Life Under Quilts

After last week's post I was excited to choose some new fabrics for more diamonds, but then I lost my motivation to stitch them together.  I can't explain it really, it just happens.  I started to feel a bit meh about the project so I repacked my sewing kit and then shelved it for a while. 
Instead, I took out a WIP from last summer, 3/4" hexies in scrappy stars:

I need 11 more background diamonds so that's what I've been focused on this past week.
It's fun collecting bits of neutrals, I don't have a lot of neutral scraps so I'm actually cutting from larger pieces of fabric, just 3 or 4 squares of each, and I like how it's coming along.

If you've got EPP progress to share, please link up~

I got the most wonderful email from Maria and Heidi in Ølstykke, Denmark this week.
They are teachers and have been using Quilting on the Go with a group of 50 students to teach them to sew hexagons.  They used larger templates (looks like 1.5") and made versions of the Tiny Sewing Kit pattern in the book.  Here are some of the photos they sent along of the students working and their projects:








If you have made anything from my book, I'd love to see it!  Feel free to email me at jessunderquilts at gmail dot com.  Be sure to tell me where you're from and if I can share your photos here on the blog. 
Thanks Maria & Heidi!! Your email totally made my day.

Stitch, stitch, stitch!
In several stolen moments throughout the week I was able to put together a bunch of diamond units from all the class samples I had floating around.  Here's my stack all spread out. 
I'm currently at 9 of my hopeful 20 units before the summer.  I have decided to count the partials (edge units) into this total or I will never reach my goal.  I mean, hey, they're my rules, it's ok if I break them.

How did you do this week?
Before you all link up, I want to give a shout out and a BIG THANK YOU to Judy in NC, who saw my ISO post for the black spotted fabric and sent me 2 yards!  I feel much better about choosing this for my background now.  Hopefully this week I can get some filler strips done and show you what the pattern will look like all put together.  (and I really need to join the units to free up some templates...)

I think it just may have been.
I have written in past years about the challenges this holiday usually brings for our household-- Greek Orthodox vs. Catholic traditions, not having any close family near by to celebrate with, our failure (?) to be part of a strong church community.  Unless we are in Athens for Easter, the holiday usually brings more frustration and disappointment than it's worth.  Last year I took the kids to a friend's place for Catholic Easter while C worked, and then on Greek Easter we skipped church all together and hit up a local festival during the day, just to get out of the house.  We had fun, but something was lacking.  Easter is a family holiday, a time to spend together and appreciate all that being a family means.  This year, finally, I think we got it right.

We spent the week doing Easter crafts, dying eggs, and decorating the house.

We took the kids to church on Friday for Epitafios and Saturday for Anastasi.


And today, through some serendipitous c…

Now that, I think I can handle.
Remember when I was complaining that I want to sew other quilts, by machine, but my EPP obsession keeps pulling me back to the couch?  Well I just found Chase'sPack Patch Mini Quilt Along and I think this may be just what I need.

 Each week she is giving us two themes which we'll use to choose our fabrics and make the block.  The block above is my "true colors"-- I went with soft pink and navy, the colors I often choose to wear.  I don't usually quilt with them together though, so the block looks strange to me, yet familiar..
Another stipulation of the QAL is to only use fabric from your scrap bin.  I guess this assumes that quilters have only one scrap bin where they keep all their scraps.  Well.. that's not the case for me.  I've got 4 scrap bins that I can see from where I'm sitting, and there are at least 5 more upstairs.  Somehow I feel this mini quilt along really won't make a dent in my stash.. My point thou…

Though I faithfully brought my sewing box with me everywhere this past week, I hardly managed to get in more than a couple stitches.  I think I stitched on just part of the outer ring of an old diamond.. not even photo worthy.  Sorry!  I am almost finished with the binding on Sabrina's quilt though.  Hoping to have it back to them asap so Merrill can show it off when the family's together this week.
This coming week is Spring Break and with George off of school I don't yet know what sort of trouble we'll get into.  I'm hoping for Easter crafts and playdates, but I think we'll probably end up with lots more sidewalk chalk, digging in the yard, and early baths.  I'm guessing it'll be a hands-on mothering sort of week, so my EPP expectations aren't to high. Gotta make memories with the kiddos, don't want them to remember me as all-quilt and no play.

I hope you guys have been more productive.

I'm so happy to share that Quilting on the Go has been translated into Spanish~
I'm so excited that it will be accessible to even more quilters in Spain and beyond.  It is published by Editorial Acanto S.A. and currently available at Amazon.es. 

If you're out an about and see a copy in the book store, please comment and let me know~

I have had SO MUCH EPP this week!  I'm almost overwhelmed by it, almost sick of it, but then the truth hits me-- I've tried to stop, to work on other quilts, but I can't.  You can never have too much EPP.
I don't think I will ever get tired of people bringing their EPP beginnings (or finishes) to share with me, like these from my lecture in Mineola last Thursday--


Or the delight that comes from giving a small patchwork gift to a friend.
(I made this little pin cushion for Laura out of 1" hexies and walnut shells)

And I couldn't count the amount of times I heard a quilter say something like, "ooh, this is addictive"  "I really like this" or "I could see myself doing this all the time" in the past week (taught or guided 3 EPP workshops/sew ins in 3 days).  Seeing the spark in other quilters as they piece peacefully is one of the new joys in my life.  Thanks guys. 

Because I have been using Travel Quilt #5 as a teaching tool for th…