Taking my time

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Small blocks turning into short rows!

November is quickly approaching, but I'm not rushing to get a novel prepped; we've had some beautifully sunny afternoons and I take my notebook outside, sit in the sun, then write what comes from my head and heart about various characters. I'll probably need to organize a timeline of past events; at times I am a bit OCD about that kind of plotting, but the main cast is about done, just need to ramble about the supporting characters, of which there are several, ahem. However I'm not scrambling (yet), preferring to soak up the warmth that disappeared yesterday and doesn't seem likely today either. Instead I'll work on a Honeycomb Star quilt that is coming together more quickly than I thought it would.

But this project has been in the works since August, when I first cut the hexagons, so it too is not in a hurry. I did accomplish more with it yesterday than I had planned, which is sometimes the case when I dither; inevitably more gets completed, which is fine; it's like a bonus, and I'm grateful to be ahead of the game. I've mentioned that this quilt is as futzy as I get, and I really felt my boundaries being stretched yesterday, not that it's hard, just very slow-going. Careful sewing to attempt to match dog-ears for crisp points, meticulous pressing as not to fold over those necessary dog-ears, lol! Yet this is a baby quilt, so the rows are short and very sweet. Makes me want to dig those fabrics from my stash and make an autumnal blanket for our household.

Really want to make a quilt from these to use myself!
 

Spending time this past week seated on the patio while enjoying the sun was truly marvelous, as well as necessary. Daylight is lessening, shadows lengthening, maybe some rain falling soon? I hope we receive precipitation but I'm not counting on it, not wishing to raise expectations until a strong storm rumbles through. Even the rain is feeling lazy, a colloquial manner of putting it, or maybe I wish it was that simple. I can't control the weather, or lack of it, but I can keep myself on even keels, and perhaps by Sunday I'll have a completed quilt top to share next week. As for the character sketches, I'll get to them before Halloween; I'm so eager to start a new book, hoping a few intriguing souls muscle themselves into the story once it's underway. While I'm definitely a plotter, I love it when a novel-in-progress becomes self-aware, hatching schemes I wouldn't have considered. Autumn is in full swing, best to let it proceed naturally, imbibing in all the unfolding joys.

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