Design Wall Monday - 1/30/17

I had a fairly busy weekend & it was a good great thing!

I left fairly early Saturday morning for a FART! I'm sure that you know FART means Fabric Acquisition Road Trip. I just hadn't known exactly how much fabric I would be finding....

I had left a wee bit later than expected which meant the store in Dansville was open so I picked up some vinyl that I'll need to make name badge holders to sell at my annual town clerk's conference. I also picked up a few FQs.

Maybe this would have been more meaningful to photo the backs
with their respective tops. Oops?!

Next I headed way south, almost to the Pennsylvania border to Addison, NY to visit the shop of a friend's sister. The store was having a 20% off sale and she had quite a few fat backs to choose from. I had brought 4 tops with me to pick backings. Of course, I also got another can of 505 - I'll definitely need it if I'm basting 4 large quilt tops. Oh wait, I take that back cuz I have 3 more top/backing sets at home. I probably should have gotten 2 cans with 7 quilts to baste. The kink in all this mess is that I don't have any batting and I just spent all my money on backing fabrics. I'm going to have to buy batting one quilt top's worth at a time...

As I was leaving the store, Cathy told me that there was another quilt shop in town and another on the drive home. Well sign me up! Three new-to-me quilt stores in one day! I picked up a few more FQs at the other Addison store and then  zipped over to Corning Glass Museum. I didn't have time to go through the museum (not at the regular admission price anyway) so I just zipped around the store looking at all the pretty glass items.

3 WOW for the pieced hexie sampler
4 neutrals and 4 colors for stash

Next up was the last store in Campbell, NY where, you guessed it, I picked up a few more FQs.

The last stop for the day was to hike the National Cemetery in Bath - I'll share those pictures later this week.

By the time I got home Saturday evening, I was whooped from all that driving and the heat generated from my debit card so I settled in front of the TV to stitch more of the border on my owl quilt.

Sunday morning was spent alternating between clearing out my bedroom for a major redo, laundry and more hexies! The afternoon was spent watching a double header since both my nephews had hockey games!

All the teammates now have nicknames...
say hi to "Curly Q"
so named for all those luscious curls!

Some time ago, the boys on my older nephew's team realized that other hockey teams (I can't remember if it was the Amerks or ???) dressed up before games so they all decided to do the same. It's so nice to see young men in shirt and ties with shiny shoes :) Can you believe this young man turns 12 next week??!! I've told him to stop getting older but he just shakes his head at his favorite Crazy Aunt Sarah.

Say hi to "Scrat"
Scrat (Ice Age squirrel) never gives up trying to get the acorn
Ryan never gives up trying to get to the puck.

The team for my younger nephew doesn't dress up - but he really wants to. Anything to emulate the older boys! He was so determined to have peeps see him dressed up yesterday that he refused to wear his coat. I supposed it helped that he had just skated hard for 90 mins but I was cold just sitting there.

Scrat and Tortilla

We might or might not be related...

I've joined...Design Wall Monday, Monday Making

AQS-Syracuse shopping

My original shopping goal at AQS-Syracuse was to buy rulers for ruler work/quilting. I had some specific beginner rulers in mind based on lotsa research but I was open to almost anything. There were several booths with rulers but not quite what I was hoping for. A couple booths had bundles containing one ruler I really wanted but I was not willing to pay the big bundle price so I'll keep looking for those.

I did come across a longarmer who sells his own rulers and his partner who had rulers for domestic machines. I couldn't pick just one ruler to start with so I took their business card which had a link to their 140+ youtube videos. Maybe once I get through those I can pick one or 2 of their rulers. Of course, I forgot the card at home today so if anyone wants the link let me know in the comments and I'll get it to you tomorrow.

And now, lets get on with the actual shopping!!!!

-- 5 random FQs
-- Superior Threads: 3 replacement colors and 2 new blues
-- 1 mini charm pack from Primitive Gathering - couldn't resist the pretty
purple/gold/yellow combo and it's a the perfect size for 3/4" hexies
-- 2 quilting rulers
-- a cat stitchery kit: I know, sooooo not me but it's really cute and 100% true.
Home IS where the cat hair sticks to everything but the cat!

