New Project

A few weeks ago, I saw this pattern by Lizzie Be Cre8ive Designs at Gina's.  So, I picked it up thinking this would be a perfect hand work piece - simple and fun.

 It's called Piece, Love & Applique.  The hardest challenge I have found is picking the fabrics for the feel I want.  After visiting a few fabric shops and even picking out 2 different "focus" fabrics, I decided on using the tones and colors in this piece (which will be used for a few of the blocks as well):

I have all my fabrics to get started now and I piece my first section - this pattern is done by months, was a BOM program.

I'm working on the applique now and hope to finish it in the evenings over the next week.


Don't forget to do your daily entry for my Manic Monday Offering!

And so it starts. . .

the down hill slide to the holidays!  Halloween decorations are put away and new fall ones replace them for the next couple weeks.  Then December hits!

This Turkey day I'll be sharing it with local family and preparing only a few dishes verses the whole thing!  Next year I think I'll do the hosting of the feast!

Sewing has been sparse to say the least.  I have been working on other people's items and put mine on the back burners. 

I have managed to pull out 2 UFOs and complete them and enjoy them for the fall season!  Simple and quick quilting and doing the binding by hand, I now have 2 new fall table toppers. 

Speaking of hand work, I have almost completed my inner flower of hexies!!  I will be working on the all the yellow hexies now!

Frosty Flakes....

so who's doing these Frosty Flakes BOM?  ME ME ME!

I purchased a pack of Japanese Christmas prints at Spring Quilt Market in 2009 and I thought this was the perfect project to use these!



How fun and cute and easy/quick to do...sorta :)  I spent last night preparing my mini hexies and what I did was use some of my old used 3/4" paper piece hexies and took a 1/4" off all their sizes and WAHLA - 1/2" hexies papers!



Now I used my newest notion, Sewline  Glue Pen (I LOVE THIS PEN) to hold the fabric to the paper, then I started stitching while watching Eureka (I LOVE that show :)) and finished piecing my hexies!  Let me say this hexies is TINY :)



Now I have to go out today and shop for threads and bead to finish the rest.

Frosty Flakes BOM

Anyone interested in playing along?  I'm been in a mind set that BOM's are the way to go lately for me because I don't have a lot of "me" sewing time and the time I seem to find is limited enough to work on one block, so looking at some other BOM's to pick up and this new free one just came up and it have hexagons in it!  So, yes I'm interested in it. (click on image to see the first free pattern)

I'll have my holiday fabric this weekend and so I'll pick out some fun blue shiney fabric for this project!

Remember this project?

My hexagons?  I picked them up again last night working on one of the purple flower sections.  After seeing Ms. Betsy's post earlier this week it reminded me of this project.  I haven't worked on it since school was out.

I realized I haven't shared my progress since April and I have done a lot on it.  This project is officially 15 months old and hoping it's done before it turned 2 years :)



If you want to see my progress, click on my tag: hexagons.  Here's the original pattern:

More hand work....

now I have been keeping steady on doing my hexies in the mornings with my girls.  I get about 3 attached in the time we have set aside for hand-work, but I still have about 150 yellow hexies to baste and as you can see I have 3 more sections to piece before I put it together.



Here's what they look like on the back---because I know you are curious:



(this is what the finish project will look like)

I really want to make a hexagon purse using 4-6" hexagons, but won't even think about doing it until I have this one done.

Halloween Baltimore Album.....

I'm still plugging away on this handwork project.  I'm getting close to finishing my first block (that I got in the last week of January).  I'm sooo happy with how it is turning out.  I just need to find a specific time to dedicate to it:



I just need to add the leaves and the spider on my first block.  Here are the next two, while Block 2 looks intimidating, it's going to be easier with smoother curves and Block 3 should be a breeze....but unsure if I'll ever catch up:



Need to learn to watch more tv in the evenings.......

And life moves on....

I've had a rough time over the past 5 weeks.  Dealing with crazy snow weather, readjusting my work schedule, the seasonal "winter blues" and trying to maintain some pieces of my marriage while juggling something for myself.  I haven't been too successful in all areas of my life.

Yet, somehow I have found a few minutes here and there to do some quilting.  Not up to my normal pace but it allows me a few minutes of distraction from all that is going around me.

