Sunday Sewing

Yesterday morning, I went to a "Jumpstart 2012" workshop designed to increase motivation and improve lives. It was okay...full of platitudes and clichés, but since I didn't have to pay for the ticket, I won't complain too much. It gave me something to think about at least. Afterwards, I headed to a nearby quilt shop for their "10 for 20" FQ sale. The pickins were kind of slim, but I managed to find a few yellow/black/grey/white fabrics to help round out my Dresden Plate selection as well as a Dresden ruler.

In the afternoon, I cut about a zillion blades and started to chain sew the tops. But I had to stop and get myself ready for date night with Mr. P. We went out to dinner to celebrate his birthday (which is tomorrow).

Today, after getting to the bottom of my marking pile (of course - it never ends), I got back to those blades and produced my very first ever Dresden Block.

Of course, the block isn't completely finished; it still needs a circle in the centre and it has to be appliquéd onto a background fabric (not sure - white? grey?). This is a pretty time-consuming project. Not that I have an issue with time-consuming. I'm not in a hurry... I wonder how many of these I'd need for a whole quilt.

Every time I think of Dresden Blocks, I think of the beautiful city of Dresden in Germany that was pretty much destroyed by bombs during World War II. I wondered if the two Dresdens were connected...so I did some research and here's what I found (if you're not interested in the mini history lesson, scroll down past it and see what else I did this weekend).

The Dresden Plate quilt block - also known as Grandmother's Sunburst, Friendship Ring, Aster, Dahlia and Sunflower - was one of the most popular blocks of the early 20th century. The Dresden Plate reflects the romance of the Victorian Era with its love of elaborate decoration on household items and décor. Dresden, Germany was a center of the 19th century romanticism movement in art, one that included the fine decoration of porcelain. The plates were embellished with elaborate design using flowers, fruits and foliage. The beautiful plates would surely have been admired by women of the early 20th century. (Information found here.)

Okay, here's what else I did today.

Yes, that is Swoon Block #5.

#2 and #3 are still in pieces on the bed in the spare room but, with this block, I am now 1/3 of the way done!

Never mind that I didn't do any housework this weekend, that Mr. P made himself pizza for supper, and that I wore pajamas all day (clean ones put on after I showered), I finished another block! I only wish I could stay home from work tomorrow and sew #6... But that's not going to happen.

Still, though, my motivation (and courage) is up and I'm determined to Swoon Along.

(Except not this coming weekend as I'm marking exams for the government. Bah.)