Design Wall Monday - 6/30/14

I finally picked sashing fabric for my Value Proposition project. Yay Me!

I decided to go with these 2 very pale blue colors to play up the teal fabrics that I am using in each block. You can also see that the lighter fabric has a directional stripe which I'm having fun with since it's appears to spiral around each rosette. I also liked that the light/neutral is different than the other neutrals in my stash so there will be enough contrast with the blocks I already put together.

I think they look fabulous together if I say so myself.

I've also cut out the next block, which included a little fussy cutting and one of my few hexie fabrics :)
I'm saving this to work on during vacation, I'll keep adding sashing to already finished blocks in the meantime.

Don't forget to stop by tomorrow for the Bibliophile Files linky party!!

Feline Friday - 6/27/14

Hey Momma - you do good work!!!

But how many more of these (edit: zippered pouches) are you gonna make for your bazaar cuz it's cutting into my lap time?

Breaktime

So if the truth be told, I'm busy, cranky and not getting much done that's blog worthy. I'm declaring it's time for a summer schedule!! I'm going to try just blogging on Monday/Wednesdays/Fridays* for the rest of the summer and see how it goes. I might just have more to show than I can do in just 2 days plus FF or it might just work out fine. We shall see...

I'll be back on Friday with the furkids =^..^=



*with the exception of first Tuesday Bibliophile Files and HeLP on the 17th of the month.

Design Wall Monday - 6/23/14

What did you do for Quilt in Public Day on Saturday? Luckily my hexie group had been invited by the local Arts Council to be in their booth for opening day of the Perry Farmers' Market. I'm not sure it was planned to be QIPD but I certainly took advantage!

Many people stopped by our booth and you can see we got some chatting in as we all worked on our projects. I finished sewing a larger rosette of my Twisted hexies (you can almost see it on the table) but then moved on to working on my latest Value Proposition block.

After the Market I spent the afternoon working at the LQS where I was thrilled to find 2 fabrics to use for my triple sashing. I do believe the next time you see this block it will at least have some of the sashing on it!

Here's hoping y'all had a good Quilting in Public Day!!!

Feline Friday - 6/20/14

Hey Momma! While Zorro is watching over those stupid vegables - I can hold down this mulch for you!!

It was getting pretty rowdy right here next to the Bachelor's Buttons, the pee-oh-knee and that yellow flowered thing from Auntie Fay that you don't remember the name of. Don't worry tho cuz I've got a handle on it for you now!

Another disappearing block

Oh look, it's another disappearing block project!! This time it's a disappearing 9-patch.

FYI - it's not my pattern - check: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/330592428869584762/

The pattern obviously uses 4 fabrics but it was pure co-inky-dink that I paired them such that the blue and green recede to the background. Oh I know it's because they are cool colors but I wasn't paying attention to the "science" and just paired them when it came time to make the original 9-patches.

Not sure how big this will end up - the blue and purple fabrics were re-purposed from a kit I was never going to use (in other words, I only had so much yardage to start with) and I picked out the pink and green at a LQS. The clerk thought my colors were pretty bright. She may have recognized me by name (to my surprise) but she obviously doesn't know that I live for bright colors!! LOL. The link above has a pretty good tutorial but if anyone has questions, let me know.

Absolutely Wordless Wednesday

HeLP for Hexie-aholics

One of the things I accomplished this past weekend was prepping for the next Value Proposition blocks. Is it just me or does it take forever to do that? I can put colors together with my eyes closed but actually CHOOSING between several good color combos is my downfall.

This morning I finished the half block posted a couple Fridays ago.

It's probably a little hard to tell but the two neutrals are slightly different
and I'm hoping it will give a shaded effect in the final block.

Next up is the full block from last Friday. I'll be working at the LQS this weekend so I'm going to look for some sashing options in my spare time.

Ok - now it's your turn! Please share your hexie projects - they can be a current project, a UFO or even just a dream project. They can also be hexies, jewels, diamonds or whatever shape. Just remember to link to your specific post since links to blogs in general have a tendency to disappear. I can help you link if you need it. I can't wait to see your links!!

Design Wall Monday - 6/16/14

As much as I thought I would have another disappearing block tutorial for you today, my weekend went in another direction. I never did sit at my machine. I trimmed scraps, prepped 2 blocks for the Value Proposition (why does that seem to take so long?), attended a parade, mowed the lawn and attended a BBQ for Fathers Day at my brother's new house. There wasn't much time for sitting around...

So lets just say that I completed 2 twisted hexies in the last week.

I'll save my Value Proposition progress to show you tomorrow for HeLP for Hexie-aholics. Cya then!

