Hexie Weekend Sort Of

Like applique, I've been far too busy with life to do any hexagons, but am always thinking of them as you saw in my previous post.  Tuesday I was finally able to get to Barnes & Noble and pick up the latest copy of

 This is my favorite magazine right now.  It costs a whopping $13.99 US, but it's a bargain, really.  In issue 100 I found four quilts I would love to make.  At $15 - $25 a pattern, you can see why I think it's a bargain.

In issue 101 (which is the one above), I know I want to make the cover quilt and the Hexie one above.  It makes a fabulous tablecloth or lap quilt.  All templates are included.  The magazine is hard to find.  I just stumbled across it at Barnes and Noble when I went to buy a present for a baby shower (I'd only seen it online before this). I was astonished and delighted to find it!  Because it comes from Europe, I've gottten the issues at the end of the time they are released for - ie the May - June copy didn't arrive until the second week of July.  So I probably won't see the next one til September.  Is there a B&N near you?  Check them out - they might have it.  Oh, one more thing - Di Ford is doing a mystery quilt starting with Issue 99.  It's a gorgeous quilt!

What are you up to?  I plan to try and make a flower in the next three days. Would love to see your eye candy, hexie or otherwise.  Linky below:

An InLinkz Link-up

Ideas for Applique Tuesday

Things are slowly getting back to normal, but not normal enough that I've had time for applique.  I feel bad about that.  But last Thursday I was thinking about it as I took my cousins to visit the Huntington Library and Gardens in San Marino.  I found a lot of quilting and applique ideas there.

First was the mansion which is now an internationally known art museum.  Two of the most famous paintings there are of Pinkie and Blue Boy - and yes they are the originals.  Many fabulous paintings there. Here's another one:

Look at these designs I found!  What a fabulous EPP this would make.

How's this for a border? Part of a mantel for a huge fireplace.

Loved this altar piece in the chapel - so art deco.

 Love this William Morris framed fabric.  I can see making this as an applique piece.

Then on to the Chinese Garden:

 There were wonderful motifs everywhere like this hexagon pattern in a walkway.

Here's a window that would make a great pattern for a silhouette quilt.

 Another pattern in a couryard.

 Here's the five of us resting at the end of the day in one of the mansion's beautiful gardens.  I'm on the right. We were exhausted by 4PM - arrived at 10:30.  But our guardian angel (a tram driver who was assisting some of the guests) met us at the exit and drove us to our cars. What was special was the trams weren't even suppose to run that day because it was the free day of the month. Thank you, Lord, for sending Gabriel!

And here is my niece, Erica who was taking the photo above.

She loved the staircase in the art gallery.

I'm setting a goal to have some applique progress next Tuesday!  Did you get some done?  Leave me a comment and I'll come visit.  Blessings!

Stash Report and Design Wall Monday

First the Hexie Weekend linky is still open.  Would love to see any eye candy you have -recent, old post, ideas for a quilt - whatever you'd like to share - closes Monday, midnight and you find it in the previous post.

I bought a new machine for quilting because I realized I was asking too much of my Bernina 130 as far as quilting. Still works like a dream for piece and sewing, but after much thought and asking around I tried out a Handi-Quilter Sweet Sixteen and a Juki 2010Q .  I liked them both but after trying out the HQ SS  I knew I would have a long learning curve of getting use to the machine facing me and dealing with the way the quilt would be oriented.  I decided it would take me too long to reprogram myself after 23 years of sewing the other way. Also, although it has a 16" throat, facing me quilts would pile up in front of me instead of spreading out in the huge space I had before. The Juki is wonderful for quilting.  I know I am still guiding the stitching in FMQ, but the stitches look way better (than from my Bernie and no tension problems) so far! And it's quieter than the HQ.   Here is my first top I quilted with it.

This is my first Christmas quilt for 2014.  Here's the front:

I used some orphan blocks from my stash and a yard of fabric.  I also in my frenzy of making room for the new machine, and its table, donated 15 yards of fabric to a Lutheran Church mission group that makes quilts for Africa.  You'll find those numbers in my right side bar.

Still have a long ways to go in fitting everything in the sewing room - I may have some giveaways in the future as I sort through everything.  Here are the two ladies:

This corner was filled with boxes piled 4 high.  I moved my old Koala cabinet and Bernie to there.

Turning with my back to Bernie, here is Juki in her new Sew Easy Table. Came in two days!  I was impressed with the quality of the table.  She's backed up to my cutting table so I'll have plenty of flat surface for the quilts.  As to the other corner's of the room - you don't want to know - LOL - so much stuff to find a home for!

Finally, coming off my design wall is my Guild Heart challenge which I named Purple Hearts.  We had to make a quilt with hearts in it.  This is 36 by 45" in size - perfect for laps and wheelchairs.

I'm giving this to a Vet in our local VA hospital.

I'm linking to Judy's Patchwork Times and Marelize's Anything Goes Monday.  See you there.