I first need to thank, Pat for sending this month's Cottage Block along...just perfect for February (though this year's here in Maryland will be remember by snow verses hearts):



To see all the previous blocks, click here.

Next I allowed myself a luxury and joined a Block of the Month club for the Baltimore Halloween Quilt I have mentioned in the past.



I started in the last week of January and so I have 2 blocks to do.  I've been working on my first block.  This is a challenge for me.  The applique pieces are tiny and teaching myself some new techniques to make this blocks turn out nicely.



I have also been working on my next bedroom quilt that represents some tranquility that I need in that room.  I'm making a Bargello using beach colors and hope with all these snow days, I might be successful and have it completed by weekend's end.

I hope to get back to pre-posting  and sharing pictures, once I find that "right" time to me to do things.

Hope all is well in your world.

More handwork....

I just post an entire week's worth of posts.  It was about an hour of work to do, but what an accomplishment and I got to show all my pictures I've been holding on to.  I definitely will start doing this on Sundays for the week.  I've enjoyed doing it!

Here's another one of my commission works.  It's my husband's golfing friend and so I feel a bit more "pressured" to do a very good job (not like any of my other jobs I didn't feel the need to do my best mine you).  It's a 20+ year old quilt his mom made for him and it is obviously well loved and used.  After examining it, I discovered it needed 35 diamonds replace, a lot of broken stitches redo and some blocks need hand quilting.  A lot of work.

Here are a few of the blocks (there are 28 total, 25 need some kind of work):



My biggest concern was actually finding fabric that would work.  I don't want to purchase new fabric for it because it's too bright compared to the other pieces, so I ended up at the thrift shop and picked up a few old cotton shirts and then luckily went stash diving at a friends who has pieces that fit the scrappy theme.

Next, is how to add the new pieces in?  I'm using hand applique technique.  I made a diamond freezer paper template (35 of them) and ironed them to fabric.  Next cut the 1/4" seam allowance, then basted the fabric to paper.



Now I've only got one block started (at time of publishing-plan to work on it a lot over the next week), but I'm happy with the end result.  I'm stitching in between the folds of fabric.   In the photo, the bottom left dark check is one I did and started the blue one that has the basting stitches still in.



Now, it's not going to lay perfect due to time and stress on the older fabric, but I think once it's quilted and washed again, it will work nicely.

Hoping to have it finish by end of the month!

Commission Work

I've got 3 commission jobs going on now...YEAH ME!  One is through the shop and while I'm not making as much as I would like, it is still experience under my belt.  It's a quickie baby quilt and the customer has the cupcake fabric and we ran with that.  She wanted something simple and pastel pink....I think we accomplished that.



I'm very proud of the applique part.  I created the pattern and then using a programmed satin stitch on my sewing machine I randomly added the "sprinkles" to the white fabric.  Next, I turned under the edge, using my iron and starch and machine stitched down.  Then I make my cherry using Karen Kay Buckley's Perfect Circles and hand appliqued it on and then added the embroidery floss for the stem.   Very proud of that part!



Now to ponder on how to quilt it.  It needs to be done by end of this week.

Hexies

I really haven't done a lot of sewing on my machine the past few months, but I have done more and more hand work.  Here's what my hexies are looking like:



I actually have one more red flower done as well, only one left of those to do.  And I found an addicting game the involves hexies:

http://www.deadwhale.com/play.php?game=122  I actually play it on facebook.

Thimbles?

I found another new thimble, that I'm so in love with.  I have tired several different ones over the past few years, but since I've dived into hand work this year, I have tried more.   And I have discovered some thimbles are just better suited for specific hand work projects due to how I manage and handle the specific handwork task.

I have been using this open back end Clover thimble for a couple of years (I have even had to put fingernail polish on the inside of it because it tranishes my finger).



Well, Clover has been making several new thimbles this year and from Spring Quilt Market, we ordered their new jelly looking ones and I used it for my applique work and LOVED it.  I like how it hits the side of the rubber and stays when I'm pushing in.  On the open thimble above the needle slides and "doesn't catch" right.  The open thimble though is still good for binding hand work, because it is a stronger needle for me pushing a needle through several layers of fabric.  This new rubber thimble is soft and I don't need a lot of "pushing force" when doing applique.



