Debbie has names this quilt “Stars of Honor”.   It is a lap quilt meant to be 54 x 70.

First I drew a diagonal line across the lighter piece of fabric.   I did this to all the pieces before I started sewing.

Then I sewed right beside that line, checked to make sure that when I folded it up, it would match the red piece.    Then sewed it again 3/8 – 1/2″ farther away from the piece I need.   I then cut between the two lines.

In this way, I have the little half squares for another project.   Had I not sewn  them first, they probably would wind up tossed as the little pieces on bias are difficult to sew.   These little half squares are about 7/8″ trimmed. and will finish at just under 1/2″ – very small.

I then repeated this on the other end of the brown pieces.   Oh, look!. A mistake as one is reversed.   And look again, I mistakenly  cut off the triangle on this one.

It happens.   I just cut new pieces and kept going.

This is the front and here is the back so you can see how the seams nest neatly

 Two of these pieces are sewn together and then two of those pieces are again sewn together.   Here is the finished block – well actually 5 of this block are required for the quilt.    See how the one quarter is turned and then again.

After this, it was cleaning time again.   Now the kitchen is nearly too clean to use.

This side of the kitchen was the catch all for everything that someone didn’t want to put away immediately or didn’t know where to put.    It also had some extra appliances sitting waiting for a home.   So today I “dug out” the counter.  We emptied some things out of the kitchen, put appliances not used daily away and found homes for all the “stuff”.   It still looks like too much in the left corner, but really that is a carton of eggs that we fill daily, some tissue and writing paper and pencil.  Then we emptied off the top of the refrigerators which seem to be a great place to put something and forget it.   The marvelous husband wiped down the  top cupboards.   Tomorrow, I will wipe down the  drawers, clean out the refrigerator and wash the floor.   Ah it will be a joy to once again have a clean kitchen.

The stove in the left corner is clean and the sink in the right corner will be the last to get done.

Then we made a trip to UPS, Goodwill, and did some other errands and returned back here in time to feed animals their supper.

So no sewing time today though I did get to knit in the car as we went from one task to another

The early bird gets the worm, or in this case gets to make a quilt block before she has to go pick up bees.   This is a large center block.

I started by making the half square triangles.    I absolutely love this tool for making them, so will show you how it works.

First draw down the middle and then on either side of this ruler.

Then sew just to the outside of the line on the block, so that you don’t make the block to small.    If you just barely sew beside the line, you will have it perfect.

After sewing down both sides, cut it in half down the middle and square it up with a ruler.   I put tape on my ruler so it was easy to line up.

‘Then put the diagonal line on the ruler on the diagonal line on my square.  That way I know the block is square

Look at how these blocks look when lined up as we normally do.

Now here they are on point.   They really look different!

Here is the other block for this square

This large block took 4 of each of these components plus a white center block and a border.   See how much easier it is when it is all broken down like that.   I love that quilting is so much like jigsaw puzzles.

BEES

I thought perhaps you’d like to see how the bees come.   They are driven up from California and I pick them up at the bee store in this box.   I then bring them home,  remove the queen who is in her own tiny box, and quite literally dump the workers in the hive.   They are all over the top of the hive which I can’t show because I only have two hands and both were busy with bees.  The queen box 1 x 2 inches has a cork on it which I have to carefully remove so the queen doesn’t get out and replace it with a marshmallow.   This little cage is then put down between frames and her workers eat through the marshmallow and release her into the hive.   This can take a day or two and by this time, all the little bees are happy.   This is such a new place for the bees and they are all confused for the rest of the day, however bees follow the queen so by dark, they are all inside the hive.   Tomorrow I will remove this transport box and in two weeks put another hive box on top of this one so they have more room for brood and honey.

Then it was off to plant the peas, which hopefully the chickens won’t scratch up.

What an absolutely stunning day!   We took lunch and a change of clothes with us for after church and drove north to the Seattle Arboretum.   I took lots of photos, so it was difficult to choose which ones to show you the beauty of our spring.

We shared a perfect day with some of the family.