Hexi Friday Not

If youré looking for the giveaway - choice of a video craft class (which you can see as many times as you want and at your leisure) go here

What with working on my LE, I didn't have a chance to do any hexies this week, so my flower looks the same as last week.
And then yesterday we were punched by a storm cell that dropped almost 2.5 inches of rain in two hours - a rare occurrence here.  I took a video but blogger is not cooperating in letting me upload it - even though it's small enough. The yard is a mess.  So for Hexie Friday I have a great link to share with you.  If you haven't seen it already, do go to Life at Ruffhaven's  blog and see the most delightful owl quilt that has hexagons - you'll love it.  She was part of the Hexie Blog Hop and oh, was there a lot of wonderful "hexiness" in that Hop! Go here, too, to see Theresa's wonderful day.

As to a finish, I do have two .  I made my Block Lotto block for this month -a tall star (looks sort of chunky to me)  - my Lovely Year of Finishes goal for August.  And I finished the FMQ on my mod Flower Baskets - all bound and ready for gifting.

















Here's how I did the edges.  I took my freezer paper motif and cut it down the middle.  Then ironed them between the baskets around the edges.
        
 
 Finally I cut the curves where they joined and did the corners.  
 
What have you been working on? Would love to see your hexie project or anything else. Linky below.
 

I'm linking to Amanda Jean's Finish it Friday , Leah, FMQ Project, and A Lovely Year of Finishes. Do visit for more quilty fun.

Applique Tuesday Part Deux

I'm back with a plea for your opinion.  I've kept working on my LE and can't decide between these two versions of the wedge shape order.  They're just laid them around the compass for now.
Version 1
 or Version 2
What do you think?

Would love to see your eye candy - applique or otherwise. Linky below.  And while I wait for your wonderful eye candy, I'm linking to Connie's Free Motion by the River to see all the goodies posted there. Do go see #41 - Ruffhaven's fabulous Owl Quilt.

Oh, and don't forget I have a giveaway ongoing for a free video class. Go here to comment.

Wow, Design Wall Monday and more.

First, if you're looking for the craft class giveaway, go here. Ends Monday Noon.

Last week I used .75 yards to repair a lounge chair cover. The yardage came right out of my stash. That and the bits and pieces I culled for Esther's quilt (too little to count) was all the stash busting I did.  My numbers are
in 0.0 yds.; out .75 yds.
Stash in YTD: in 8.5 yds., out 95.18yds.
Donated YTD: 41.96 yds
Net for 2013: out 86.68 yds
 
 
 On my design wall is my LE (Love Entwined) applique quilt.  I'm behind but some are just starting. We decided this isn't going to be a race. Actually, being a bit behind is proving to be beneficial because I am learning so much from what the ladies ahead of us are doing.
 
 
As you can see I finished the stems and leaves (done by machine with edges turned under) and now starting the pie shaped sections that go around the circle.  I think I'll just make segments in different colors until I find  a combo I like. Last will be the flowers for the top of the stems.  While I was making the leaves Frank was shaking his head watching me - they are a lot smaller than they look.  I'm so glad I saw that video about making the tiniest of applique pieces.  This project will be a long time on my design wall. 
 
I'm linking to Judy's Design Wall at Patchwork Times, Lyn's BOMs Away, and Esther's Wow.  This will also serve as my applique for the week - it is very time intensive.  What's on your design wall?


A Fun Way to Applique-- And a Giveaway!

 I heard from Eric at Fons and Porter the other day about a new way - well, new way to me anyway - to learn about our quilting craft - Daily Craft TV.  Like Craftsy, The Quilt Show, and QNN, they offer class videos about quilting and crafting.  Many of these are taught by experts from leading craft magazines.  Now I can learn from books and photos, but I do a lot better with something new if I can watch someone and work along with them.  Watching a teaching video helps as it's the next best thing to being in an actual workshop or class. So when Eric offered to give me a free class to review - I jumped at the chance - especially as there were 37 quilting classes to choose from - and that was only for quilting - lots more for sewing, knitting, crocheting, scrapbooking and  papercraft.  And they were quite inexpensive compare to the other competition.

I wanted to learn a new applique technique, so I picked "Make an Applique Portrait of your Pet from a Photograph".  Here's the brief video summary of the class. PS: Takes a moment to come up.


I enjoyed the class and as Jodie said - it is easy and fun to make a fusible pet portrait.  What I found most interesting is Jodie made the process easy and without having to buy any special tools to make this portrait.  Also, she encourages one to use what is in our stash to make these quick quilts - I liked how she used prints to give the pets character and still be true to the photos.  I would have liked Jodie to have shown some photos that would not have worked for this project so we don't get in over our heads with pieces and also a little more on thread painting (To me, this part was sketchy, needed more on thread, etc), but overall this would be a class I would recommend to people who would like to try this method.  Her examples were fabulous!

