Saturday block

152 pieces and the 3rd on the list of most pieces to the block.
The worst has more than 200 pieces and a gazillion half square triangles. No wonder the quilt is named Nearly Insane. The challenge must have been to put the most pieces into a 6" block ;-)

More rows joined - now from the top left corner. For each block I finish I get to work on the rows. Great motivator!

A little NI trivia, on request:

The blocks are from the book Nearly Insane, by Liz Lois.
She has a website - http://www.nearlyinsane.com/
The original quilt is made by Salinda Rupp in 1870

My inspiration site is Reiko's, from Japan, and her lovely quilt in red and white.

Here is a good site for purchasing the book if you can't get it in your local shop:
http://www.quiltbooksusa.com/
No affiliation + +

The Nearly Insane quilt has its own group on Yahoo, if you are interested. Last time I checked it was quite quiet, and I am not a member anymore, but you can find info in their files, amongst them, an EQ5/6 computer file. Search Yahoo for the specific group address.

I foundation paper piece most of my blocks, drawn on freezer paper.
Not all the blocks are symmetric or logical in their construction. I just make the block as they are shown in the book, and am not questioning the position of some of the items in a block - I just flow along and enjoy the trip :-)
I like sampler quilts and I especially enjoy the quilts from the CW period.

More blocks - and some NI info

Having been caught in the crossfire between a cold and a stomach bug this is what I have accomplished these last 5 days.
I will not give details, but I hope the viruses do not come anywhere near you - and I can promise I have washed my hands and am not breathing or sneezing on the screen. I guess my immune system has been a little on the compromised side already.

I now have 31 of 98 NI blocks done - almost 1/3 :-)

Some Nearly Insane info for those of you interested:
The original quilt is made by Salinda Rupp in the 1870's.
Nearly Insane is a quilt book made by Liz Lois in 2003 based on Salinda Rupp's quilt.
It is not a fancy book and other than a few quilt photos it is in black and white only, with line drawings. The paper is of the cheaper kind.
There are no sewing instructions to speak of, so all in all a book you maybe will pay little attention to in the quilt shop, unless you are a sampler quilt enthusiast, like myself :-) If you are, you will love this book too!

For me, foundation paper piecing is the preferred method.
The blocks finish 6".
The easiest blocks have less than 10 pieces, the most piece intensive block has 229 (!), and I guess it has contributed to giving the book it's name. 229, 181, 152 pieces to 6" blocks - that is nearly insane indeed.

I have done a few blocks before in other colour combinations, but when I saw Reiko's quilt I knew I wanted a red and white NI quilt too!
Reiko's site loads a little slow, but it is definitively worth waiting for.

There is a Yahoo group on this quilt as well. It is not a very active group, but you can find info and if you own EQ5 or EQ6 you can find a project file with all the blocks ready to use on your computer and print in any size.

Now it is late and time for bed - but tomorrow is another good day for doing NI blocks.

Only 2 more weeks before I can lift my fabric boxes again. I can hear some other future projects calling my name too - loud.