The Sneak Peek and … Suspending Disbelief
If you are one of the dozen quilters who have made sunrise blocks and posted them, you should have received email from me with the July 2014 Block pattern and guidelines. If you should have received the email, but didn’t, please let me know ASAP.
If you haven’t yet made the block, you have one week to find the time or face your fears before the deadline.
This morning, I was thinking about how, even in quilting, we sometimes need to suspend disbelief and keep going. Here’s a peek at what prompted that idea.
This will be a round, sunflower-inspired block (which was inspired a bit by this month’s Sunrise block), which I started hand-piecing yesterday. Looking at all the loose bits on the inside yet to be sewn and wondering if they are actually going to fit (and be flat when I’m done) made me think about how I had to trust my pattern and suspend disbelief until it was a lot closer to finished. (If you’re curious, I blogged about my Summer of Sunflowers project on my Sophie Junction blog, here.)
And then I realized that even though the 24 Sunrise blocks made for the Block Lotto this month will make a lovely quilt for a (single) winner, it is definitely a low-water mark in the totals of blocks made each month. Add to that the utter lack of respond to my linky topic this month and well … as much as I believe you’ll find next month’s block (and next month’s topic) more appealing, I am, in a way, suspending disbelief about what message this month’s (lack of) participation could be telling me.
If you choose to suspend disbelief and look forward to the July block and want to start thinking about fabrics … we’ll be making monochromatic blocks in colors of your choice. fabrics can be solids, tone-on-tone prints or multicolor prints which are predominately one color. Think about mixing lights and darks and brights in a single color with strong contrast.
(And I promise that the block is pretty easy, too).
well, I DID print out a couple of copies of the sunrise template — does that count? And maybe will squeak them in before the deadline…
Hello Sophie. I just emailed you regarding my sunrise blocks. I am not sure if they are right. Will you look at them and email me back?
P.S. I LOVE the sunrise blocks and that is why I want to participate this month! Thank you.
I’m still following and interested but didn’t tackle the sunrise block because I did tackle a Mariner’s compass last fall (and it did pretty well), and it is now part of a UFO that needs some appliques sewed down, as well as quilting, and in the meantime I’m getting started on an I-spy quilt for a great niece, and have spent more time cutting than sewing as I’ve participated in 5-6 online swaps as well as a monthly 2.5″ swap group. (and I’ve started a rhubarb pie quilt with the first large set of pink and green fabrics.
It’s also the time of gardening, vacations, so just haven’t had as much quilting time.
I hope next month will be better.
by the way, I entered my row quilt (including a row of the Blocklotto birds) in the Mesquite Guild Show this weekend, and I won the blue ribbon for large quilts and a Judge’s award blue ribbon too! Definitely checked some items off my buicket list!
I’ll post a photo of me with the ribbons and quilt soon.
Sophie, I sent you an email regarding my sunrise blocks of which I need advice. For some reason I have been blocked out of that email account for the next month, so would you please respond to a different email…the one listed above mamiebudgeese@hotmail.com
Thanks.
My mom (Peggy Mellors) and I are working on some blocks now. Just been crazy first half of the month with baby Mason being born. We are all doing well.
I think the message is that the block LOOKS difficult and lots of people are busy this month with gardens and vacations and other outside activities. I too am busy with large gardens , working some overtime and I just got back from a short vacation so planned my time wisely this month and didn’t procrastinate when it came to making what looked like a challenging block. I’m really glad I tried it out.
In re linky…I had three different blog posts in mind in regard to HANDMADE but just never got around to getting any of them written. So, maybe that means you need to carry the subject over again to July!
Hi Sophie,
I made two blocks, but didn’t get the sneak peak email. I have to say that the first one I made completely threw me. Maybe it was my state of mind, but I made a million mistakes and was really frustrated (and you know my NY Beauty bias). The second and third ones (BL colors) were much easier. I am crazy busy this month (moving short-term this week).
-not my situation, but everyone I know with kids in school is crazy this month because its the end of the school year on much of the East Coast– end of the year activities, having kids at home, transitioning them to summer activities, might have made people less willing to try what seems to be a complicated block.
I get my Block Lotto posts via email, and this is the first post I’ve received all month. I think it must have been a problem with feedburner because Block Lotto wasn’t the only blog that went missing from my inbox this month and only started showing up again today. Perhaps other subscribers had the same experience and that is why the turn out and linky responses were so low this month?
Hey …you can keep suspending that disbelief…Block Lotto ROCKS and so do you! Crazy busy month tis all…Am I scared of this challenge ? You can bet your boots I am! Am I going to give it a shot? Yes siree …I even bought a cool piece of aqua fabric to try it out…it might be beyond my skill level but, I will try. Your Sunflower Amazes me!
I am working on a block this month, I wasn’t going to, because I struggle with curves. The Sun rays arc looks awesome, hopefully I get the inner & outer parts done this week. I don’t think it is the block, but I think it is the fact that it is just a busy time of year for people, with gardens and vacations. I LOVE your Sunflower block…is there a pattern for it, or is it a NYB block with color placement?