No machine last week

I tried a new thread last week ...supposed to be wonderful for machine quilting...FMQ. Well, my machine ate it! It broke it off and wound it around some inside parts and it seized up. Yesterday, when I picked up my machine, the repairman told me I probably won't be able to finish the quilt with that thread! What?! I can't use two different threads! So, I'm going to put something different in the bobbin but keep the problem thread on top...and proceed SLOWLY. But in the meantime I've been doing some hand sewing.

I started a new English paper piecing project. This is "Tumbling Blocks". I'm going to make the quilt out of 30's reproduction prints, actual vintage fabrics and shirtings. This quilt will take years, I'm sure. My last EPP quilt took 7 years for the top...it's the one I'm hand quilting right now. I hope this doesn't take THAT long but it won't be quick. It'll be something to keep me busy on the road, at sporting events, doctor appts, etc

Of all the papers and patterns, I keep coming back to the 60° diamonds. They're so easy to work with. Before starting this, I searched epp patterns to see what was new or different. There really are a lot to choose from. One that I really like the looks of is Lucy Boston but it seems like a lot of fussy cutting and that's not something I enjoy. I also like the looks of Grandmothers Flower Garden which uses hexagon papers. I've had my fill of hexagons lately and I'm still making an occasional hexie flower for daughter Jenn's quilt. She's very slowly collecting/making those. Another epp pattern I considered was the apple core...really cute finished but maybe a bit harder to join together? So diamonds won out. Anyways, that's what's been happening here the past week. Now I need to finish FMQuilting that great neice quilt