Dreaming of Hexies...

Spent time on Flickr tonight instead of packing. I think I see a rainbow inspired Hexie project in my future....

(Click on the image and it'll take you to Flickr where you can see all of the links.)

Hexagon Class

If you are in the Gatlinburg, TN area and are interested in learning how to hand piece hexagons I'll be teaching at Mountain Stitches by Susan. The class is July 11 from 10 until noon. The cost is $20 (kit included). You can call 865.436.0077 to reserve your spot. I'm looking forward to it!!

A Little Green...

One last touch of green to wrap up this fabulous St. Patrick's Day. It feels like Spring is finally here. Yesterday morning, the birds were singing like crazy. The weather was perfect for two friends and all of our kids to watch the St. Patrick's Day Parade in downtown Lawrence. 


I'm thinking of camping, hikes, Spring Break, summer vacation, road trips and swim lessons. Which means I need to get my little hexie kit pulled together again. I cut another Hunky Dory charm pack the other day and actually got a few hexies sewn on the way to the zoo.

Does warm weather signal a change in your sewing?

Hexagon Doll Quilt

Here's Jenna's little doll quilt! I had so much fun with this quilt and it was the beginning of my love for hexagons.

It all started in Knoxville last summer when I watched a gentleman making hexagons in the Paper Pieces booth at the the AQS Quilt Show. I picked up an Urban Chicks 1974 charm pack at a scrapbook store and used it to practice making hexie's with my mom and sister. I decided to make a little sampler of flowers and strips just to see if I liked working with hexagons before I embarked on a larger project. It was a great portable project and Jenna even helped pull the needle through a few stitches.


I handed it off to my friend Sheryl to quilt and knew she would do an amazing job because she is a very talented quilter.  I almost cried when I saw Jenna's name quilted into the top. It's just beautiful and I know Jenna will treasure it.

This is my favorite hexie. I have to laugh when I think of the woman at a retreat that looked at the flowers I was making for this quilt and asked if I REALLY liked all those colors. Honestly, some of them aren't my absolute favorite but I think it gives the quilt some interest to have a nice variety. And REALLY what kind of question is that? Would I have used them if I didn't like them! I guess that was her way of saying she didn't like them :)

I just love the design that appears on the back.

I have another hexagon project in the works. I imagine it will come along slowly until I get some other things finished or have another long car ride.

Here's a hoop and a Halloween kitchen towel made with hexagons. I'm sure more hexagons will pop up again from time to time since I enjoy it so much

Happy Valentine's Day!

Stain Removal

My little family headed out to western Kansas this week for the funeral of a dear friend's father. I took along my hexagon doll quilt so I could work on the hand applique. 

Somehow, either hot cocoa or coffee came in contact with the quilt top. The cup holders are right beside me so I'm sure the top fell that way and soaked up a little drip. Panic! Luckily I remembered that I'd been carrying around a Tide2Go pen in my purse and whipped it out to see what could be done.

I found these at Target and picked them up because my daughter and I usually end up with something on us when we are out. It alleviates a lot of stress and I was hoping it would come to my rescue again.

I tried to just dot a bit of the solution on the fabric but quite a lot came out on the first try. I used the tip for some scrubbing action then blotted with bottled water to make a less definite water line. I was worried the stain remover would leave a stain (Yes, I can find something to worry about at all times!). It dried nicely and you'd never know it happened. I might have to keep one of these in my sewing kit for emergencies like this.

I'm getting a chance to work on this quilt again today since the stomach bug hit our house about 2:00 this morning. Thank goodness I've been okay and can care for everyone and stay on top of the laundry! I'm spending some time sitting beside Jenna watching movies with this quilt top in my hand. We are disappointed to miss a visit with friends who flew in this morning but thankful it hit before they arrived so they weren't exposed.


Hope all is well with you and that you've enjoyed this first day of the year!

The Scrappy Hoops Swap

I finished my hexies for the Scrappy Hoops Swap on Flickr while I was riding down the road to TX this past weekend. I put it in the hoop yesterday morning and it was in the mail by the afternoon. It's headed overseas but I can't reveal where yet.

My partner's inspiration mosaic had lots of mushrooms, hexagons, Heather Ross fabrics, lots of bright colors so I tried to include all of that. I put a mushroom right in the center. It was so fun to use my Heather Ross scraps that I'd gotten from Etsy a while back. I pulled some other scraps and fabric from my stash. I just loved working on it and I hope she likes it as much as I do!

I kept all of the papers in while I stitched and traveled to keep it stable. You'll notice I punched a hole in all of my papers. It makes it sooooo much easier to pop them out. I usually just unbend a paperclip and insert the end in the hole to pop them out but this time I had a pair of tweezers handy and just grabbed the paper at the hole. No digging under the seam allowance!

I usually press both the front and back with the papers on and then press again after the papers come out. I was able to leave all of the basting stitches in so seam allowances stayed nice and flat while I put another layer of fabric on the back. I just trimmed up the thread tails and made it look as neat as possible.

 
I was a bit sad when I put the piece in the hoop. There was an owl and butterfly I really liked and some of my other favorite hexagons had to be trimmed off. Yikes!

Here's the little label I put on the back with some Heat n Bond. 

A gorgeous hoop arrived in my mailbox after lunch today and I can't wait to show you pictures!

