In the works!

 

This week I have been getting some pieces ready to finish for Christmas. I have a lot of unfinished projects, so for now, I am working on ones I really want to finish. Then I can decide what to do with other projects later. 

One project was a tree skirt. I made this years ago, all pieced by hand. I decided to sew it inside out with the batting and backing. My idea was to do ties in each hexagon, but not so sure now. I am wondering if it would look good if I quilted around the design elements from the outside in, then left the gold pieces, as is. Any suggestions are appreciated, but I am lazy, so simple is best, but I want it to look nice. I messed up the center, it's a bit wonky, but not noticeable when it is around the tree.

The second project is a large wall hanging. I have a rod hanger over our front entry, so this will be perfect to hang there, hopefully it will fit. I have the stockings and stars done, so next is sashing to piece those together. Next will be side pieces with trees and stars, then the top and bottom will have a saying. I realized I didn't have enough of the original black, so hoping to find the same type at the store this weekend.

I decided I wanted to have fun this halloween. We don't get kids anymore and live on a road, so no one stops by. So, we went to the kids and got to have fun with them. I changed my look a bit, went with an ugly witch look. The black spots on my face are spider stencils and I used the face paint to enhance my wrinkles. The kids live in a rural area, so the houses were more spaced in some areas. We took our truck and I got out with the kids and walked to houses when they were closer.

The funniest thing was, Alex would not go near me when I came, I guess I was a bit too creepy for him. Once he realized grandma hadn't turned into a real witch, he was fine.

Some of the neighbors had some cool displays and at one house, they had beer and pizza for the adults. It was fun to see the boys having fun and see the displays and other kids. This is one of the best displays we saw, they had a lot of other items in their yard and a fog machine.

I hope you all had a fun halloween and enjoy your weekend. 

Friday Finishes!

It was a slow week, but I did get a few things done. I did a search for designs using coloring pages as the add on and found some nice designs to try. I wanted to make round ornies with them, but then stuffed them too much, the balsam does weigh more than stuffing so I decided to keep them, as is and call them bowl fillers. I think they would be nice in a display with fake greenery to give the scent of fresh pine.

The candle was too light to see, so I colored in some yellow with fabric markers, and the flash made it look brighter, than it is. The birds were done on a white cloth and then I tea stained them. I think for the next ornies, I need to make a packet, filled with balsam to put into them.

I sewed these by machine, but I think I like the ones that I hand sewed and left a raw edge. Those I can just make a packet of scent, so will try that type next.

I also worked on my hexagon tree skirt and finally got it all together. Now I have to decide how to trim the edges. I wanted to quilt it, but I need to figure out how to do the edge. Add one on after I quilt it or add a ruffle and then quilt it, but not sure if that will work. Would love suggestions and comments on how you made your tree skirts.

It was raining and windy today, so no out door photos. The flash really messes with colors, but his one is brighter, not prim. I like brighter folk art for Christmas, as well as prim styles, mixed together.

And here is a close up of my piecing. I cut out the hexagons with a go cutter, then I mark the seams with a quarter inch ruler. Then I sew them by hand, matching the seam lines and the points, so I usually get nice joins but on occasion I get sloppy and there are a few creases, here and there;)

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Mini Christmas Hexagons!

After I finished the punch needle, I decided I wanted to make a mini hexagon quilt and use homespuns. I tried to stick with more green and some red, but I don't have much in scraps for those colors and I didn't want to get into my fat quarters for this. I used the accuquilt small hexagon and 1/4" seam. I do not use paper, I mark the seam lines and sew them together. For this one, I used the machine to sew the pieces into rows, then I hand sewed the rows together. I usually sew all my hexagons by hand, but for the straight seam, it seemed to make more sense to save some time and my fingers. I bordered it with greens to keep a Christmas look and used floss to do the tacks. I haven't stained it yet, still trying to decide if I should leave it as is, or maybe add a little snowflake applique or something like that in a corner?

I decided to let one of my old kitties, show it off.

New Hexagons and Giveaway Goodies!

I finally finished my other runner, this one will fit in more spaces in my house, and I made it so I can place things on it for Christmas decorating. I made a mess of the border and wondering, am I supposed to put batting there too, or maybe that is why my borders are so stiff. On a quilt I can see it, but now that I have done these, I realize, it might be just put batting in the design area, since I don't do any quilting on the border?

I also wanted this to look antique, so I soaked it in tea and then gave it a spray of walnut to darken it more. Of course with the camera, it is hard to see the aged look, but I tried to get it, the best I could. It is nothing fancy, this was actually my first piece, all hand cut, hand sewed and no guide for the seams, so they are not perfect.

