by the wayside. Good work! And then thanks for the laugh: make America quilt again….snort!
You got a lot done even though you paid for it in the end. We have one of those ice packs like yours. Haven’t had to use it in a good while.
The Millefiore blocks look very complicated to me. You have made some very pretty ones. Good luck in getting everything together the way you plan.
I admired the wreath block immediately upon seeing it. In it’s smaller size, I can see it would take some patience in stitching.
I love your response to the political questionnaire. But as I was leaning in to read the small print, my computer suddenly went dark!! Maybe “they” really are watching everything we do! 🙂
I’m glad to know that those rosettes are challenging for you too. Maybe I should set aside #1 and work on one of the smaller rosettes first, as #1 is such a big attention getter in the quilt that it is making me crazy trying to envision it’s future look.
Hahahaha I’d love to be a fly on the wall when they open your return questionairre!
Those Milliefiore blocks are amazing. I definitely thin it works as you always get those pops of color when looking through the kaleidoscopes. Your Chuck Nohara blocks are terrific too. It looks like lots of fun hand stitching there. Glad to see (and have) your bee blocks. They’ve been such fun this year.
I hope the shoulder is feeling well enough to get the quilt finished in time for Road. I’d like to see it hanging in January.
You have way more time that I do with that form. I would have pitched it in the trash.
I enjoy the intuitive nature of your process. Sometimes you just don’t know until after you try it. Writing is like that, but so is choosing names for children, tasting something you are cooking, or choosing a new pair of shoes. You just have to try it on.
I’d need the ice pack of peas for my brain, if I had to spend time exercising it in the construction of the Millefiore blocks! I don’t know how you do it? I’m thinking its time for another Chuck group shot too….. Your blocks are so cute!
I love your Chuck Nohara blocks. So much I made the investment in the book, it arrived last month so now I have to figure out how to start. I’m going to go back hopefully to your first post and figure out your tricks for enlarging etc.
I also love how you muted down the star shape. I’m a fan of stars but find that one in Katja’s a bit harsh. I think it will add a bit of sparkle to your piece.
As usual, I am in awe of all you accomplish. And with a bum shoulder at that. Do hope that it will be doing much better after a dose of cortisone and some PT. DON’T overuse it in the meantime. I am being inspired to try Katja’s millefiore quilt. Copied the first templates onto card stock — not sure how that will work. But so far, haven’t even cut them out. I can’t envision keeping such a good mental inventory of my fabrics to be able to plan out a single rosette, let alone the whole quilt! Keep on stitching (slowly).
I thoroughly enjoyed each picture and comment of your quilt endeavors. However it was the questionnaire corrections which made my night! I have also returned amended or corrected letters and other pamphlets. Who do these entities pay for editing? So many times I have considered being gainfully employed for using my English background, but some how I doubt they pay well for those skills.
Elizabeth, your work is all beautiful, but that new millifiori rosette is gorgeous. It has a luminous quality to it that I see in much of your work.
Super nice Millie blocks. I just may get to mine yet : ) Your work is inspiring!