Back to Stitching

Well I'm back to stitching on the hexagon quilt.  As you can see the hexagons are complete and they are pinned to the medallion center ready to be appliqued down.

And the applique on my Pickled Lilies quilt is about half done too.  Later today I will be doing more foundation piecing on the charity quilt that my guild is making so that should get me all set to tackle piecing the border for this one.  The Christmas decorating is almost complete and while I'd like to be working on these projects I think its time to start thinking about gifts to make!

Hexie update and more

Wow, I can't believe it has been a week since I posted, but as you can see I'm still working away on my hexie medallion quilt.  The applique center is all finished and I am happy with my first foray into Broderie Perse.

Here are more hexagons sewn together. Still a few more to go but I have so many hexie flowers sewn together and cut out that I'm thinking that I may have to use them in a border too.

 For 3 days last week my sister-in-law and brother-in-law from Texas were here for a visit. She is also a quilter so we had fun shopping the local quilt stores and making these cute little butterflies for their new baby grandchild who is due to be born any time now.  It is to be a girl and we had fun making these to hang in her room.  Since I have no little girls in my life, I sent the pattern home with her and can't remember the pattern name.

I was delighted with this Dutch fabric that my SIL brought for me.  She lives near the quilt store "Happiness is Quilting" in McKinney, TX which, I believe, is the only American shop that carries this fabric.  I'm thinking that I need to order the panel now that I have seen this in person. 
Happy Stitching to all.

Back to Applique

 I've been out of town for a few days and was able to spend lots of time with my hexies but yesterday I was itching to get the appliqued medallion prepped for stitching.  Picking out the fabrics and watching an applique piece come together is probably my favorite part of quilting and I can really lose myself.  I finally decided to use these 3/4" flowers in a variation of the "Aunt Sarah" quilt in the Quilt Mania magazine No. 82.  I did change the medallion slightly and decided to try Broiderie perse (now I just know I spelled that wrong) with the flowers.  I love how it looks and can't wait to see it all appliqued.  As you can see I have glued up the whole block and have started stitching using the needleturn method.  I know it is a bit unconventional to glue everything down first, but it works for me!

Here is an idea of how it will look with the hexagons added.  Again I changed this from the pattern, eliminating the bottom row of hexagons to keep it more square. Yay, its half done.

Just for fun I put some half square triangles on the design wall to help me get thinking about some borders.  The pattern just has a straight border to finish off the quilt but I want to add a little more interest.  These triangles are left overs from another project, actually throw aways, and I am excited to think that I can use them for this project. I have about 300 of these and I am liking this so far.

Finally, here is the little pin cushion I made to go in my hexie sewing basket.  It is made with 1/2" hexies and was a fun little experiment.  I just love having my sewing accessories look as pretty as the project I am working on!
Happy Stitching 

Hexies coming together

I just set my hexies on my bed and aren't they looking pretty.  I've decided that this quilt is going to hang on the wall behind this bed so I can enjoy it everyday.  I had no idea how time consuming these little things were going to be when I started this project so I don't want it to end up folded up in a pile and besides if it is for the wall it won't have to be so big!  I'm definitely planning an appliqued medallion center surrounded by these hexagons and perhaps something extra in the borders. 

Thanks to everyone who responded to my last post.  I didn't know about "refreshing" a page so that info helped and I think I have solved a few other problems on my own.  This blogging can be frustrating but I am learning lots, both about computers and quilting!

Off to make more hexies!

The frenzy continues

I've been a bit slack on my posting lately because I have been in a bit of a hexie frenzy.  My papers arrived last week and I have been working steadily on this pile of hexagons.  I did try printing out some of the hexagons on card stock and cutting them out but frankly that was rather time consuming and no fun at all, so I was thrilled when the papers I ordered arrived.  The company was very quick to reship them to the correct address and their prompt and considerate customer service means that I will be happy to order from them in the future.  So nice when a company does everything they can to fix a mistake rather than argue about it!
 My biggest problem with these little beauties is that they are so addictive I haven't done any other sewing in the past week, but they will be super travel companions when I go out of town later this week.  I'm still not positive how I am going to use them but I think that a medallion with some applique may be involved.  Such fun!!!

My new addiction

For years I have heard mutterings among quilters about the thrill of hexagons but I have never been too tempted.  Frankly, the typical Grandmother's Flower Garden never spoke to me and English Paper Piecing just seemed like it would be too much work.  But then I started seeing all the wonderful things being done with hexagons in some of the Australian blogs that I read and I became intrigued.  I have loved Australian quilts for years and have many magazines but blogland really opened up a whole new world of inspiration.  I had some of the paper hexagons sitting around ,you know those things you buy thinking someday maybe I'll try this.  And after checking out several different tutorials I made my first one with some scraps that were already cut in the right size.  Wow, what fun!!  A new addiction is born.  As you can see I found a perfect little basket sitting around the house and have already filled it with cut fabric and I ordered more of those little papers. My DH says that I am so obsessed with the "papers" that it sounds like I'm addicted to something else, but no its just these little hexagon beauties.

So thanks to all you bloggers using hexagons in beautiful ways, especially those in Australia, you have a fan and convert.