I decided to review a class with you in mind, readers, For in doing so I get to give away one of  Daily Craft TV's offering - your choice.  To win this free class, please go to http://www.dailycrafttv.com/ and look around the website - then click on the tab of your favorite craft  and review their offerings.  Come back to my blog and tell me which class you'd like to take in a comment.  I'll pick a winner next Monday about this time.

Hexie Friday and FMQ

Some hexie progress made during my long weekend with the Grands.  At least I finished the inner circle of hexies.
It's suppose to be hot this week, so I might get a lot more done as I sit in the living room staying cool.

And I've been doing some FMQ on that mod Flower Baskets charity quilt.  I sort of followed the design of the basket insides, but decided I wanted to do something different than meandering around the baskets.  I have this phobia of marking my quilt tops, so I came up with a geometric template that I cut out of freezer paper. A little more time consuming  - have to stop after stitching each one and move the pattern to the next intersection.  It is doable as I am using my home sewing machine.

I then iron it in place on the quilt top and stitch around the freezer paper. 

It is HARD doing those lines - just as I find SITD hard, too.  It got better with each one.
Here's how it looks after stitching - not perfect but a way lot better if I didn't use the paper:
So that's my hexies and FMQ for today.  What are you up to?  Would love to see your hexies or other project progress, too!  Linky below.

I'm linking also to Billie's Hexie Friday post, Amanda Jean's Finish it Friday and Leah's FMQ Friday. Visit and see more luscious eye candy.

Applique Tuesday

I'm quilting my applique charity quilt - hope that counts for working on applique.  I first thought about quilting each block in a circular design:
Well that didn't work as FMQ for me - here I'm taking the stitches out.  How do you do spirals and make them come out even?  Is there a stencil like for Baptist fans?  I then decided to FMQ as basket and flowers:

I liked that better, so that's what I'll do for the 8 other flower baskets.  I'll think about the white area later.   I have made some of the applique pieces for LE, but they're too tiny to look like much at this time. Hope to find time for more. All the GKs start school next week, so I should have more time.

Had a fun time with them last weekend.  Aren't they sweet.  Frank is 9 and Lily is 3.

Would love to see your eye candy - applique or otherwise. Linky below.

It's Hexie Friday

 

I've stopped packing, watering, and straightening for a few minutes to post my teeny progress before I'm off to Duarte to babysit another set of cherubs for three days.  Here's the start of the next hexie for my flower baskets.

For me any progress is better than no progress - this has been the busiest summer in a long while.

Please share your hexi project or anything you're working on. I'd love to see it!  Linky below:

To satisfy our hexi - longing here are two links you can go to to satisfy our obsession:

A pinterest page and a blog .

See you Monday!

Applique Tuesday and a Finish!

Another project I needed to get going on, and now the top is done:
Here's the latest neonatal quilt.  I'm calling it Flower Baskets Mod - although my DH said they were Easter eggs, LOL.  Do you think it qualifies as a Modern quilt?  So far it is just a flimsy.  At the last guild sew day, I found these fabrics in the large bags that had been donated.  These were the scraps from a seamstress which makes little girls clothes.  These pieces looked like (from what else I found in the bag) either little sleeves or yokes for dresses.  I sewed the pieces together and then made the oval pattern.  The blocks came out just right for a 10 1/2" block.  I turned over the seam allowance to the shiny side of the freezer paper and pressed it, then center the baskets on the background and pressed that, too.  I then machine appliqued it with a tiny zig-zag stitch using Aurifil thread 50wt in both bobbin and spool.  They went together fast once I sat down and just did them.

There's my applique for this week.  I have Wednesday and Thursday free of babysitting. I hope to get back to LE and the other two BOMs. The weekend will be see me out of town to babysit another set of GKs, so I'm posting this finish for Friday today.

What have you been up to?  Would love to see eye candy, applique or otherwise.  It's all wonderful.

Linking to Connie's Free Motion by the River also so you can see other eye candy and Amanda Jean's Finish it up Friday for a whole lot more finishes.

On My Design Wall 8/12/13

I've added another row of blocks and sashing to the charity top:
One more row of blocks to go!  This will measure 36" square.  The charity tops I make for St. Anne's are that size for two reasons - big enough to snuggle a newborn and small enough to later use to sit on, and as baby gets older use in stroller or car seat.

