Surprise autumn sewing

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Paper pieces in the box along with all the fabrics, etc. Going to be so much fun!

Okay, it's not a total surprise because for the last few posts I've been going on about the Red Sky at Night sampler quilt. I've received the papers for the this project, have already started sewing an EPP block, lol! I'm super excited about making some version of Jodi's pattern; definitely a mix of machine and hand-sewn blocks, but no idea how many of each. The surprise I'm referring to is how suddenly the next few/several months will be full of traditional blocks that previously I had no desire to stitch.

Not that I had some grand plan for fall in the quilt department, in fact I'm busy with another quilt that will fit itself into the schedule. But after a VERY QUIET MACHINE SEWING SUMMER, autumn is looking to be chock-full of me seated at my machine, even if I'm finding how my tinnitus isn't really keen on all that noise.

(I wear earplugs and noise-cancelling headphones when I use my machine, and still my ears are buzzing, sigh....)

I have decided that for the most part, machine-quilting is my past, other than attaching bindings, or one side of bindings. Embracing English paper piecing even more than before will help with ringing ears. Maybe sewing slowly so the sound is quieter will help. Or using my machine every few days. I will definitely experiment with it, because as I type this post, my hearing is compromised. I never should have cranked my headphones to 11 when I was younger.

One of the RSAN blocks, which I began last night.

Anyway.... So yeah, I'm pretty stoked about making this beautiful design! This process reminds me of sewing The Seedlings Quilt, another Jodi sampler, which I completed in spring of 2020, having started it the previous fall. It's nice to be among others working on the same pattern, but RSAN permits far more freedom; blocks can be placed wherever one pleases, blocks can be a mix of machine sewing or EPP, and the size is up to the crafter. I still don't know how little or large my quilt will be; more important is falling in love with half-square triangles, etc, as well as delving into small paper shapes. Perhaps the best part is how unlike my usual sewing this project is. Kind of like how my current novel series has all this sci-fi rolling around the plot, hehehe.

Mixing up the routine is a great way to keep life fresh. And I'm especially pleased that trying something new isn't beyond my wheelhouse. Maybe this quilt will give me the confidence to start writing Book 5 of The Enran Chronicles; that installment will be steeped in science fictional elements. If I can eagerly sew HSTs, many other notions are certainly possible!

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