I couldn't resist the cranky cats panel.
I was going to take a close up of my fav  cat but just couldn't pick one.
Now to figure out what to do with this...
It's not very big so maybe some tabby orange sashing and borders for a lap quilt?

You knew if there were hexies I would find them!
There were 2 kits (acrylic templates & papers) avail - 1 for the smaller center and the other for
the center and outer rounds. I splurged for the bigger kit cuz I can now make both sizes.
This is one of 2 projects I own with curves. I think it's time to bite the bullet and just try curves. Wish me luck!
The big issue is do I start it ASAP or wait until "later"????
Janet can tell you I have many UFOs but a new project is always funfunfun!
And I can't remember the last time I started a new project...
oops - that would be the pieced hexie project Mickey Depre is spearheading.

A topic for another day is coming up with my own pattern to sell as this person did.
Her pattern, paperpieces.com produced the templates and papers.

And  last but not least...HALF-NEKKED WOODSMEN!!!!!
Can they come camping with ME next year??!!
Some of you may recall my fireman quilt...
I'm going to do something similar, surrounding a yard of the woodsmen with blocks or borders.
If anyone has a "simple" block suggestion I would love to see a link.
In the meantime I am combing my Pinterest boards for ideas I've saved.

What do you want next?
Quilts at the AQS show? Hiking? Or general camping photos?

Happy Hump Day!!

Design Grass Monday - 6/13/16

I may or may not have attended a local shop hop last week for the sole purpose of purchasing the two purple fabrics I will need for Mickey Depre's scrappy pieced hexie project.

light purple added to side diamond sides
medium purple will be added to diamond ends.

I also may or may not have picked up three FQs and rummaged through their scrap bins...

I admit to nothing!

Ok - so maybe I'll admit to my snoopervisor pitching in.

And maybe I'll also admit to getting me some of this BELLY!!!!

Design Wall Monday - 5/16/16

Sew....I got to go on a little adventure this weekend and I got to meet a blog friend as well!!

Sit tight - there are lotsa pictures!

Last spring Sharon Vrooman of Vrooman's Quilts asked me to come to her guild, the Schoharie Valley Piecemakers, to teach a class on English Paper Piecing and give a trunk show! My first travel teaching experience and I had a grand time!

Sharon and I were so excited to meet up at her house on Friday that we both forgot to take pictures. Oopsies! When I first got to Sharon's house, her black cat Moe was outside. I called him and he immediately came running for some scritches. He probably wondered how this complete stranger knew his name but he and his sister Bella were later rewarded with catnip toys sent by Zorro and Squeaky so all was well. Sharon gave me the full tour of her quilting space, stash and their quilt store and class area. I kept thinking I've seen that in pictures and that and that and that.

Sharon gifted me this clothesline and thread caddy, both made by her dad. She also gifted me the darling basket quilt with the flower buttons. I think this might be the time to finally make something with 1/4" hexies so I won't have to worry about taking out the papers and just hang it "on the line."

Our class and trunk show were held in this lovely church on Main Street in Middleburgh. You can see one of the town's murals on the building to the right. You can also get an idea of the overcast skies... I drove east to Schoharie in the rain and I drove back west in the rain.

Across the street was the library where Sharon has done several programs and then blogged about them. The Library boasted just one of the many barn quilt squares from the area.

Sharon introduced me to the group - you can see their guild banners in the background - we had a good laugh about pronouncing last names. It's hard to see but I mended my poor blue jeans with a chrysanthemum rosette. It was fun to wait and see if anyone spotted the rosette - which they did!

Our class had 13 students (including one guy!!) where only 3 students had done hexies before. One student said she struggled just a bit at the beginning but once she got the technique down, she really enjoyed it.

Some of the ladies had their rosettes done before the trunk show started!!

I think everyone was pleased with the class and there just might be some new converts!