Again, Clover came out with a new leather thimble, which I've never been a fan of leather thimbles.......until now!  This fits sooo nicely and snuggly on my finger, I completely forgot it was there.  It truly feels like you have a thick finger pad! I purchased it yesterday from the shop and used it on basting for my hexagons and I just love it!!  I'll try it on some applique work tonight to see what it's uses will be.  I think it might be good enough for binding work as well.  I just am so impressed with it, I had to share.



What thimbles do you use and why?

Another week and another weekend...

gone by.  School starts tomorrow and I think we are ready!

There has been a lot going on here.  I did some sewing, some golfing, some fishing, some birthdaying, some cleaning and now it's back to reality and work.  I took off last week to spend time with my kids to prepare for school.

I have been basting away on my Applique Affair project.  Actually I've done a lot of handwork in the evenings when watching tv with the hubby.  I only have about 200 hexagons to baste on my other project!

I decided to put away my halloween project.  It is just too busy.  I love the concept of the design, but I should have used a more solid purple verses the starry one I put with the stripes.  I don't think I'll ever finish that one - don't be surprised if it ends up in your mail box someday.



I did more clearing of my sewing area (YAH!) and finally got my design wall back up!  It really makes a difference in my attitude to sew!  So, I put up my new "quick to finish top" and plan to have it together this week:



And I did turn on my machine this weekend and did a tiny paper piecing project for the shop.  There is actually 2 in this kit, but I started with this sand bucket first-it's only 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" square:



I have lots more pictures to share, none that involve quilting :)  I'll save those for posts throughout the week.  Time to get ready for my day.

Day 7...

I'm impressed that I've kept up 7 daily posts.  I have been using the pre-posting option which really helps on those busy days!

Borders are on and I'm ready to thread baste my latest obsession.  I have Needle Pushers club tonight and think I'll baste there.  I more tickled now seeing the borders on!



And I wanted to show you the various sizes of hexagons in our house right now.  Left to right, 3/4" hex is mine, 2" hex is my youngest, 3" hex is my oldest....man my hexs are SOOOo small :)



Long work day and then off tomorrow.....I need to work more on that "other" project I mentioned a few days ago.

My First Baltimore Album Block ....

is done!  All I need to do is add setting triangles (it's going to be on point) and 2 borders:



I'm very tickled with how it came out.  I will probably hand quilt it as well, it will only be about 33" square....we'll see.

Hexagons on parade....

per Betsy's request here's my hexagon project.

It's a pattern from "The American Quilter" magazine, in May's issue this year.  (COOLIO, they have the issue online free to view and print - click on the link).  It was designed with 1/2" hexs, but I'm using 3/4" (which is the size of each side of the hexs).



And if you look closely the background is all hexs too.....crazy I know.  It has a total of 537 hexs.

So, it took me several weeks to cut 2" squares and then "square" them down to 1/4" seam allowance, then I've been basting!  I did go ahead and piece together one section just to feel "accomplished":



All my pieces are in baggies.  One large bag that holds the basted hexs and another one to hold the ones to be basted.  Then I have little baggies sorted by colors/sections...I'm beyond organized with this project:



(those are the unbasted hexs)

I did finish making a pin cushion with my very first hex project.  It was a free sample from Paper Pieces, in fact it is this exact size that I'm using....this is what had me hooked:



I have my girls working on a summer project with prize money involved (hey, bribery isn't a bad thing).  One is doing it with 2 1/2" hexs and all sorts of scraps from my scrap bin.  The other is using pink and green left overs from her Pink & Green Monster quilt and her hexs are 3"...HUGE!  They are in the basting process right now, but it looks like they might be piecing in the next week or so--I'll have more pictures to share then.

I'm pre-posting this post being I'll be on my way to Hershey to see Quilt Odyssey with 6 friends ...a full van!  So lots of pictures to share for Sunday's post!

Have a good weekend everyone!

Unsure where to start...

I haven't posted in a while and there's so much going on can't find the time to do it correctly.  Let me start now and see how long it takes for me to publish this....ok, I started this post on the 9th....let's try again.