 Here it is, a little closer and lighter, so you can see the aged look a bit better. And if you are wondering, someone made me the pear as a gift and I made the strawberries. I wish I had more of that wool, makes great strawberries. But what I have left, has to go in a rug I have yet to finish;)

And I also got a surprise package today. For some reason I thought I had won a few pieces of fabric, and was so surprised at all the goodies I got. This was a giveaway, hosted by Cindy of Yankee Valley Stitcher. I love the fabric she sent me. I have been thinking of making some more crib type quilts and this fabric reminds me of the ones on old doll cradles. I even have a pattern that I found that would be perfect for it. And if you know me and scissors, I am always needing a new pair, I love this pair, just the right size and weight for clipping and cutting when I hand sew. I use blue markers for my stitcheries, so it will be fun to try a new brand out, not thrilled with the ones I get. The tape measure is also something I need, now I don't have to roll mine up every time I want to measure something and a notebook and a package with all types of note and stickies to use while I work. What a wonderful package to win, all the things I use and need and wonderful fabric, Cindy really outdid herself with her giveaway.

Hexagons, Halloween and Hokie Mokie!

I finished my hexagon topper, at least I think I did. Should I or shouldn't I, tea stain it?
 I hand sewed them together, so they are not perfect. I learned from making these, to mark my 1/4 mark on the back, so I could sew more evenly;) It is all hand sewn except for the border, which I attached by machine. It measures 22 1/2" from end to end and the hexagons are 1 1/2". This is a great lap or traveling project and by using smaller hexagons, you can make a lot of different design variations.

Here is a close up of the stitching. I used black pearl cotton and stitched inside of each hexagon. I used my new camera, so the colors are better, but I still need to learn how to use the settings to get true color shots. The feather stitch was done with some of my hand dyed floss, so it goes from dark to light green. I am not sure if I will use it for a topper, not sure if I have a table it will fit, lol. I think it would make a nice base for a prim, table top tree.

I took out some decorations and threw them on the table;) I took the rag balls I had and just added orange and gold fabrics around what I had, so they would be bigger and I could use less fabric, that way. Plus, when I am done with fall, I can take it off and they will be red and green again;) The wonderful candle mat was made by my friend Kelley.

And for the Moki fans, this is for you. Not sure where he was, but doesn't say much about my cleaning;)

Goofs and Giveaway!

I had one of those days, I got a lot done, but not without the help of my furry buddies and a lot of mess ups.

First I cut up some more hexagons. This way I have plenty to work on, to get some progress done this weekend.
Of course Izzy had to check them out.



Then I got the idea to make an apple core runner for my dining bureau. I have a large penny rug on it now, but the cats get all over it and i need something clean I can put on, to set the dishes on. But my first try, I jammed the threads at the beginning. The second, I sewed two together nicely, then realized one core was backwards, so I tried one more and got it right. But, it made me realize that I need to take my time and it is too much to get done for Easter. Soooo, I decided to make a quickie runner. I got some nice fabric from my friend Kelley, perfect for a table cloth. I sewed two pieces together and planned on doing a blanket stitch with my machine, but then I changed my mind and went fancier. Machine sewing a design, takes a long time, lol. I have never done this before and I made a mess, but it will have to be good enough. At least I can put the dishes down on a clean runner.



This is a close up, you can see my bad stitching, guess I need to show it to my pfaff lady and have her explain to me, how to do it right;) I really need lessons, lol. The good thing is that the material is still good, so later I can take off the edges and still use the material in another project.



And then I got a start on Easter cleaning. I cannot vacuum without Casey wanting a clean up for himself. He likes to be vacuumed and playing ball while I clean. As I vacuum he throws the ball at me and if I ignore him, he will put it on the vacuum. I think it is the noise that gets him going, he is definitely a bit odd;)

And this is my 500th post! And I think it is time for a double giveaway! First prize will be a handmade item from me and the second winner will receive a free epattern. But, I will make you wait till saturday to find out what the prize will be. That will be the official contest day! I haven't quite decided, but I have a few ideas;) So make sure to come back Saturday and leave a comment!

Big Hexagons and Hippie progress!

I got an idea in my head, so had to try it. I have way too much time on my hands, lol.
I wanted to try my large hexagon die with a fussy cut. Of course I had nothing that worked in that size.
So, I remembered the charm packs that I won and thought, these would work perfect.
The nice thing is, they fit the die just about right, what little I lose on one edge, doesn't effect it, since I have a 1/4" seam and that part goes under. I appliqued the picture hexagons onto the other colors and then thought, maybe I can put a plain square in between. Not sure if I like it as is, I might add a smaller hexagon in the middle of the large or do a snowflake stitch on them.
I just threw the colors together, I can plan it out better, once I get enough to finish a lap sized.

