A novel start and quilt finishes

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A Mandolin quilt, perhaps one of my fave EPP patterns!

NANO 2022 is underway; I've amassed over 3,300 words, a little above the recommended daily 1,500 words to hit that awesome 50K goal. Which isn't truly novel-length, but certainly a good amount for any writer to strive toward. The writing itself is...nothing to be ashamed of. It's..fine, and for now fine is fine with me. What has surprised me was the run-up; I had forgotten how magical the last couple of weeks in October are, waiting for November first to arrive! Autumn in full swing, although sunny and dry, conjured memories of past years when I was itching to create something new, be it in characters, a realm, or merely the sense of a season that lived in the San Francisco Bay Area was so anticipated, summer this long slog of endless sun and heat, bleh. A Humboldt summer is very different, lol, yet I was thrilled for the notion of change.


I've decided to approach this novel as perhaps a stream of consciousness sort of story, at least that's how I'm feeling on day #2. If nothing else, I have one chapter under my belt, and for whatever this book's eventual purpose, I am writing something NEW!

Sunflowers form the centers of attaching blocks while a different sunflower print resides in the corners.

As for the quilt front, the Mandolin quilt, pictured above and throughout this post, is on its way to the beautiful soul for whom it was created. A scrappy binding completed the overall fanciful nature of the fabrics, some from very far back in my sewing era. A generous lap-sized blanket, I am considering starting another, using one collection, but for now I am *SO PLEASED* with how this turned out! Special thanks to Jodi Godfrey for the marvelous design, and to my husband for assisting with the photography.

Obligatory shot of what I thought were the final stitches, until after closer inspection I located one white square in need of quilting, lol.

Meanwhile, draped over our sofa is the Honeycomb Stars quilt, pattern by Rachel Hauser, which is almost done, big WOO HOO! I spent much of yesterday afternoon plowing through the basting, machine quilting, and binding attachment, then last night I hand-sewed two sides of the binding in place. We watched the Warriors lose to the Heat (boo....) and the Phillies beat the Astros (YAY!). Despite not fully embracing how this quilt came together, the result is very pretty, and I'll post pics after it's washed and crinkly. Maybe by then the Warriors can figure out how to achieve a victory and the Phillies could be within a game of winning the World Series. And who knows how the novel will be progressing. Stay tuned!

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