Needlework Tuesday

This is it, the only needlework project that I touched all week.

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its block L-5 Chattanooga Charlie. I wonder if it was given its name for the bowties in the two opposite corners? I enjoyed the challenge of making this block and getting the half square triangles the correct size. Mine came out just right. Notice that again I have varied from strictly orange fabric. I figure if I only use orange and nothing else, the quilt will look rather flat when done. Not enough contrast. So this has a bit of green and some burgundy in it. Aside form that, I love this fabric, its one that I could happily have a bolt of and not get tired of using.

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I did do some other 'stitching' but not with a needle rather with words. As some of you are aware, I have taken on the challenge of NaNoWriMo and am spending much of November writing a novel. You can check out my progress over at the National Novel Writing Month website. You could also visit my friend Darilyn's blog 'Tropical Screamer Writes' where she is writing daily about this novel writing experience.

I am writing a mystery and of course it has a bunch of quilters as the main characters. They have been left clues to solving the mystery in 3 quilts that have been donated to a museum. My main character is also working on her version of a 'Dear Jane' quilt and she relates what is happening in her mystery to what Jane might have thought while she was piecing her blocks. Could be similar to what Brenda Papadakis wrote to Jane as she wrote her pattern book, but I don't know as I never did read those passages. At one point my main character (who doesn't have a name) was musing about the blocks she was piecing in honour of her 4 quilting friends. She chose A-7, B-1, H-12 and b-12. These are all blocks that have a component of 4 somethings; hearts, leaves, tear drops etc.

Now I am starting a section that talks about a rare silk quilt and the kimono fabrics that were used in the piecing, only I know very little about silk, so I am off to do some research. Thank goodness for the Internet.

I hope that I will get some more real stitching done this week and manage to keep up with the virtual quilt in my novel. I think I pieced 8 virtual blocks last week. oops, I am falling behind. Funny how my character could also afford to buy much more fabric while shopping hopping than I could.

Better get back to my story. Let me know which block from 'Dear Jane' that I should work into my novel next.

Bye for now and happy stitching.