Feline Friday - 6/13/14

Momma - I'm glad you carpeted the garden again...it's real comfy. How long before all these little green plants become big green plants that I can hide in?

Don't worry, I'll keep out the critters for you on this lucky Friday the 13th!

Hexies at home...

If you will recall, last Thursday I shared my at-work hexie kit.
Today I thought I would show you my home set up.

I bought this relish tray at a vintage store a few years ago for under $2. It sat in my china cupboard ever since, just waiting for the perfect party to use it. Ha! It works much better for hexies! It's heavy so it won't slide around my lap and the divided areas keep everything organized. I highly suggest you look for one of your own.

BTW - the melamine tray under my glass tray is so I can eat in front of the tv w/out harming Grandma Ballinger's vintage coffee table :-)

Anyways...
From left to right: my Thread Heaven and thread ends, scissors and mini binder clips, honeycomb papers for my POTC* and the ever-present Burts's Bees, precut sashing pieces for the POTC.

Across the back: needle dome, Bottom Line thread, choco, 1" hexie papers left from my last Value Proposition rosette, finished POTC sashing pieces and red fabric waiting for the square POTC papers.

In front of the tray are my extra glasses (short lenses so I can see thru them to the TV and under them for my hand work!) and the twisted hexies I am working on.

Here'e where I usually plant my tuchus to sew. Have you ever tried to take a photo of an Ott Light? I don't blame you. Nice and bright but not great for pictures. You can also see the giraffe and fish face that I brought back from Ghana many moons ago. The face has a phone number on the back - lets just say I was the only white woman for miles with long brown hair wearing Ghanian clothes and I had a blast dickering for the giraffe. It was the biggest I thought I could get back on the plane until I saw a guy with 2 of them twice as tall.

And what's a good sewing session w/out a snoopervisor!?!?




* patchwork of the crosses

Almost Wordless Wednesday Walk in my Garden

It's official - the first peony to open in my new peony garden!!!
The bud is huge and smells divine. 

hexie update

I don't think I showed you the third Value Proposition block after I finished it. You might recall that I didn't care for it much while I was making it but I've changed my mind and don't mind it at all!

Last night I also finished the fourth rosette. I'm going to have to use the teal & gold sparingly - It doesn't really read as a dark to me since the gold reflects light and I haven't used any other gold fabrics yet. Of course, I could solve the problem by using more golds. That would mean I need to buy more gold fabrics. Go on - twist my arm!

I also recently finished my May BOM butterfly. You may recall that I bought the purple shot cotton and the wild circle fabric at the Amherst quilt show back in April. I finally found the perfect project and had a ball working with the shot cotton. The picture just doesn't capture the magenta/blue color variations as you move the fabric back and forth. Can't wait to find some more shots!

Last but not least is a group project for Hexie Club. Every month we play a FQ game where we end up bringing a different FQ home for our stashes. Recently I have been trying to get the girls to do some fussy cutting and it was suggested that we could do a group project this fall. After some brain storming we decided to make a rosette (similar in shape and size to the Value Prop rosettes) with everyone using the same fabric plus what ever else we want to add. At our annual Christmas party we will play the game with our rosettes instead of a FQ. Then we have to make the rosette in to something and bring it back to our March meeting. I'm excited because there is a lot of fussy opportunity in the fabric they chose.

I didn't take a photo but I did work some more on my twisted hexies at lunch today.

The next big decisions will be what hexie projects to take camping this summer. I know I'll over pack but who wants to be hundreds of miles away with nothing to work on? And this year I am also over packing audio books since the library near the campground isn't camper friendly. I might even be able to get ahead on my reading challenges. woohoo!

D4P - Puss in the Corner Tutorial

Have you ever had a million things to do and some of them had to be done yesterday? Yeah, same here but I have become obsessed with this new disappearing 4-patch block and the chores kinda fell to the wayside this weekend...

Start by making four patches with 2 squares of 2 different fabrics. I'm using 2.5" squares but it will work with any size squares. Remember to pinwheel your seams at every chance, which will make it super easy to put your blocks together at the end.

Let's start with a little math so you can convert this project to any size 4-patch. Essentially you will be cutting the right most squares in half based on its original size. I cut 1.0" to the right of the center seam because half of 2.5" is 1.25" and .25" was already used in the seam allowance. The first time I made these blocks I cut it backwards - it was the only time I cut them wrong. LOL.

Take the piece you just cut off the right side and sew it to the left side of the 4 patch as shown above in the black and teal block.