I think this would be nice with a machine satin stitch, and if I turned the edges over better.



I also added more to my hippie piece. I realized that it is a good memory piece for me. The first time I met my husband was when a friend asked me to go to a concert, and Bill was driving. We went to see an outdoor free concert by Aerosmith, and he was driving a blue VW. I wish I had added more hair, yes mine is that thick, lol. I was a blond then, but the brown shows up better. I plan on adding "Dream On", in stitches, since that is Aerosmith's first song, thought it would be perfect for this piece.

Hexagons and Hippies!

I am still recovering, the cillin kicked in and my lungs are clearing, but it tires me out.
So, I spend more time on the couch resting, but try to do things around the house to keep my body moving and my lungs working. I look forward to some warm days when I can get out and take some walks again.

I worked a bit on my hexagons. It is all hand sewn, no paper, so takes a lot of time. I wanted to see how the golds looked around the outside and am happy with the results. I will continue to use what greens and reds I have and use the same gold fabric for the outer border. I like how the diamonds look like they are sitting on the background. I had to take a side picture, but it will have the triangles going upward for the length. Each Hexagon is 20" in length.



Yesterday I wanted a break and something fun and goofy to do, lol. I found this design on a coloring page, I was looking for peace sign ideas for my daughter. But, I saw this and just had to try it in fun colors. I used heat and bond to iron the pieces down and dmc floss for sewing. I am doing raw edge and once it is all sewn down, I will add the fun details. There will be flowers and peace signs on the car and I may even add a kitty laying on the top;) The girl has an afro, but I thought I would give her long hair and a floppy hat. It is just something fun that I can add to, as I go.

Hexagon fabric and Moki!

I went out shopping today and treated myself. To me a treat is walking around the store and loving a million things but making excuses why I shouldn't buy it, lol. But I did find a material to go with my hexagons and on sale, love those sales. I wanted to go with a dark tan, but this color works with the fabrics I am using and will give a little more color for the holidays. What do you think? I can't wait to start adding this to the outer edge, but need to rest my poor fingers.



Then I found some nice basic tan floral, always need lights to mix in with the darks and on sale, who can say no to a few yards.
I found the black fabric and thought it would be perfect for a border on a mermaid piece for my bathroom. So now I need to come up with a new idea and make one.



And last but not least, there is Moki, gotta love him.
I think my rug needs a repair, I made it about 30 years ago, does that make it an antique, lol.
He seems to like the hole, great place to stick his head into.

And to answer a few questions. The mini quilt on the bench is one I made up with scraps. Just sew some squares together, hand stitch with black floss, add a border and an easy table or bench topper;) And for the scrap eggs becoming hearts, I made some last year with crazy quilting. Another easy and fun way to use up scraps. You can see them Here!

New Hexagons and Last night of Contest!

Tonight is the last night to enter into the contest. You don't want to miss out, who wouldn't like free money to spend on anything you want;) You can still sign up tonight, the drawing will be tomorrow.

I started my christmas hexagons. I was going to go with colonial florals, but found I have a lot of the darker red and black shades, so hoping I have enough of these three to do them all this way. I will mix the greens up, using what I have. I want it to be uniform in some ways, but scrappy in other. I will be adding a border of a dark cream shade so that the diamonds will be sitting on a cream background. It all depends on what I can find to match, I may change my mind;) The sizes are all the same, it is the angle that makes them look off.

Star Hexagon Topper

I finished my star hexagon, finally!
It takes a long time to sew, such a small piece together.
I love using hexagons, but wanted to try something different, so using hexagon paper, I tried different designs with colored pencils and this is the one I liked. I was thinking it would be a nice table topper with a prim tree on it.
I am still deciding on the edge. I will trim it straight and then I was thinking of adding an edging or antique lace.
It measures 21" across. I am also going to leave it as is, and just back it without batting, so it will lay flat for the tree.

Also, I have gotten no response from the winners, so I will be picking new winners if I do not hear from them before my next posting.

My New GO Experience!

First of all, I am one of those people who buys something new and am the one person who gets the bad one, lol.
I am beginning to wonder if that is the case with my new Go.

I decided for Christmas to treat myself to a Go cutter by buying the machine and using my reward cards for the dies.
I received the cutter on one day and the dies the next, so was happy that they came so close together. I ordered the hexagons and strip cutter for borders. The first thing I realized is, you need different sized mats for different dies, so remember that when you order dies. Since I only had the square pad, I figured it was good enough to use on the hexagons, since it is a small mat.

