First Sunrise of 2019

Well, the first I've seen ...

January 5 - Sunrise over Lake Dartmoor

Not sure how I missed it on January 1, but my attention was focused on party preparations.  Days 2-4 I've both slept past sunrise and it's been overcast and rainy.  So this morning I made a point of greeting the Dawn.  My plan is to document the sunrise (and at the same time the changing landscape) over the seasons, though I won't bore you with the more mundane days, like today.  It was just beautiful to finally SEE the sun!

We had a beautifully sunny day to drive to Nashville for a funeral/celebration of life for the mother of my older son's best friend and best man at his wedding.  Had hoped I would see some classmates and friends, but if they were there, I didn't recognize them (they probably wouldn't have recognized me, either!).

Needless to say, there was no time spent in the sewing room.  I did locate the Mariner's compass block which I'll show tomorrow.  In the meantime I'll show you some of my favorite tools for hand piecing, in no particular order.

I have forgotten what my favorite needle was, so I'll spend some time getting reacquainted with them.  I do know that a good pair of scissors, close at hand, is critical.

These are on a retractable fob that I can attach to a pocket or shirt collar.

My favorite pins for intersections were these double-pointed pins by Clover.  And I found a silicon thread conditioner more effective than beeswax, but I have some of both.

Thumb pin cushion

In the past I really enjoyed having the pin cushion on my thumb.  As I recall, it did not interfere with holding the pieces I was stitching.  But it has been quite a few years; my opinions may have changed. 

Stay tuned as I progress into this next stage (or re-run) of my quilting journey!