Home Sweet Home Quilt - Block 1

I finally got back into my sewing room a few days ago - on Thursday.  I hadn't sewn since early May when they found my husband had advanced cancer in his prostate.  The stress of the unknown seemed to impact my creativity.  He's now passed the half way mark in his treatments and is doing well.  We also had relatives staying with us for about a month - that made quite a big impact on my sewing too.  Now that things are calming down around here, I'm finally back in my sewing room. 

On Friday I started selecting fabric for a new project - a Home Sweet Home quilt (Blackbird Designs).  It's an adorable house quilt.  Some of the gals on the About.com Quilting Forum are each working on one and encouraging each other as a group.  When my friend Kim forgot her book at my house, and I had a chance to look at it a little bit closer, I decided to join them.  I worked on the 1st block yesterday.  Here's my block #1:

Even though I love to do needle-turn applique, I already have a number of that type project going, so have decided to do machine applique on this one.    I will probably save the machine applique until the end - but not sure about that yet.  I considered doing a blanket stitch by hand, but after giving it a try, I decided I don't like the look.  Now I need to rip out what I started using that method - maybe tonight while watching TV. 

I have all of the background fabric cut and ready, the bias stems made and waiting, and the fabrics kitted together for each block.  I plan to have fun with these darling blocks and go at a comfortable pace.  This will be a nice leisurely project to ease back into quilting.

It would be nice to embellish the blocks with some embroidery too.  My friend Misha from the Forum posted some picture examples so we could all drool dream about touches like that for our quilts.

Just a little bit more news since I've been away so long.  On Thursday I pulled out my "A Tisket-A Tasket Basket" quilt (Bunny Hill) which is very near completion.  It needs the embroidered border sewn on and the corners embroidered.  Then the final red border can be added and it will be ready to quilt.   Toward the end of the morning, I got a call from my friend Bobbi.  She invited me over to select some applique projects our friend Marty, who passed away, had started.  I'm beyond happy to give them a good home.  I'm very excited about a block of the month project that was there, the Fruit Basket quilt.  There's a drawing of the quilt lay-out, but it's missing most of the patterns, and monthly fabric kits.  I got on the internet to see what it's supposed to look like and I think I can draw what's missing.  There were also several Hawaiian quilts that Marty had started.  I'll be very excited to work on those - they'll be looooong projects though.  There was also a darling appliqued angel quilt that only needs about a day or two to finish, a fused floral wall hanging that may also only take a few days, and a darling Noah's Ark applique wall hanging that Bobbi asked me to finish for her.  I've pulled the fabric for it and will give it top priority since Bobbi was so kind, and generous to think of me, and send such lovely projects home with me.