Gray & Dreary Day

Today was such a dark, dreary day. Heavy gray clouds that made it look like it could rain or snow any minute. It didn't, of course. We don't know what moisture is here in Nebraska anymore.  It was a really good day to just stay inside and work on quilts.

I've been working on the same two all year......Bonnie Hunter's Jamestown Landing and Orca Bay.  When you just work on units for so long it doesn't seem like you ever make much progress. Today I got these pressed.

 

These are the last small units I need to sew for Orca Bay. The next step is cutting some red, black & neutral squares and piecing blocks. 

Then I moved on to removing the paper from the back of these string-pieced units for the Jamestown Landing.

Once that's finished they can be sewn into pairs for the setting blocks. All the blue and neutral HSTs are finished and ready to sew into blocks.  Progress has been slow but soon there will be actual results.  

The brown handled tool laying on the mat is so handy for removing the paper from the blocks. Slip it in under the paper & loosen the paper from the seam then fold it back at the next seam & rip it off. Repeat, repeat and repeat some more.  I think the tool is from my ceramic making days way back in the mid-to-late 70s. It was used to scrape off the seams on the green-ware made by the molding process. Either that or it's the only surviving piece of an old manicure kit. It works great, that's all I care about.