Ready to piece our next block for the Machine Quilting Block Party?

This month we're creating a beautiful patchwork Sun Star created entirely with half square triangles

Swiss cheese anyone?

I've been goofing around with turning edges this week and working on a small art quilt wall hanging. Yes, the holes will go all the way through the quilt once it's finished!

Playing with artistic techniques like this is a real treat. I find when I don't push my edge and try new things, I start feeling really bored quilting the same thing over and over.

I need to occasionally quilt something drastically different just for myself

I'll be sharing more about this quilt (pictured below), and I may turn it into a workshop as well, but for now it's a delightful creative escape just for me to enjoy.

Make sure to quilt something for yourself today, just for the fun of it, just because you can!

I caught a cold right after getting back from Charleston last month and everything has felt like an uphill battle since. I just didn't feel like doing much of anything, even though we have tons of fun stuff going on!

Then a few days ago I stumbled across a terrific YouTube channel called Yoga with Adriene and it's making me feel SO much better. I started doing yoga when I was pregnant with James, but fell out of the habit of attending classes a few years ago. Thanks to Adriene and this awesome channel, I feel like I can take a yoga class anytime that fits my schedule.

Now what does this have to do with quilting? Not much, but I did want to share something spectacular Adriene said in the first video in her series. She said "Don't wait until 30 days to start loving yourself. You can start now."

In yoga, you show yourself love by knowing your body and respecting your limits. Forcing your body into a deep stretch you're not used to, or hurting yourself to hold a pose is not self love. And I agree with Adriene - the time to love and accept yourself is right now.

This means accepting your skills at where they are instead of ripping and berating yourself for not being able to quilt perfectly. I've been watching the posts to our Block Party Facebook Group and I see many quilters share beautiful photos of their blocks, but usually with a warning that it's not perfect or that a lot of ripping happened in the process.

I've seen this for years and it always makes me sad. I used to be the worlds worst perfectionist - constantly nitpicking my stitches and ripping out every tiny mistake. I know how crippling this habit can be, and I also know the source is always a lack of self love and acceptance.

So let's take Adriene's advice and start loving ourselves and our imperfect stitches right now rather than waiting until the end of the year. Start now with a deep breath and a big wide arm stretch to create new space around your heart. Then give yourself a big hug because you're already awesome just the way you are, with the skills you have right now.

Lets' go quilt,

Leah Day