Stash Report and Secret Quilt

Thought I didn't have anything to report but then I had to pull a piece for a sewing class today. Pulled out six yards to make a blouse and skirt!  And .01 yards for the bits and pieces for LE. Here are my numbers:

in 0.0 yds.; out 6.01 yds.

Stash YTD: in 8.5 yds., out 92.42 yds.

Donated YTD: 40.96 yds

Net for 2013: out 83.92 yds

I'm linking to Judy's Patchwork Times to see how others are de-stashing.

And now for the secret quilt.  I couldn't show it to you before in case my friend read my blog or we got it to her.  She lost her husband quite suddenly (He was only 72). Bette (also a good friend and quilter) and I wanted to give her a quilt since we couldn't be there with her. Well now we can:

Bette has this fabulous stash of flower fabrics. So instead of flowers, we sent her a flower garden.



Appropriately, I had bed of roses fabric for the back.  The hearts you see together - the white one is for Val's DH and the other for her - forever together.

Bette found just the right words and printed them on fabric. I then added some flowers and a border and sewed it to the back.



Bette then tied the quilt. We bound it and sent it off
We love you Val!







Hexie Friday on Saturday

Once again, I'm late getting to post this, but I did make some hexies this week. Little Bear (my treasured miniature made by my DD) is smiling at the bit I've done.

There's a Hexie Blog Hop coming soon! See Debby's post here. I look forward to seeing all the projects offered during its run.  In the meantime, I'd love to see your progress here with a linky to your eye candy of any kind.
Blue button below.

Have a wonderful weekend.  Mine will be filled with dots!

Oh, the Learning Curve in attempting LE!

or the latest good/bad of quilting.  I made my compass - you saw it on a past post.  Next step was to attach a circle with the 5/16ths dots on it.  I cut my background square, drew the circle and position of the dots, tried some of the dots - worked okay - I was surprised with the needle turning.  Here is my saving piece of equipment that made it possible to answer the question:  How do you applique such a tiny dot?

Yes! - A magnifier.  I remembered I'd gotten this from my neighbor.  You put the strap around your neck and balance it on midriff.  Makes what you're working on 2 times bigger than it actually is.  I don't know the power, but it did the trick and did 8 dots as a start. HOWEVER, once I tried to reverse applique the  circle to the compass - the compass was too big!  And I couldn't tell around the edge if I was sewing it with the right seam allowance.  Arrgh.  Plus the dots wouldn't line up right.  Ready to throw in the towel, I took out the reverse applique (only a bit over a 1/4th of it done before I saw the pending disaster), and drew with my drawing compass an exact 8" circle on freezer paper for the unfinished compass. Then I found the exact center of my compass, and ironed the FP to the Compass. I then cut off the excess fabric from the side where I had very generous 1/4" from point tip to edge.  Then what?!  After some pulling out hair and gnawing of cheek, I decided to just pretend it was 4 joined drunkard's path blocks and sew the seam with my machine. Sort of success -

I forgot to mark the 4 quarters of the circle and at the last one had a little fullness to contend with. Ay de mí!  By taking out a bit of the first quarter circle seam, finishing the seam and then ironing and starching the circle - I got to the above. But now it looks too flat to me!!  It's going to be a longgggggggg 18 months - but I'm learning new things.  That's my good/bad of quilting for this week.  I'm linking to Block Lotto to  commiserate with other quilters.