I used the mat and it worked fine, but started falling apart. I am not sure if it is from the fact that it is larger than the hexagon die or I got a bad mat? But, the wear alone makes me wonder how long a mat will last. This is the mat, it is coming apart at the ends, don't think that should happen?



I was able to get to the store and get the right sized mat. I used it to cut a few hexagons, to make a small mat. This is what I cut.



This is how the mat looked, after cutting those hexagons. One problem I see is that the die has three sized hexagons on it and I am only using one. Wouldn't it be better if they put more hexagons of the same size on one die? It would be much more efficient, in my opinion.



Then, halfway through I notice my hexagons are crooked?



Now, I did nothing different, was cutting with the good mat and it just went from cutting fine to cutting with one bad side. So I looked at the die and this is what I saw. This happened while I was cutting, so I assume I got a bad die and it went while I was using it.



So, I mentioned it to Accuquilt and they said to call them. That would be fine if I didn't have coughing attacks and hate to talk on the phone. For some reason they do not want to respond to email? So, I emailed the company I ordered it from and in two days I got a new one. Now that was nice of them, since it is the company that usually replaces the item. I was very happy since I could cut again and work on finishing my piece.

So, my opinion about the Go cutter is still up in the air. I do love using it, it is fast and easy, I did not have to read directions or do anything special to use it. I had heard that it is hard to turn the handle and I do have arthritis, but found it turned easily, with all six pieces of fabric, so that is a plus in my book.

My doubts are with how long the mats will last. They are not cheap, so I expected them to last at least a year, we shall see. They do work with all the cuts in them, but I wonder if they will still cut nicely after a lot of use, we shall see on that, as well. I never received a reply from their web support, but they do answer on facebook. I guess I have to call if I want answers and a replacement mat for the first one.

My recommendation if you plan on buying a go is to buy from a local dealer if you can. Then if you have problems, you have someone you can go to. Online, I have a Notion is one place, I would trust for product satisfaction. Kelly also tests all of her products and is happy to help you with your selections. I also have to say, SewVacDirect is where I got my dies from and they replaced my die, no questions asked.

I am working on finishing my hexagon piece, so hopefully I will have it done in a few days. I have enjoyed being able to use the cutter to make a piece and save myself the trouble of hand cutting them.

Moki and Me!

Today I received a wonderful package from my friend Kelley.
She knows how much I love fabric and she sent me bundles of wonderful textile fabrics.
And, plenty of velvet to create with, so I will have fun with some art quilts and maybe some nice runners.
She also made me the beautiful cross stitch, I love the linen and floss she used, she does such beautiful primitive work.



And for the Moki lovers, here is Moki doing what he loves most, playing ball.



And for those of you who are thinking about getting a Go cutter, I finally broke down and got one this week. This is what I decided to try today. I just wanted something to keep my hands busy and try the new cutter. Tomorrow I will give you my review and photos and It is not all positive;)

Hexagon Mess!

It was one of those days, my brain was on vacation.
I put some of the outer hexes on last night when I was tired.
That was a mistake, today I realized I did it wrong.
So, I had to rip out the hexagons and that isn't easy with small pieces.
Then I starting resewing and realized I had it wrong again, that happened twice, lol.
Luckily I could move them around, so the ragged edges will be trimmed when I put on a binding.
After I got this done I realized I had an extra row in the middle and I really wanted an extra row on the outer ends to lengthen it there. But, I do not have enough of the green to add to that, so I am stuck with what I have.

So, this is it, looks off, but will have to do. I want to do quilting on it and thinking green piping for binding?
They say you learn from your mistakes, so when does the learning come in?

This is my special month, the one I prefer not to think about, but I wanted to do something special for my followers.
Look for a giveaway this Sunday.

Christmas Hexagons!

I decided I wanted to do some sewing and have been wanting to try a runner with smaller hexagons.
This one will be a present. The fabrics were from my friend kelly, from the rocky mountain collection.
I used a 1" hexagon template and made a card stock template. I traced that right onto the fabric with a pen and cut them out.
I think the seam is about 1/4", maybe smaller, I am eye balling it;) No paper piecing, just cut and sew, while I watch tv.

This is the main block. Each one will have the lighter green around it. Once those are done, I can get a better idea of the size and shape I want. I fussy cut the outer red hexagons, so the flower is centered as best as possible.



I tried two layouts. This is with points touching.