The past 2 months have been a whirled wind!  I've traveled to Texas - again, Pittsburgh, Deal Island, Maryland, lost over 60 hours of sleep, caught back up on sleep, lost track of 3 swaps, caught back up on swaps, ripped out very nasty carpet in sewing studio (15' x 22' area), totally rearranged my sewing studio, kids got out of school, and now trying to just find my stuff to sew something for myself!!

I have been going, going, going more so than normal I had an out of season depression spell and I think I'm finally over that.  But needless to say, I have lost track on the things that helped balance me on a daily basis.   I'm starting to find my sewing items and sew, in fact I'm quilting today the last stage of a round robin swap.  Then I'm going to sew some blocks for my Needle Nosh block of the month class.

I still have a HUGE pile of stuff in my sewing studio to go through, but I'm doing it in baby steps.  A little each day.  I hope to have it organized before we leave for the ocean next week.

I have only accomplished one completed top in 3 months---if that doesn't speak volumes, then you are just getting to know me.  I finished it on my quilting retreat.  I also have done a bit of hand work with my hexagons.  I do have pictures!!!





I'll finish making some albums of my pictures over the pass few months and share them this week.

I am planning on reconnecting with my blogland friends and you might see over the next few days some comments from me on older posts :)  Sorry for neglecting you all.  I do miss you.

I have soo much to share...

and have been trying to catch up on simple things around my house.  Seems like I haven't found time for catching up.

Trying to do laundry now, trying to organize my sewing space at the same time, and sending out May birthday cards.

I had a wonderful birthday last week!  First my son surprised me with his girlfriend - we don't get to see her too often, so it was such a nice surprise and she got me hooked on the Tudors!!

Then on Wednesday I had dinner at the Green Turtle in Mt. Airy and was joined by several friends throughout the duration.



(L-R: Eva, Sati, Jane, me, Linda, Jackie II, Cheryl)

Cheryl presented me with my own birthday cake (evil woman she is):



Needless to say, my kids helped me eat all those bad things!

Then I went to Bunco with Pam and her fun friends and won the Bunco pot of $36....sweet!!   Needless to say, it ended my birthday on a high note....but not to end the celebration too soon, my friend Stacie came up for Saturday night and we drank wine, watched the 2nd season of the Tudors (which she got me for my bday gift) and just talked.   What a week!!!!

I also received my Miniature Booty 3 Swap from Norway!  Laila has incredible craftsmanship!  I'm soo in love with all the items I received from her.  She is highly talented and I feel honored she agreed to be my partner!  I haven't hung it up yet, still need to clean the wall it will hang on in my kitchen, but here's the booty:





My booty will be on it's way tomorrow to it's new home.  I can't show a picture because it's so specific, it would give it away ;)

I work today, but tomorrow and Thursday I plan to focus on my sewing space and get things packed for the deep reorganization that will happen.  It's going to be crazy and awhile before I sew on my machine again, but I have all my prep work done on my latest hexagon piece and started basting the little suckers last night...so easy to do while I'm watching TV :)

Happy Earth Day....

of course, we should celebrate it everyday....and if that is the case, the celebrating my birthday everyday would be awsome :)

I received a pleasant surprise last night when my hubby arrived home with my son (hubby drove from TN to Philly to pick up son), my son's girlfriend!  How cool is that!  So, for the next few days I have Fallon and Allen visiting!  Unsure how much sewing will get down, but I'm close to finishing my "to do" list for this week, so it might be ok!

I have meant to share my newest obsession, hand work...you say WHAT?  Well, I got a sample of hexagons from Paper Piecing (we had them at work and got some at guild). I took them along on my trip to Texas to "work on"....and I did it!!  My first flower!  Now I plan to do use two more packs to create a pin cushion, but I'm soo proud of myself and my stitching (in my opinion) is awsome!



I purchased a book called Quilts from Grandmother's Garden and have gotten a few inspirations from it.  Also in the most currect AQS Magazine, they had a very cool hexagon pattern, that I'm actually going to "kit up" and use they suggestive tips for this portable project.

I blame Karol-Ann, Betsy and my co-worker, Carolyn, for this newest addition.  I even had to purchase reading glasses to do it successfully! :)

Unsure what today holds, but dinner with friends and an evening of BUNCO (I'm sooo excited about that).

Enjoy the day!

Oh, PS...I also Twitter now as quiltingpirate and facebook is my name.