Orca Bay Mystery Progress!

Thanksgiving Morning

I have several 007 projects looming...but decided that I would treat myself to some dillydally self-indulgence on Thanksgiving!  What can I say?  It's the dillydally way! ;-)

Look at how nice and neat these quarter square partners look ... they remind me of soldiers lined up for inspection!

Here they are...transformed into half triangles!  No longer neat and tidy! ;-)

Now they are finally squares!  The pies were baked... turkey was in the oven...Mr. DillyDally was in a football coma...

...I decide to stick with it and trim my squares!  Because it is Thanksgiving Day, I can bring out the Christmas DVDs!  They make great company...

...while I press and trim.  I ended up with an additional 90.  That means my total is 134...I only have another 90 to make.  I'm not worried...I'll catch up on those later. ;-)

Thanksgiving Sunset

I woke Friday with every intention of working on my covert projects ... but knew that Bonnie would be posting Step 2 of the Orca Bay Mystery.  Of course my curiosity got the best of me ... I had to check it out!

OMGosh!  Step 2 is making blue "string" blocks!  When Bonnie was here in September, I picked her brain every opportunity I had concerning strings.  She used string blocks in last years mystery...I love the look, but they intimidated me.  Her explanation really helped me to visualize the process and clarified how to make and use them!

Because strings are a new concept for me ... I don't have a collection of strings, but I do have blue fabric!  It was time to make strings! ;-)

I love having an excuse to go through my stash...many fabrics filled with many warm memories.  This fabric comes from Jinny Beyer's first fabric collection!  I was a newly wed...working partime at Carenda's Fabrics in Juneau, Alaska thirty years ago!  The store had just begun to carry quilting fabrics and had the entire line ... yep ... I had a piece of each one!  Not many remnants left ... but this mystery has to have some in it!

How appropriate ... orca fabric!  This remnant is about 20 years old.  Brother DillyDally picked this fabric during one of the many times I took him fabric shopping with me.  In order to entertain him I would let him choose a fabric.  He was a preschooler at the time and wanted a pair of pants out of this.  I made them and he wore those pants until he out grew them ... wish I could find a pic of him wearing them to share ... hee-hee ... he would die!  Yep ... very fond memories!

I spent more time pressing and cutting my blue strings than it will probably take me to sew the 72 blocks.  Especially since they are only 3.5 inches square!   So ... here it is Saturday morning, and what am I doing?  Well ... I am not working on the 007 projects that have deadlines!

I had to fussy cut this little sea otter string ... so he could peek out and say hello!  I couldn't help myself ... after all ... they are a very common site in my remote corner of the planet!

Do what you love...do dillydally!