My first and favorite workshop

I did some thing very impulsive. I jumped into a quilt workshop class the last few days of registration. I just couldn't resist to see one of my favorite quilters, Bonnie Hunter!

Bonnie & Me, she is holding a sign for one of my guild members who isn't feeling well.

 

Without her I would have never stuck with quilting. She opened up my limits, essentially there isn't any. Due to the fact that I can not always buy a whole fabric collection to create a quilt. Now I focus on color.

 

The workshop went well, I learned quite a bit and meet some wonderful quilting ladies. I even had a chance to show Bonnie the quilts that I have made from her books and mysteries, you can see them here. She says I am really productive. The truth is that I have done one a year. But still it adds up.

 

After all of that fun, I returned home to a sick young man. It was so good to get away I will definitely do it again.

Hexagon star

Still loving it!  I just need to find more time

At this point I have no idea how many more I need to make. Due to the fact that I don't know what my final expectation of this is yet.  Do I stay with my original plan, do I stop here and make it a wall hanging, maybe I start a second project, maybe???

 

Linking up with Jessica of Life Under Quilts, for the Monday star count.

Just another... Monday!

We are coming off a long holiday weekend here. One where we tried to cram everything in. By everything I mean: we power washed and stained most of the decks. We went to the pool and drive-in movies.

Now returning to the normal routine is a bit of a pain and a bit of relief from the work we have done. Over the week I was able to sit a few times to work on my hexagon quilt. I didn't get as far as I hoped I would. But it is progress none the less.

Stats: In order to finish the star I need 7 more hexagons!!!! Excitement!

I think I am at the point where I can say this is addicting. I want to do so many more! Too bad I wasn't able to use this to get out of all the chores we did.

Letting go

I am learning how to cope with my children becoming young adults. My hubby is doing so much better with this transition. Our oldest has finished high school, started a job, and travels around quite a bit. He make choices without mom. I want so badly to make sure he is okay, has everything he needs... mother! This is what drives him crazy.

Our other son I sent off to 4-H camp. Yes, 4-H is still around and going strong in this area. Anyway back to the subject. I stood in the parking lot on Monday convincing myself not to cry. He would be fine and have a great time. Once again I want to mother him, how will he know to change his clothes without me.

So on Monday when I came back home and it was empty I pouted. I couldn't seem to find focus anywhere. Tuesday I pushed myself out the door and visited with a friend. Then I returned home and decided to start a new sewing project. Not the one seen here.

Today is Wednesday, I am starting my day with coffee and hexagons. Trying to enjoy the peace of the house. By Friday everyone will be home and it will be back to craziness.

Stats: I am uncertain of how many hexagons I have completed. If I sit and count this post may never be completed. At this point I have  3 star points done, it will take 23 more to have a complete star. My goal is to have it that far by Monday. After all I still have a few days of no one around!

Linking up with  Jessica of Life under quilts.

Hexagon's

When I first started quilting hexagons seemed so intimidating. There is paper, thread, sewing it by hand. Who would do such a thing. Apparently I would,  because now I think it's time I give these a try!!!! I have done my research. I feel confident. Really how hard can it be?

My first step was to buy this at Jo Ann's. This is in the scrap booking isle.  I bought what Fiskars call the large punch. This gives me a hexagon with 3/4 inch sides. The picture is of the larger punch that is two inches.  But I wanted to stick to using up my scraps.

When I got it home I had to give it a try. One postcard was enough to punch out seven hexagons. Now not only am I saving every little bit of useable fabric I am saving suitable paper too.

 From this point I set down and tried to figure out a pattern that I wanted. I was able to print out the hexagon graph paper from here.  I wanted something a little different from the ordinary. I wore my little crayons down to nubs, finally settling on this.

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I intend mine to be scrappy where there is color on the graph.

Here is my first attempt. It went really smoothly. So much so that I did this on a recent road trip.

I did a lot more. I love that this can go anywhere with me. How perfect for summer!

 

Today I am linking up with Jessica of Life Under Quilts

Stats of what I have done: 26 hexagons, many more to go. Too many to count.

My traveling project

We have been helping to take care of my husbands grandparents. On Sunday's we travel to their house. While my husband takes pop grocery shopping, I stay with Nan. I do a quick cleaning, its easier without the guys and then I sit down with nan.


Our conversations go like this:
Nan: What are you doing?
Me: I am taking perfectly good fabric cutting it into smaller pieces and sewing it back to together again.
Nan: That's stupid!
Me: (She has dementia, so I take this with a grain of salt) I proceed to show her one of the completed blocks.
Nan: That's crazy!

In a way this quilt has been crazy. There are no real big instructions and the whole process takes a lot of time. No rotary cutting here!

My process was this. I would trace the templates on to the fabric, cut and place my pieces in a labeled envelope. I would maybe get one or two done while talking with Nan.

On Monday, I would sit down at my sewing machine and sew a couple of blocks together.

It was like working on a puzzle. I would sit with the book and my pieces and match everything up.

Often my seam ripper was my best companion during this process. Over the months my pile of blocks grew. And it was finally time to put the whole thing together.

 This is the helper who may have been a quilter in a past life. If there is fabric involved she is right there.

I just couldn't resist laying the top on my bed when it was complete. I felt completely crazy during the process at points. But the reality is that it was all worth while. Now on to the hand quilting. My patience should be really built up after this project.

 Will I take on another tedious project like this... hmm, ABSOLUTELY!!! Just give me a week or two, I'll be dreaming up something.

Linking up with Crazy Mom quilts for a Friday finish.

Shutter- scraps

I finally joined a quilting guild. It is probably one of the best things that I have done for myself!!!!!

It is great to be around a group of people who have the same obsession as you. One new friend gifted me this book.. I am loving it. I think I could work the whole way through this book and not get bored. I may have to do just that.

One of my other new found friends gifted me scraps. These ladies  knew just how to reach my heart <3 .="" br=""> I got to work and sorted  all of the scraps into color and then on to the cutting process. That took awhile and there are no fun photographs of that step.

After I cut all of the pieces I got to work on the piecing. This part went much faster. I started this quilt on my new sewing machine. I got a Featherweight, Yea!

Learning to use an older sewing machine was odd at first, as I am use to a computerized machine. But after learning all the ins and outs of the machine, it was like plugging away. Finally I had all 110 blocks.

*each of the logs here finish a 3/4 of an inch.

The hardest challenge of this quilt was laying it out in order to get all of my blocks separated enough that there weren't big blocks of color all in one spot. The cat was of no help during this process as well. I think I ended up laying out 5 times because she kept interrupting.

 

 

The finished quilt is just stunning. The picture doesn't do it justice. I am never disappointed with scrap quilts. The more variety the better. Not to mention that all of these pieces have found a purpose.