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I rarely construct a quilt from a published pattern, so preparing all the pieces beforehand for my Hubris project is quite a departure for me. I cut as many 1-1/2" strips as I thought I'd ever need from several dark and neutral fabrics (scraps, FQs, and yardage), then stacked 5 strips and started sub-cutting into specific log sizes. To help me keep track, I made a spreadsheet,

crossing off each size as it was fulfilled.

This went on for days, and I was constantly going back to my black/brown/grey and the neutral fabrics to cut more 1-1/2" strips. After a couple of days of this I succumbed to curiosity and called up the total of columns B and C: 1,416 logs to be cut! At that point I was slightly less than 1/2-way through, but at least I understood why it was taking so long.

And here it all is, finally:

Of all the fabrics, there was only one of which I truly cut too much--the brown on the top of the L, N, and O piles. Plenty of that was left over, but 1-1/2" is a frequently-used size and it will be used elsewhere!

It was such a nice feeling to finally sit down and sew pieces together! The 1-1/2" squares start the Y and Z blocks; I was eager to begin so my brain would stop obsessing over block construction while I was trying to get to sleep each night.

Here's where I am now.

Z blocks can still fit in the Qtips container--these are ready to have the neutral log sewn to the right edge. The Y blocks on the right have reached the stage where the next logs have to be constructed before they can be applied. The constructed logs are in the red container and will be sewn to the top and bottom edges of the sections sitting on the cutting mat. From this point forward I'll have to take a couple of days to pair up and sew dark/light segments (light A to a dark I, for example).

Then there's this:

These are not nearly as good as they sound. They were an impulse buy--I was really looking for a coffee flavor I remember trying a year or two ago--but I'm willing to try something that could make chocolate candy be potentially even more chocolaty.

The candy coating is extremely thick--much thicker than that covering the comparably-sized Peanut Butter M&Ms (still my favorite). The extra coating (and therefore, the extra food dye) probably contributes to the chemical taste and the afterburn in the back of my throat. The filling makes me wonder if a package of Dubble Bubble was finely minced and thrown into the milk chocolate. It gives the illusion of chewiness, but not of rich brownie-ness. Then again, since Tootsie makes Dubble Bubble, maybe Tootsie Rolls were used to imitate the brownie experience. Whatever the method, it doesn't work for me!