A Little Hexie Peek

I've been stitching away on my Scrappy Hoops Swap project and thought I'd share a peek. I'm so happy to finally be working with some of my Heather Ross scraps. I just love the softness of the Munki Munki. So much so, that I've been looking online for Munki PJ's to actually wear! 

I am eager to finish and get it off to my partner but my left hand that holds the hexies together is hurting a bit. At first I thought I had fallen on my hand or banged it but I suspect it's the gripping while I stitch. Hopefully I just have some hand muscles that need to get used to the work they are doing. I may have to slow down a bit....or hurry up and finish :)

Hexagons on the Go

 Here's a peek at the little case I grab for quick outings. I can drop it in my purse and have all I need to make a few hexagons on the run. It's actually a 4x6 photo case.

The red felt has threaded needles with regular thread and some silk thread. I wear the circle shaped thread cutter on a ribbon around my neck if I'm in riding in the car. Hexies are ready to stitch. I have extra thread, templates, fabric, and paper clips just in case. Little scissors to trim the corners of fabric and a threader which I don't have to use that often.

I have a bigger case for longer trips but that's another post....

How do you carry your hexies?

Halloween Hexies

I miss my sewing machine! I haven't even unpacked her from my retreat. With husband out of town last week and coming home sick, I've not had a chance to sit and sew. Last night I just had to get my hands on some fabric and get something accomplished. 

I chose a few charms from Haunted Mansion by Moda and made a simple flower. I then hand appliqued the flower onto a kitchen towel I picked up at Target. It felt great to start and finish something in one night.

Hunky Dory Hexies and a Stalled Quilt

I refilled my little hexie kit with a bit of Hunky Dory. What a beautiful color combination! I'm not certain what I'll make with them yet. Contemplating a small tablecloth but I can picture using these in a quilt block or runner. 

 So far, I've stitched these in a McDonald's Playland, during a library storytime, at a friends house, and on the road to Kansas City to visit a dinosaur exhibit at Union Station. I'm loving having them on hand for a few quick stitches when I can.

Earlier this year, I was anticipating the appearance of Blush by Basic Grey. I fell in love with the prints when they were printed as scrapbook paper. I knew I would make something for myself with this line. I decided on using charm packs so that I could have all of the prints and planned on using this pattern with a little modification.


I got started on cutting and sewing a few pieces towards the end of my retreat in March. After I returned home I started worrying about all of the red I was including. I don't usually prewash but I got nervous about bleeding. I wasn't sure about all of those charm pieces either. I was worried they would just shred in the washing machine. So I put it in my closet and stayed there until today. 


My next retreat is coming up and I want to use this quilt as a leader/ender quilt. Time to make a decision and take action! I prewashed the yardage in the washing machine and hand washed the charms, both with Retayne.  It's all now drying on a guest bed. Lots of ironing is in my future before I can start cutting!



*ETA: I received a lovely email from Dorothy in Oz and she said she has washed Blush before and it didn't bleed and that none of her Moda reds have ever bled. Good to know! Thank you!

Explore the World

It's so easy to get into auto-pilot mode as I go about my day to day activities. I see things fresher when I go on vacation. I'm so excited to be immersed in new surroundings and I just soak in the details, trying to savor and remember each moment. Then I go back home and try to get back into that comfortable routine and the details start to blur. So I'm challenging myself to look around and explore the world around me. Visit places nearby that I haven't been to and photograph or sketch the details that inspire me.

I had a chance to run a few errands alone this weekend and decided to run into the Spencer Museum of Art in Lawrence. I may have visited once in the last twenty years but I certainly don't remember. There's a quilt exhibit there and thought I'd pop in for a few minutes to check it out. As I looked for parking, I drove by this garage set into a hill and something about it made me catch my breath. I knew I needed a photo! Of course, I'd taken my camera out of my purse for one reason or another. My iphone camera would have to do. 


The exhibit at the museum was small but interesting. On the way out, I almost missed a small exhibit across from the gift shop. It was a quilting project that a middle school class created using literature as inspiration for small wall quilts. They were amazing, and it was so interesting to read the students' comments on the process. I don't think they will be on display for very much longer but if you have a chance check it out.

My iphone camera also captured a potential hexagon layout the other day. I snapped a picture to remember some of the options I tried. I'm trying to decide now whether to take the time to hand applique the hexagons onto the background or just do it by machine. I like the look of hand applique better but it'll take so much longer. And I plan on letting Jenna use this as a doll quilt. Hmmm. We'll see....



 

Hooked on Hexies!

While I was in TN, my sister took me to the AQS Quilt Show in Knoxville. We had a grand time and I was amazed at the variety and quantity of quilts. The vendor area was fun to walk through too. PaperPiecing.com was demonstrating how to make hexies and I was fascinated to see it in person. I decided to buy some templates to give it a try. My sister, mom and I watched a CD from McCall's magazine to see a different way to make them. They are so fun and easy! It's amazing how fast they go together. It is true that they are addicting. I really like the method we use because you don't get the thread on the front side.

I put most of these together on a trip out to CO and back. I've got a nice little kit set up and I won't travel without it now.

This red and blue is my favorite flower so far. I'll be making these into a doll quilt for my daughter. I'm pretty excited to look for the background fabric. I think gray would look nice but I don't know if I should try something with a little more color since it's for a 4 year old girl. I'll just have to play a bit.

**ETA: The fabric here is Urban Chicks 1974.