Lawn Diamond Quilt and a break.

I've got Good News and Bad News about the Lawn Diamond quilt I've been working on.  First, the good news.

1.  I'm making slow but sure progress.  I came up with a plan to keep everything orderly.  Then I got busy cutting the fabric.

2.  There are 120 blocks to be foundation paper pieced.  I started with 20, to make sure my paper piecing chops were in order; then I did 40 more and got all 60 of them trimmed.

3.  I was ready to tackle the final 60 blocks.  When I did the first two sets, I chain pieced the blocks.  Chain piecing 60 blocks, gets really boring, really fast.  I'm at the halfway point on these 60 blocks and need a break.

Now, for the Bad News.

1.  So far, this has taken me a total of five weeks.  Life has gotten in the way, and I'm also tired of chain piecing.  If you're not familiar with foundation paper piecing, after stitching each seam, you need to trim the seam allowance, then press the seam.  Each time. It's very time-consuming, but very worth the effort.

2.  I need a break.  Instead of plowing thru the last half of these blocks, I'm going to make some bags.

I have a fabulous cousin, Brooke, who is 40 and can't sew because she's legally blind.  She's not totally blind, she has about 10% of her sight, but that's not enough to sew.  She's one of my favorite people.  She lives in Indiana and we keep in touch via social media.  She asked if I could make her a bag; that's what I going to work on during the "Lawn Diamond Break".  I've previously made 3 Mail Sack Cross Body Bags, so I thought I'd make one for Brooke and a couple of more to have on hand.

This is the canvas fabric I've pulled from my stash, enough for 5 bags.  I don't know if I'll make that many, but I'm prepared!

May your bobbins always be full,