Hiatus Happenings Part 1

In my absence, I spent a good amount of time working on these two quilts...as a matter of fact the one on the left is done and gone. And of course, I didn't get good pictures before it headed North. I'll have to look thru guild Show & Tell pictures to post. The quilt top on the right is now also complete and in the quilting queue.

I was also pulling out blues from my stash and looking for blue fat quarters and eighths that were on sale. All the fabric was sprayed with sizing, pressed and run thru the Go Cutter. Neutrals were also pulled and shopped for and processed. Actually, I still have some more to run thru the Go and more to shop for. 3.5, 4.5, and 6.5 inch HST are being cut.

Hhhmmmm....once again I'm making a mental note to recover that ironing board! Trust me the HST's were strategically placed.

New Project On The Design Wall

 

 

I'm working on an I Spy quilt for my grandson...most of the hexies are cut out...boy do you waste a lot of fabric with and I Spy quilt. After that I'll cut out the solid 60 degree triangles from solids or marbles.

 

These hexies are 4.5" and I think I will make an adult (no, not risque fabric) out of 6.5" hexies.  Batiks will be the fabric of choice for that project.

 

Some of the prints used in the I Spy were nice enough to get a few 2.5" strips for my scrappy pineapple quilt that I am slowly working on.  Tuesday I was able to get another baggy of scraps to process to the quilt.



Hexagon and YoYo Diversion

I decided it was time to put a portable projects kit together so that I can putz in other areas of the house. When Sweetie is in the lower level killing zombies (65 and still loves video games) and the like, I would usually bring down a book and cozy up in the recliner and read while Sweetie saved mankind from the zombie hordes. Sweetie would really love it if I played video games too, but I just lose all control of my thumb when things are trying to kill me! And it's never really just me playing the game, Sweetie is right there by my side,critiquing my moves (usually he says things like "What are you doing!?" or "Aim!?" or "It's over there not there!")which only makes my thumb even more spastic.

Anywho, my thinking was that I would be a little more productive (actually finish something)if I put some portable project together.




Used freezer paper, starch, and an ironable hex template to shape these. Sure glad I'm having my eyes examined on the 29th...it sure is hard to see if I'm making a small enough stitch!

Got a few more yoyos done...what to use them on?


Just a view of the backside.

My Home Made Stencil Is A Success

I had to get the Dremel out again to make the holes into slots and the Pounce Pad just wasn't giving me enough chalk. A cotton ball dabbed in the chalk worked just fine.


You won't have to look real hard to be able to see a few problem areas, but all in all, I'm pleased with the results.


I'm liking the look of the back.

I also experimented with the quilting direction on my machine, turning it so that it was perpendicular to me and not paralell to me. It preserved the marking lines better that way. However, as with most newer machines, the needle sits at least 3 to 4 inches in under the machine and does limit visabililty somewhat.

The Border Is On The Hexie Lemonade Pillow

I'll use the same fabric as the border for the back of the pillow. The borders went on last night and I'm not sure I'll get to the back until after Sweetie turns in.

The center (hex and first border) of the pillow was something that I had sewn together a month or so ago after I saw it on Sue Daley's blog. All of her hexies are hand sewn, but I decided to give it a go the the sewning machine and it worked just fine.

Woo hoo! Susan ,adding a link really was easy!!!

Woo hoo!! Today is Susan's birthday!!! Drop in to her blog, leave a birthday greeting and view her beautiful photos!

Lemonade Pillow....Or Reject Hex Block

To most of you, this probably looks like a quilt block...it was suppose to one, but now it's going to be a lemonade pillow for the back porch. You know...when life (or screw ups) gives you lemons...you make lemonade.

(BIG SIGH)

What have I learned today.......if you're going to use starch, I think it would have been wiser to have sprayed, pressed, and then cut...and not the reverse like I did (things can get ever so slightly wonky)....when you're experimenting don't try and get to precise to avoid wasting some fabric (live with a little waste...bad things can happen...especially if you may have been just a skosh more generous in your seam allowance).



(Another Big Sigh)

Tomorrow or maybe latter tonight, I'll add a border, cut a back and stuff the pillow.
When it's done, I think it will be a pretty darn cute lemonade pillow.

Here's The Hexagon Block!

The block measures 10 1/2" and was smooth sailing until it was time for it to become as square....the four corner pieces were a bite difficult for me. Everything considered...I think it turned out well and I will make eight more for a square table topper for the back porch.

Let Me Show You My Freezer Paper Hexie Method

I used a Marti Mitchell 2.5" Hex template to cut out the freezer paper hexagons and then ironed them onto hunks of fabric. They were then rotary cut out with 1/4" seam allowance. Then the piece was put in place with a pin or two.



It's not in this picture, but I make a mark at each end of the stitching line...it's just easier to see where to start and stop. Back stitching at the beginning and end is a must!



Then you flip it around, line it up and pin and then sew along the next side.



Now you can peel the freezer paper off...it may be my cheapie freezer paper, but mine at this point is coming loose.



I prefer to press as I go.

More Hexagons And Other Things

This is the start of the hexagon block that I'm making for Country Stitches (Blue Ridge) Show and Tell.



Sweetie and I have been working in the game room this week. I am the paint crew. After the priming and painting was done, we finished the wainscoting. Yesterday we went to town on it... I cut wood to size on the chop saw and then applied adhesive. Sweetie used his air nailer to attach the wood. We knocked that out in about four hours! Hhmmmm...I think I need to say no to the chips and cookies!!!



This week, I also started my flower bed with some plants from Little G's in Cherry Log. This is a shot taken from a series of hour by hour changes in the sun pattern of the bed.



Last night or early morning we had visitors...hungry visitors...



They left the Summer Pastel Yarrow alone, nibbled the blossoms off the Firecracker Dianthus, and yanked the Bumble Bee African Daisy right out of the ground. The stems on the daisy are pretty sturdy so they only ate one blossom before they moved on to a Maple cluster for it's second trimming of the season.

The Hexagons Are Machine Sewn!!

I made four groupings as I experimented with machine sewing methods.



The first three were done using a tutorial by Lady Harvatine, where you form a row with the points at top and bottom.



This one was done using a tutorial provided by Free Spirit Fabrics. You make undulating rows with the angle edges sewn together and the flat edges on top and bottom. I'll probably use this method because the block just seems smoother and the seams are easier to manage.