This is with a more squared off look. Not sure which one I like better? How about you?
This one will just be a small table topper, so not making it too big. I will decide after I go around these two, if I need a third section.

Finished Hexagons!

Today I decided to finish my hexagon quilt.
I added ties to the middle of each flower and a couple of reddish orange tacks on some blacks.
It needed more than that, and I didn't want to cover it with ties, so I went with machine stitching in the inner and outer border area. To bind it, I cut off the excess backing and batting to 1 1/2" from the outer seam line.
I fold the black over the backing and then fold that in half to give it a smooth look on the back.
I was not trying to be perfect with this quilt, since I made it for fun and to try out hexagons.
It will make a nice lap quilt though.

As you can see Izzy is the first to try it out. She is happy that Moki is no longer using the office, she likes to sit on the chaise, when I am in here. For the backing I used the fabric that is in some hexagons and it has most of the shades in the flowers. I found that at a thrift store.



Here it is laid out. I think it might be a good piece to leave in my room for when I am sitting and working on designs, this winter. I used two layers of batting to make it warm.

Hexagon Borders

Today I got the borders done on my hexagons.
I decided to just trim off the edges and even it out.
Then I took the scraps from the flowers and pieced them together to form the first border.
Then I took black and put that around for the edging.
After I get the ties done, I will take about an inch of the black and fold it around to the backing, for my binding.

On the Moki front, he came for breakfast today and then wandered off. I think he had a rough night, he looked thinner and was really skittish.

Cats and Hexes

Since sitting is the only activity I seem to be able to do, hand stitching is the best project to keep my hands busy.
I should know better, stretch before and after activity;)

I made this piece a few months ago and decided to bind it for now. I wanted to do quilting on the border, but not sure.
Should I add quilting to the border or leave it alone? The piece was painted with acrylics after I stitched it. I wanted to try a different material, I think the background is a cotton mix. I prefer 100% cotton, it takes the paint better. With this, the paint sat on top of the fabric, so it is stiffer feeling.

The pattern is from a Red Brolly, free design. She has wonderful kitties in this series. Great ideas for gift giving to friends. She has a fun christmas kitty for the newest freebie.



I spent the last two days, sewing hexagons and think I will stop at this point. I just wanted a lap quilt and with the borders, it should be the perfect size. My plan is to use the homespun scraps from the flowers, to do little triangles around the edge. The problem is what to do with the top and bottom, they don't line up the same way as the sides, so I will have to think on how I will go around with the colors. After I add a border color, then I will use black for the edge and binding. Instead of quilting, I am thinking of putting ties in the middle of each flower.

I also decided that I want to do up a few extra chicken designs to go with my last piece. I will probably punch one and offer only a design with the other, but I will work on those this week, so you will get three patterns instead of one.

More Hexagons!

I started out my hexagons by doing a colored flower in the middle, surrounded by black.
Then I realized that it would be black touching black, so I had to change my thinking, which is not easy;)
Yesterday I made up some more colored pieces and tonight I added black, only where needed to fill in the other spaces.
I will add black to the empty spaces on the end, to even it out. Then I will figure out how I want to finish the edge.
I am sure there is an easier way to figure out what blocks go where, but I am piecing them like a puzzle, which works for me, lol.
I did not press the pieces yet, but I will do that, before I sew the rows together. I just hope I can finish it by next month, so I can use it for the fall holidays.

I found a really great site for making hexagons, by Linda Franz. I would love to do this method, quicker, easier and the lines are printed out, so my blocks might not be so whonky;) It does seem a bit high to me, but a great idea if you do a lot of hexagons and hand piecing.
She does have a free hexagon booklet with how to's and layouts, so worth signing up for.

A little of this and that

While awaiting the hurricane that is coming our way, I did some prep work today.
I made up some more hexagons to cut out and finished the new, second one.
I decided to go with homespuns instead of scraps and a purple theme, lol. So I made two purple ones, with gold.



Then I went through my stash and looked for smaller pieces of homespun, and found some nice reds and orange shades.
So.... Now it has some new colors and I am thinking, this would make a good fall/halloween quilt. In case you are wondering, I am doing this the hard way. Tracing the shapes on freezer paper, cutting by hand and sewing without a seam line, so they are not perfect, but if I tried to be perfect, I would mess it up;)



This weekend my nephew is getting married at our local state campground. We will be going during the day and maybe spend a night, but I have to take care of my furry babies, so will be coming home at night. We have a cabin, so I have a nice little porch to sit on and relax when I want. I made up some stitcheries that I can do, so here is a sneak preview. Next week will be cooler, so I can spend some time in my sewing room and finish off the other ones I have made.