Dear Barbara,

I thought of writing you this letter while piecing the last two Civil War blocks. You know I LOVE your blog and I am grateful for the work you have put into your new Civil War blog, right? Amazing stories, great blocks!

So, I hate to sound whiny and ungrateful, but why? Why Barbara, did you choose 8 inch instead of 12 inch blocks? The teeny-tiny pieces are killing me! The sometimes kooky measurements strain my eyesight and cutting skills. I know, I know...it is making me a better piecer and I will thank you later, and yes, I will eat my greens and exercise... :)

All joking aside though, I really have noticed improvement in my skills already. Take a look at the Kansas Troubles block. No really, look hard at those 1 inch finished HST!

Most of the points are perfect! Not all, but not bad considering the size.

The block size is also killing me because it makes it hard to choose fabrics. That is really my own fault though. I wanted to use my bright happy Meadowsweet fabrics for the project and the scale of the prints is really too big for the blocks. You can hardly see the flowers in the Kansas Troubles block, but I think I am getting the hang of finding prints and solids that will work in the blocks.

In my not so humble opinion, I think the color selection of the Richmond block turned out quite well. Instead of doing a four patch in the middle/outer sections I did a ... well, I don't know what it is, but not a four patch, and I rather like the pattern it makes.

So Barbara, I will probably still mumble under my breath as I make teeny tiny triangles this year, but the growth and the feelings of pride when I see the finished blocks totally make up for any frustration I feel in the process. This is going to be an amazing quilt and an amazing year.

Thanks again,

Leila