Why can't we always be on vacation?

Back from my vacation and getting slowly back into the groove. 

My only sewing project is keeping up with the sampler quilt-a-long and here are my block from week seven.  Week six was when I was gone so I still have to work on those.  I've really learned a lot from this quilt.  I have finally mastered trimming the half square triangle and have neatened up my 1/4" seam.  But the biggest thing I've gleaned is how to chain sew my quilt blocks in a more efficient manner.  I love the way Amy gets all her pieces pinned and then sews them all at once.  Yes ... I'm sure everyone else already knew this ... but it was a revelation for me!  If only you could only have witnessed the way in which I pinned and sewed and stopped and started and clipped and clipped and clipped.  It was ridiculous and a tremendous time waster.  I'm amazed sometimes when I realize something so simple that I just.didn't.know.it before. 

Tried to mix up the background a little

This is going to be my last quilt a long for a while.  I'm anxious to see what I can do on my own now.  I've got some great ideas of what kind of quilts I'm drawn to and I'd like to really start designing and seeing what I come up with. Can I come up with anything??  I guess we'll see .....

I'll be visiting my honey in Boston this weekend and then getting my son settled in his apartment for college (gasp!).  Sewing him some curtains and doing some school shopping will be my activities for the next two weeks.  But September is coming .....