I apologize in advance...

because this is probably going to be a sappy/sentimental post.

This is one of my WIPs (no, I didn't finish them by New Year's.  Shame on me.)

Two (or maybe three) years ago I read a book about signature quilts and the ladies who made them years ago.  And even though I wasn't moving across the country like many of those women, I decided to make my own signature quilt.  You know, with the signatures of all the ladies in my family. 

That is the test block I made, up there in the picture.  Since I was copying an old idea, I decided to copy the look of the fabrics by using reproduction prints, too.  But when I made my test block with white, it was too bright beside the print.  Not sure what to use instead, this got buried in my closet and has been there ever since.

I glanced at it a few times this past year, and even bought some Kona Bone to replace the white, but no new blocks have been sewn.

Then, a few days before Thanksgiving, my Grandmother died very unexpectedly.

And ever since, this quilt has been on my mind a lot - because I never had her sign a block for me. 

I know it sounds morbid, but I want to make this quilt before it is too late to have someone else sign, because you never really know how long you have with your loved ones. 

Last fall, I decided not to try to sew Christmas gifts for my family.  I knew the reality was that I just didn't have time to sew like I wanted, and I'd be a lot happier over the holidays if I just let myself off the hook.  When my Grandmother died, sewing for my family suddenly became much more important to me, but unfortunately it didn't become anymore feasible. 

So I'm sewing for them now.  To reduce stress, I'm not giving myself any deadlines.  I will gift these creations as I finish them, instead of waiting until I've made something for everyone and giving them all at once.

Last spring, I made a coffee cozy and a mug rug for my Grandmother.  (the second one shown in that post I linked to)  I should show you a picture of how it looks now - used to bits.  My Grandmother loved that silly little coffee cozy.  Which makes me think, why haven't I sewn anything for some of the most important people in my life?

{see, didn't I warn you? nauseatingly sentimental.}

Ok, I'm done.  I don't know about you, but I could use a bit of cheerful color now, so I'll share this:

I may be far more than a day late and a dollar short with my DPQAL, but I'm sloooowly making progress on it.  More to come soon {fingers crossed}