Design Wall Monday - 2/29/16

Happy Leap Day!!!

One would have expected me to have gotten a lot of hexies done last week, given that I was busy doing things other than blogging. Didn't happen :(  I had my nights free last week but I wasn't making great progress and it was getting frustrating so I was stitching slower.  Over the weekend we attended 2 hockey games for my nephews followed by lotsa family time. We had a great time but I was wasn't making much progress on the hexie front.

Black hexies (really each hexie shown above is a small rosette) are completed.
I need at least 30 more small rosettes.
Yikes! I really underestimated.

My original hope for the month had been to get the twisted hexie top done. My hope for the weekend had been to get all the small rosettes attached to the mother ship. Turns out I had no where near as many small rosettes as I would need to finish the top. Bummer! I guess this is going to become my March goal too...

This quilt is looking much wider than longer to me so I best test it on the bed to double check.
I need to fill in the top and bottom on the right and one large rosette on the left. 

Tonight? I'll be cutting more batiks...

Be sure to check in tomorrow - it's not only our monthly Bibliophile Files report but I'll share some info on a special hexie project I am planning for the month...something I feel safe in not blaming Janet for one single bit !! ;)

Feline Friday - 2/26/16

Hey Momma -

I know you've been soooooo busy this week that you didn't even have time to blog***.

And, I really like how my kibble bowl is now up higher since I like to stand while I eat but.....

...could you, maybe, in your spare time, find/make me something prettier to put my bowl on instead of one of grandMomma's cool whip dishes?

In your spare time...like, when you're not opening the revolving window for Z-man...

An InLinkz Link-up

*** Miss Janet - Momma wants you to know that she didn't forget: she promises, or I'll stick a needle in Zorro's eye!

Feline Friday - 2/19/16

Hey Momma!
I like the pretty violets you bought yourself for Valentine's Day!

I also really like the little suitcase that you carried your hexie projects in for quilt retreat the last 2 weekends.

But I especially like **sitting** on your little suitcase.

I'm really sorry that meant I also sat on your iPhone and deleted your 4 favorite apps which used half your February data plan to reload the apps and your audiobooks, deleting your bookmarks. Oopsies!

Love you Momma!
Lots and Lots!

An InLinkz Link-up

HeLP for Hexie-aholics - 2/17/16

So...you might have heard....

I'm gonna guess this is at lest 12 inches if it's an inch

We got a little snow yesterday!

I spent a good 45 minutes shoveling my 4-car-length driveway and that was with the help of a neighbor walking by who helped shovel the end of the drive (always the worst part!). It was still kinda early so I decided to do a quick walk around the block. When I got back to the house I shoveled again - we had gotten 2" in the time it took me to shovel and the plow had come thru and filled in the end of the drive again. The same neighbor was walking back home and again helped with the end of the drive.

Denise says I'm a disorganized shovel-er! I say fitbit GPS can't handle small spaces as there is no way I shoveled the street, the neighbor's yard and over my house. I tried this once when I was mowing and it said I mowed right over the entire house. I. Don't. Think. So!

Luckily while I was at work, another neighbor blew out the 4 or 5 inches that came in during the day and I just had to shovel the end again when I got home last night and again before I left this morning. Rochester Airport (50+ miles away) had a record breaking 16" for the day. Not sure what out total was...

Zorro likes to play with snowballs. Who knew??!!

Of course, Zorro had to investigate! The yellow lines denote the height of the drift between street and sidewalk thanks to the plows, the drift on my side of the sidewalk where I piled it and then ground level. Those drifts are pretty high but most of it will melt by the weekend as we are expecting 40F on Friday.

And now...on to hexies!

I swear on Zorro's B&W fluffy tukus that I didn't plan this - it just happened!

I can't say this has been my most prolific week but I did make some progress on a couple projects.

I'm still trying to get all the small rosettes stitched that I had cut out some time ago. This includes more monochromatic rosettes like the red which are at the center of each large rosette.

On Saturday I worked at the LQS which pays me in fabric. There was a pretty brown/green/teal floral that I just "had" to have but I wanted to pick a hexie project for it so I didn't get too much or too little fabric. In the process of looking for a project I also found another to use one of my fav dark purple fabrics. I did just enough to get it started and out of my system and now I can go back to the twisted project which I was supposed to be working on...

And now my friends - it's your turn to share your hexie projects.

It doesn't matter the paper shape or whether your project is new or a UFO - we just want to be inspired!!

An InLinkz Link-up

Feline Friday - 2/12/16

Momma - you be sure to dress warm for your walks!!! 

It's mighty cold for a big kitty with no fur coat! 

You can borrow my blankie if you want!!

Momma - if **I** borrow her blankie will you lemme out? I really don't care if the windchill tomorrow is gonna be -30F (-20C)...

An InLinkz Link-up

Three Word Wednesday

2 more finished!!

Design Floor Monday - 2/8/16

I just finished a weekend of quilt retreat and I was able to finish my goal for the weekend. Woohoo!

