buckeyes and bastings

Well last night I went to a satelite group of Manitoba Prairie Quilters. Its at Little Brittian Church. Well I was inspired yesterday to actually begin the finish of a quilt. I had pieced the flannel backing to an adequate size and hauled everything with me to the hall. I had previously used basting spray but for the life of me could not find it, but the pins, they were there waiting to make my fingertips raw. Someone had already had the tables set up for basting so I just had to wait my turn. That was my evening bent over tables pinning my quilt. It took me an hour and a half but hey its done and now I can machine quilt it. This will be another full day exercise in rolling and tucking and shifting under my machine to get it to do what I want with it. The only question that I have is what color thread do I use. this is an extremely scrappy quilt. I do not want it to be biege. but what if any varigated color would I use. The back is easy it is beige. and I have enough thread for that.
Today I continued to make buckeye beauty blocks. I had them all set out on top of my bed in order to sew and make a pleasing arrangement of colours. I had finished the blocks Yippee.
That was short lived as something evil possessed the blocks and they either grew to larger than 12.5 inches or shrunk to 11.5 inches. The first row was very easily put together no headaches matching seams. Then it all changed. first two blocks easy , next block shrunk . It was a very pretty block. but I cannot make it grow. I switched the blocks around and carried on with making the rows. Row three made me mad no matter how many times I frogged the block aftersewing it, It would sit still until it got under the needle and my seam allowance would be a millimeter to half an inch . AAAAAAAA. Tossing those 2 blocks aside I went and rearranged the blocks another time. Next Row the third block was to big. Now I know I could have cut it down but it would have made the squares, rectangles and squares and I couldn't do it. As this pattern of sewing and swearing continued I ended up with blocks that will be very nice throw pillows or a table runner something else anyway and I now have to make another 7 blocks.
Maybe tomorrow I think I am done sewing for today.