What's on your design wall?  I'm linking to Judy's Patchwork Times and Lyn's BOMs Away.  See you there.

Stash Report 8/11/13 & Reveal

Almost the same as last week, but this past week I didn't even have the mere scraps that I would have appliqued. And all the hexie fabric has been accounted for earlier.  I did have to donate a yard of white to the St. Anne's charity quilt - that's all the busting I've done.  Here are my numbers:
in 0.0 yds.; out 1.0 yds.
Stash YTD: in 8.5 yds., out 94.43 yds.
Donated YTD: 41.96 yds
Net for 2013: out 85.93 yds
 
Also, I can finally show those two quilts for the twins as their party was yesterday.  Happy First Birthday Daniela and Elena! 
Here they are - front and back.
 
These were a disappearing nine patch with sashing.

Wavy line down one diagonal and then SID around other block pieces.
Gave it a nice serendipitous four block design.
In an earlier post of last week I showed Elena's name on her quilt.  Here is Daniela's:

I was personalizing without standing out too much.
Go on over to Judy's Patchwork Times to see how others did this past week in de-stashing.



It's Hexie Friday!

and I got my second block done. Yeah!  I was afraid the last hexie flower wouldn't go with the other two, but it does. Now I can start the next set of three and work on LE - my busiest part of the month is done.

Do you have a hexie project you're working on ( I wonder how Billie will showcase her lovelies this week), one you've finished or one you've seen lately that you could share?  Any eye candy is great.  Linky below.
And for more wonderful eye candy, I'm linking to Finish it up Friday, so go see Amanda's post!

Applique Tuesday

Not!  Not only did I have two quilts to finish so I can gift them this coming Saturday, but Alan is here for three days while his parents go to Phoenix.  So no applique on LE, Whimsical, Anna's Garden or anything else. I did last week place some more blogs that feature applique on my Blog List.  Go on over to the right and check those out - THEY have eye candy!

Alan has been a gem - so talkative and easy going. Here he is with a bunny my DGD left behind - he loves that stuffed bunny!  I'll have to look around for one like it.  It's sooooo soft.

And from the International Quilt Festival in Long Beach last Friday - here is an applique beauty - sorry didn't have time to write down who created this fabulous quilt - we were short of time.
Have eye candy to share?  I'd love to see it.  Linky Below.

DWM - 8/5/13

No stash busting for the second week.  I've used a miniscule bit of scraps to make some hexies and made one block so maybe a one hundredth of a yard - LOL , but that's all.  So my number are still:
in 0.0 yds.; out .01yds.
Stash YTD: in 8.5 yds., out 93.43 yds.
Donated YTD: 40.96 yds
Net for 2013: out 84.93 yds
  
I'm still quilting away on those two baby quilts.  Have one done - even the binding,  and plugging away on the second.  So technically, that's what's on my design wall along with the baby quilt for St. Anne's.  Here's how I've personalized the two baby quilts.
In one of the squares I decided to put a twin's name.  I printed it out in Word to fit a 4" block.  Then I laid freezer paper over it and traced it in pencil.  I then ironed the freezer paper over the block in the direction I wanted it and sewed around the script.  It doesn't stand out a lot, but then I didn't want it to, just be visible enough so Mama would know whose is whose.  Only vexing thing is getting out all those teeny tiny bits of paper.  Think next time I'll use a water soluble product that will dissolve away and not have that problem.  I'll see.

And as far as the charity quilt - I've gotten one row of blocks and one row of sashing done. 

I hope to finish the baby quilt tomorrow so I can work on the charity quilt and have the top done by Thursday. This may not be possible as I am  watching Alan for three days.  What will be will be.

What's on your design wall?  How did your de-stashing go? Did you FMQ?  Would love to know what you're up to.  I'm linking to Judy's Patchwork Times, Lyn's BOMs Away, Connie's Free Motion by the River and Esther's WIPs on Wednesdays (WOW) so when I take a break from "FMQing" I can see some eye candy.

Hexie Friday

Off to the International Quilt Festival at Long Beach today. But before I go, here's my puny progress on my hexie flower:
Got a start on the third row while my car was being serviced yesterday.  The good news is that I got one of the two baby quilts all quilted! This is all I can show for now in case the twins' Mama reads this post.

I just realized that this set of flowers has all darker centers - I may have to change this and make one with  a light center to replace one of them.  I'd just use the temporary reject in a later set.  How are you doing in your hexie project?  Would love to see!

SAHRR Round 5 and 6

  Ready to show rounds 5 and 6. Actually, the prompt for 5 was make 4 of something. So I chose four patch, and actually since that made my q...