I didn't take a before picture of the actual hexies but I think you'll get the idea with this:

This is my layout in EQ7. Each hexie in the picture is actually what I call a small rosette such as this partial one I was working on:

I've been making large rosettes by encircling a monocromatic small with 6 other mixed color rosettes.

Back to the EQ7 screen shot... As I attached large rosettes to each other I blackened the hexies. I was trying to balance the monochromatic rosettes so those where colored instead of blackened as they were attached. Make sense?

Over the weekend I was able to attach 6 more large rosettes!!!!

My diagram now looks like the next screenshot which I would say is some dramatic progress!

I've got a pile of small rosettes and a pile of fabric cut to make more. My week's focus will be to make more small rosettes. I have another quilt retreat next weekend - I'll either spend the time finishing the fabric pile to make more small rosettes or start making the pile of small rosettes into large rosettes. That decision will be made Friday before I leave for work and not a second sooner.

Oops, almost forgot - here's the real deal with QCOs checking it out...

Other than Squeaks was mad with Z for getting too close, I think it passed inspection and has been properly furred...

Linking to Design Wall Monday.

Feline Friday - 2/5/16

Momma! Momma! Momma! Momma! Momma! Momma! Momma! Momma! Momma! Momma!

I don't see any partridges in your pear tree...

Look what I can do!!!!!!!!!!

An InLinkz Link-up

Finish 1 & Finish 2

So...as much as I am not a goal setting girl...
Well.
Wait.
I'm a goal setter but I've not got a lot of follow through...

Whatever.
Any way.
Hey !!!
I finished 2 quilt tops in January!!!! A UFO and a hexie quilt. Gooooooooooo me!

The blue border actually has some pinky-purple that
matches perfect with the Kaffe fabric in the center.

Thing 1 was a UFO that I found in a box of UFOs. This quilt was started when I lived in Miami as a monthly strip quilt class. It was intended to be smaller and the Kaffe fabric would also be the border. Janet so thoughtfully pointed out that the Mountain Majesties pattern was perfect for this ADK Mountain loving girl so I knew I had to finish this to use while camping. It's kind of a funny size but it will work perfect with my camp cot or in front of the fire. I've got more of the orange for the back and the dark blue for the binding.

Thing 2 has been a loooooooong time coming. My first post when I started working on Value Proposition was way back on 5/5/14. I've done lots of side projects in the meantime but I was thrilled a week or so ago to have all the hexies stitched. This past weekend I was able to get the borders on!! Woohoo!!

This is what 374+ inches looks like!

I started by determining that I would need something like 374 inches of borders and cut 10 strips each for the inner and outer border fabrics. I sewed inner and outer border strips end to end and then sewed the two borders side by side. I just couldn't see myself making 2 trips around the quilt to add separate 2 borders but this was so easy I might use it again.

I just love these fabrics together.

After cutting the borders to length I matched the middle of each border to the middle of the quilt side and pinned it at every hexie. Like my weights? Of course, close up is one of my old crocks but in the back is "my" rock.

I think some of you know that one of the hexies in The New Hexagon was named after me (Thank you Katja!!!!). Well, my boss at the LQS had one painted in my fav colors for Christmas!!!! I think I still have most of these fabrics so I need to stitch up a mug rug or something to match.

Anyway, I machine blanket stitched the quilt to the borders and WaaLaa!!! Another finish.

Luckily the weather was nice on Sunday, allowing me to run out to my street to photograph this beauty. Yes, I am 100% sure the neighbors were wondering what the heck I was doing but it's not the first time they have wondered and I just love the streaky blacktop as a backdrop.

This backing will be the same dark teal as the inner border with a matching gold. I'll use a "zipper" method of making the backing that I first saw at a Bonnie Hunter class. I'll share pictures when I get the back made. Which will probably not be until later this month as I am helping out at quilt retreats the next two weekends!

And for this month's non-goal --> another UFO from the box and Twisted hexies!

The Bibliophile Files - 2/2/16

Hello! My fellow readers and welcome to February's edition of The Bibliophile Files.

First the bad news...
Did y'all hear that shelfari.com is folding in to goodreads.com? Booooooooo! Neither my libraian/friend Erin nor I like goodreads after using shelfari for so long but no one asked us so I guess we'll deal. I was trying to update my finished books yesterday and it seemed like bad link after bad link. Oh, and maybe they need a few more ads. Ugh, this is gonna take some getting used to...

Then...The not so bad news...
I didn't really finish that many books in the past month. It's entirely because I was spending a LOT of time watching DVDs so that I could get Value Proposition finished. Which I did at 2pm on Sunday - pictures tomorrow!!

The good news...
Today starts another month so I can do better this time around, I've got my walking mojo back (we are expecting near 60F tomorrow and Phil says spring is right around the corner, even tho winter hasn't come yet) and it's time to pick another UFO so I'll be back in the quilt lab listening to books.

Finished:
Speaking in Bones
NYPD Red 2
The Lake House
Deadline

In Progress:
On my nightstand...A Life in Men
On my iPhone...The Longest Ride
On my stereo...Saint Odd

And now it's your turn...what have you been reading? Share your magazines, novels, new quilt books or cereal boxes. We all need some new suggestions!!