Charity quilt time, plus a lesson update...

We're getting snow in Chicago today. While it's hard to believe at the start that those tiny flurries are going to amount to much, the flakes are getting bigger by the minute and it's quickly starting to accumulate on the grass and car windshields. The gusty winds and general gloominess makes for a good sew day as the white stuff keeps falling.

I'm still working on my Comma Spikes, but in shopping my stash for some additional fabrics to include in that project, I found these orphan blocks I made eons ago from this book not long after I started quilting.

See? My love of precise, spiky triangles goes way back.

It's a tad busy for my taste now, but seeing as it's Lent and I have some charity quilts to make, I figured this would make a good one, seeing as it's 30% done. It needs sashing and borders to calm it down, and a few more squares to be big enough for Quilts for Kids. Fortunately, there was a Ziploc of leftover fabric under the blocks, so I don't even have to cut anything. The template for the paper piecing was still on my computer, so no excuses -- other than maybe "Archie's napping on it, I'll come back when he's moved."

In Lesson Land, we're chugging right along. Little Sis finished quilting this past weekend, so this coming Saturday we're on to American Girl pajama pants. I'm going to do the binding on her quilt unless I can find a really simple tutorial.

I'm spending a lot more time on technique and the whys of sewing with Big Sis, and it shows in her work. Her blocks didn't need a ton of trimming, and her four-patch joins are spot-on. She chose to do a little more quilting than her sister, so she's a little further behind -- something sassy Little Sis chooses to remind her of whenever the topic comes up.

Big Sis is catching on really fast, and she's eager to get this done and move on to the next project. At the same time, she's old enough to have the patience and understanding to finish. It's fun to see when somebody this young gets it -- and wants to keep going. I think there's a big-girl sewing machine in her future!