Does this look familiar to anyone? Look at my "giraffe" project, which was based on an antique quilt.
Everything old is new again!
This quilt was made by basting each hexie through the papers.
She said she was glad to learn the "right" way to make hexies - no more removing basting stitches

These hexies were all stitched with a sewing machine. Y seams!!
Next decision? Sashing between the rosettes or not?

We even had a quick show-n-tell for the students that had made hexies before.

Mom let me borrow several of her smaller trunks and,
of course, the doll cat bed came along as well

Some of the ladies were not familiar with a trunk show nor a bed turning.

I think they really enjoyed looking at my quilts and UFOs - seeing how different shapes and sizes play together, and then adding in fussy cutting or pieced hexies. I've encouraged them to send me pictures of their projects - maybe they will join in for HeLP tomorrow. Hint! Hint!

Before I hit the road again we finally posed for a selfie. Yes, the 2 gals who don't like to be in front of the camera...

The farm tracts run from the side of one mountain across the valley to the side of the next
mountain with the main road running through the middle of the valley.
The valley that had something like 6 FEET of water during a recent hurricane!

My trip home ended up being just a bit different than planned. I crossed the creek to catch a glimpse of Vrooman's Nose Mountain and then the GPS was going to send me the long way to the thruway.

If I zoom in, Martha's house is on the left.

At some point I realized I was up over the Schoharie Valley and could see Martha's farm house were I spent Friday night. We won't discuss the middle of the night footsteps on the stairs in an otherwise empty house!

B&W fabrics for my Salt & Pepper project
Blue and yellow fabrics for my pieced hexie projects

As I continued towards the expressway, I realized that I was near Cobleskill, home of The Yardstick. Hmm...might better stop in while I can...

Then the GPS took me on a lot of fun, twisting back roads until I eventually got to the thruway. It was nice to see more of the valley and mountains, the Victorian houses in the small towns. I will not tell you how much I laughed at the set up for "runaway trucks" on a 2 mile downgrade near Cherry Valley.

The color was much more vibrant in person

I was eventually rewarded with a fantastic sunset as I reached home.

Yesterday was a do nothing day while it snowed.
YES #1 - it was snowing on May 15th
YES #2 -  I spent the day on the couch doing HEXIES and I'll share those for Hexie Linky Party tomorrow...

I best get this posted as I know that Sharon is chomping at the bit to publish her post.
Hugs and Kisses Sharon - I had a fantastic time and maybe we can get together again some time!!!

Design Wall Monday - 5/2/16

I was able to go on my F.A.R.T.** this weekend and it was partially successful.

I went to the not-so-LQS in search of new hexie fabrics. I needed 5 but found nearly a dozen so I had to make tough choices. And yeah, I chose the pink over a brown. Highly unlike me but I wanted bright colors, even if it is pink.

I did get a half yard of another hexie fabric (matches the one in the middle below) that would make a cute backing for a small quilt.

I'm pretty sure this will be the only tractor in my iSpy quilt :) The big question will be red or green. The answer will be which can I fussy cut the easiest or cleanest.

It's kinda hard to tell but the daisy's have white hexies in the background.

Full Disclosure - other fabrics were purchased but were too shy to be photographed.
In other words, I forgot...

I had also been looking for the stick-on thimble pads which they didn't have at the time. Maybe I can try superglue for the next week or so until I'll be near another store...

The rest of the weekend, (other than a fire, a rescue call and cleaning & cooking for Mom's Birthday dinner) was spent working on various hexie projects. OK, fine, I guess I didn't need to explain that. I'm *always* working on hexies!

I'm working on putting together a pieced hexie project of my own design and it's almost finished!! This project was stalled for a long time since it had no purpose or direction. As soon as I found a purpose it's just flying together as fast as my punctured little fingers can stitch. LOL.

I'm currently working on these modified "rototiller" blocks, making four strips of four. I've got 5 more to baste and then I'll be able to design the corner bits. I would love to share a full picture with you - and I promise I will in a few weeks - but I need to keep some surprises for my upcoming trunk show!

That's it for today. Anyone else working on a pieced hexie design of their own?


** Fabric Acquisition Road Trip