Proof of concept

I finally got all the pieces cut (26 pieces from each of 26 fabrics - 26 squared!) for the Tabula Recta/Vigenere Cipher quilt.

I knew the biggest issue with this would be keeping the fabrics organized, so I didn't get them out of order: the whole POINT of this quilt is that the first row is

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

and the next row is

BCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZA

and then

CDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZAB

and so on. And with 26 fabrics it's hard to keep that straight. So once I figured out the order (kind of quick and dirty; I didn't really spend a LOT of time worrying about it, other than alternating lighter and darker as far as practicable and separating similar fabrics), I put each batch of fabrics in a labeled, legal sized envelope, and I happened to have a box that would hold them upright:



So now I can just move the envelopes around for each row and keep the fabrics in the proper order.

I got the first row sewn. It's *really* wide, this is going to be a full-sized quilt (with good drape over each edge) for my bed. I had to split it into two photos (there's a little overlap; the greenish fabric with the yellow words about midway:



Fabrics representing "A" through "N"

and then



Fabrics "L" (the red one) through "Z"

Now I have to figure out dinner. In this heat, I'm not very hungry (and I realized now some fruit snacks I bought - those gummi type things - had ADDED CARROT JUICE that they weren't very up-front about, and I walked around most of the day with a crampy stomach from the reaction to the carrot). I'm half tempted to go GET something from out, but there's nothing all that nutritious to be had. (I should probably just do black-bean patties; they are faster than any drive-through I could hit even if they take more effort on my part....)