The project slowly grows.
I love this block that my friend Janis Ryan, can I just say, her instructions for paper piecing are the best I’ve encountered so far. I now understand how starting with a large shapeless patch might not be a bad thing, but that cutting the seam allowances to 1/4″ makes for a better block.
Very happy with my color choices. 
This one could have been paper pieced, but I worked carefully with the half square triangles and flying geese rulers. 
A nice clean back ironed well (almost) makes working with these small pieces much easier. Soon no one will see the backs. So I better show them from time to time.
I’m not crazy about this block. The designer was very literal, she even embroidered the stripe to look like a measuring tape as well as embroidering the words, measure twice, cut once.
One of the things I love about quilting is that it doesn’t spell everything out. Most old quilt blocks have names that imply what they might be, log cabin, anvil, many different stars. But they leave a lot to one’s imagination. I prefer it that way. So yes, I found a print that from a distance might read as a measuring tape, or not.
I do love a good basket. Aside from my first embroidery block, I am using prints, no solids. It will be interesting to see when I put this together if it is too busy. I may decide to sash with a solid. Right now I am enjoying the challenge of making the prints work. Being so influenced by the modern quilt movement, I’ve added a lot of solids to my work. So this is a change.
In this block the circle was supposed to be appliquéd on top, I am proud of my ability to insert a circle, so I did. And interesting but not surprising thing is happening with this QAL (quilt along). People are veering away from the patterns, changing them drastically or adding new blocks. So there has been a crackdown by the developers, they are deleting blocks that don’t conform. It’s a delicate balance, you offer a massive project for free and then you want to keep tight control.
This might not pass muster, I was working with tiny scraps and I mirror imaged two of the outside hst (half square triangles), so instead of pinwheeling around the center block, they form more on an hour glass shape. Some people responded by saying, just remove and twist, some people don’t understand geometry.
Creating some very light blocks.
And some with higher contrast. 
My intent is to get good contrast between the blocks and I think I’m achieving that. As time goes by I’m getting scrappier and adding more colors, like browns and even allowing the pink I rejected, back in. 
I even found a wonderful new box for the blocks. No way would the original box hold 100 plus blocks. I found this lovely one.
Once the quilt is done I’ll have to find another use for this. Clearly I like the scrappy quilt look, even on a box.
Plenty of room to fill.