After pressing and pinwheeling those new seam intersections, rotate the block 90 degrees and again cut 1.0" to the right of the center seam. Sew the piece to the left side of the 4 patch. Tada!!! You have a Puss in the Corner block!!

There are a lot of opportunities to fussy cut and play with stripes in this block. If there is a fussy cut block I don't want to cut in to I place that in the upper left before I start cutting. If I am playing with stripes, when making the original 4-patch I make sure the stripes are perpendicular to each other if I want them to radiate out from the center of the final block or I run them parallel if I want them finishing in different directions.

If you remember to pinwheel all of your seam intersections (both while making the blocks and joining them together), by rotating a block by 90 degrees, you can nest all of your seams. This block is so easy that I think you'll be able to do them with your eyes closed in no time flat. This weekend I whipped up a few blocks and also readied a dozen or so 4-patches to use as leader/enders.

Saturday was town wide yard sale day in my hometown and I happened across 2 of these tins for a whopping 25 cents each - my new blocks fit perfectly :)

Friday night I picked up two "candy bars" packs at my LQS cut from the 1930s fabrics they carry. This doll quilt/cat mat came together super fast. 30's fabrics are a little wishywashy for me but I still think the quilt is cute and can't wait to see what my brighter L/E blocks become someday...

Please let me know if you have any questions on this tutorial and I would love to see what you make with the blocks...Have fun!

Feline Friday - 6/6/14

It's summer time and the living is easy!!!

I think Momma needs to take the stickers off the purple violet Adirondack chair she bought me...

Hexies on the go...

Have any of you Hexie-ologists ever stopped by the Hexagon Alley blog?

It's a group blog and while it's not super-duper busy, there are tons of good projects to oogle over!

One of their recent discussions revolved around what is in our hexie kit.

I hope you'll pop over to see what's in my travel kit.

Yeah, that means I also have a kit that stays at home. What can I say? I am obsessed!

Wordless Wednesday

The Bibliophile Files

It's hard to believe but yet another month has come and gone since the last TBF update. I don't think I did as well this month as last but I am still making progress. Any time now summer work hours will kick in and vacation time will help me get ahead.

In case you are new to my blog, and therefore, new to TBF, I have issued myself 2 reading challenges for this year. I hope to read 74 books this year with one word in each title starting with letters that spell out the months of the year. Nine of the titles will also have colors in them. You can get the specifics of the challenges and the books I have finished this year at the Bibliophile Files tab above. I've finished 25 books so far which is 34% of my goal.

Sorry, no reviews this month but I hope you'll click the titles to read more about each book at Shelfari. I will tell you that Grass Roots was my fav of the month and I can't wait to read more in the series.
     Afraid to Die (5/18/14)
     O'Jerusalem (5/24/14)
     Scones & Bones (5/26/14)
     Storm Front (5/29/14)
     Grass Roots (6/2/14)

On my nightstand and stereo:
     Red Velvet Cupcake
     A Wilder Rose

I've got my next 18 books lined up - now I just need to find some time to listen to them. I hope you read some good books this month - looking forward to reading about them! Feel free to link up about any novels, quilt books or cereal boxes you have read!

Design Wall Monday - 6/2/14

As much as I don't mind having lots of types of quilt UFOs to work on (gotta love variety) - I do have to wonder how many scrap projects at a time is a good idea. I'm talking about leader/ender style projects to use up all the bits left over from other projects.

You are probably aware of my basket project. I've finished these 6 in the last week. I neglected to count how many that brings me to but it must be more than 75 by now. I really need to pick a setting fabric so I can start putting them together and decide how many more to make. Obviously this is my most often worked on L/E project.

Yes, that is a wooden pants hanger in the picture. I group finished blocks on the hanger and they hang on the side of my cutting table.

A while ago I started making some of these garlic knots that Bonnie had in a Quiltmaker magazine. I've only made 3 so far but it was fun to pull strips from the bin and put them together easily. I had actually forgotten about this project until I was thinking of a post for today.

See, I was sew excited about this tiny block that it's out of focus!!

My latest project is this tiny puss in the corner block. Yup - just one so far. I'm preparing a class called Magic Blocks and this is one of the samples. The class premise is that you can take single blocks, 4 patches, 9 patches or 16 patches, cut them apart and then sew them back together in to a new block. Think of disappearing nine patch gone wild.

This little beauty is actually a 4 patch! I made the first sample from 5" blocks but this one is from 2.5" blocks. Any size would work but I liked them best as little blocks. I can do a tutorial if any one wants..

How many L/E style projects do you have?

Momma says - don't forget that tomorrow is the next Bibliophile Files!!!!