Thursday progress report

The concert on Saturday was great fun. The Golden Valley (MN) Orchestra and Chorus Polaris had a Christmas concert at the Gesthemane Episcopal Church in downtown Minneapolis. Both organizations did a fine job for the concert. There was a reception after the concert where we had a change to visit with the performers. It was great fun watching DD1 sing again. All in all, a fine holiday evening.

My son's birthday was the previous week and he received the game Pandemic from his wife. We played it several times over the weekend. It is a cooperative game, so you work together to save the world or you all go down together! I highly recommend it, I found it to be great fun. It is really different to be playing as a team rather than against the other players.

I came back home on Sunday and worked on the Orca Bay mystery quilt. I was able to complete the black and white HSTs from the third clue.

I then started on the blue string blocks from the second clue and have them completed as well.

 There are only 31 more of the QSTs to finish and I should be able to do that this evening.

Sounds like I'm doing the mystery backwards.  I do have a few of the red string triangles finished.

Here are the clues that I have completed resting in their storage box.

I won't be able to start on Friday's clue right away as I have 2 meetings to attend on Friday. The first one starts at 7 AM and I probably won't be home until the afternoon.

The early meeting is our county Board of Health, of which I am the Chairperson. Our meeting is being attended by the Director of the State Board of Health. I don't think that has ever happened as far as I know. Our board has been working hard over the past several years to turn around a complicated situation, so I hope that the state has taken notice of the hard work that our staff and the board have been doing.

I am hoping to get some cleaning and decorating done this weekend. I should also try to get my shopping completed and will try to keep up with the sewing for the mystery as well. I really don't have anything to do, do I? Well, just need to take it one bite at a time!

Right now it's time to quit and get some Chocolate!  Happy sewing everyone and here's to Friday's clue.

A productive Friday

Friday was a day off for me, so I was able to get to the sewing room as soon as I received the 4th clue for Orca Bay.  I am getting better at just grabbing a handful of red strings from the box and using them until they are all gone and then going back to the box for more.  I am able to cut 5 of the blocks from the tissue that I am using for my foundation, so I am working on 5 blocks at a time.  I must say that the first time I read the clue, just after I got out of bed, I misread the size of the block.  I looked at Bonnie's pictures and wonders how in the world she was getting so many strings on a 3.5 inch block!  (Duh, it's a 5.5 inch block)

Here are my first attempts.  I did have some coffee before I made these, needed to be awake, especially after that reading mistake!

First 2 blocks , sewn and pressed

Now trimmed.

Now triangles.  Note how the little white selvage in the previous picture is now gone.

I made the two blocks the first time and then started making 5 at a time.  I have to stop and trim down some of the strings because they are too wide and I want more variety.  

I also moved to using spray starch.  I normally use the Mary Ellen's Best Press, but I didn't think that I had enough stability as the regular starch.  I have made 12 blocks without much of a dent in the box or red strings.

I also made about 100 more of the QSTs from the first clue.

I am off tonight to attend a concert where my DD1 is performing.  She sings in the Chorus Polaris in Minneapolis and they are having a Christmas concert with the Golden Valley Orchestra.  I will be going with my DS and his wife.  Should be fun.  We are planning to go out after the concert.