So, what's the hurry?

Nothing like sitting around with your foot propped up, to get things done.

For a quilt with no particular purpose (other than to try out the block pattern) or deadline,  these + and X blocks seem to have taken over.

The last seven rows have been assembled and are ready to be joined to the first eight.

I really didn't want to fold them all up and put them back in the zip-lock baggies. All those little pieces are hard to keep ironed, so I just clipped them as they were finished to the curtains in the living room.

I think rather than join them one-by-one to the larger piece, I will put these rows together a few at a time and then join them to the completed half. I really don't like the idea of ironing these all over again more than I have to.

While I am sewing these, I will have time to think of what I will do for the border and backing and figure out where I am going to lay this out for basting.... no space that big in this house. It is still too hot to be quilting but it will be nice to work on when the weather gets cool.

I am going to need some new take-along work and should prep something for up-coming train rides and meetings. Something brown and green with owls for Son Ken, a big-boy quilt for #2 grandson, Ben, A banner for the Women's Conference next January, (I still have a little quilting left to do on this years) and one Christmas present that needs to be in the mail by mid November. (a little hard to think of Christmas in the late summer heat). Oh, yes, daughter Norie has asked for a bag. A small, easy to finish project might be fun.

Meanwhile, I have managed to finish off a few spools of thread, and that little container is holding hundreds of little threads. All those one inch blocks sure do shed ... not quite as badly as the dog but just as visible on clothing. I tried putting them in the wastebasket but Nikko likes to hunt in there for paper to chew and they will just end up on the floor.

I have a pair of pinking shears that might eliminate a bit of scrap threads. I have had them since I was a kid but they are right-handed and heavy to use so mostly sit in the sewing drawer with little exercise. I wonder if people actually use them these days. The only pinked edges I have seen in a long time, are in my stash.

Meanwhile, those strips keep calling. They are hard to ignore!