Applique Tuesday

Last chance to win a quilt - six ways to win - ends tonight Midnight.  Here's the quilt on the right:
Go here to enter.

This Tuesday I finished machine appliqueing the leaves on my hexie wall hanging:

I raw edge appliqued these to the top because that was already sewn together when I got the top. Then I straight stitched around the leaf and added some details. Now back to quilting - I want to finish it by Thursday - well, I'll try.

What are you up to?  Leave me a comment and I'll come by to see your eye candy.  I'm linking to Connie's Linky Tuesday.  See you there.
Blessings!

This N That

Nothing in and nothing out, so numbers stay the same.  That's my stash report for this week.

Before I forget, my giveaway for celebrating 1000 posts is still on.  You could win a quilt! Closes Tuesday, midnight. Also on is the Hexie Weekend linky party - that closes Monday, midnight. We'd love to see your eye candy of any kind - new or old. Go here to enter either or both. Links in the post will get you where you want, and see the quilt.

On my design wall are two rows of the commission quilt.

Five rows to go.  I discovered as I made these that I really need a map for the disappearing nine-patch blocks before assembling because otherwise the symbols can look like something else.

Do you see an unhappy face?
So I made a map:

I oriented the symbols so they would be going one way and spread out the three large prints in a pattern.  Then I cut a duplicate map into strips of two rows at a time and cut the foursomes in those rows into four blocks and rearranged each set of four to be a nine patch giving me the orientation and which large print to use.  Here's a part of the page - the scanner was not cooperating and I couldn't get the whole page - just a part of the nine patch layouts.

Hope you see what a help this was to me or else I'd have been ripping out stitches for each nine-patch.

I'm linking over to Judy's Design Wall Monday and Lyn's BOMs Away.  She's still working on her thesis, but she had a little time to post last week.  Blessings to you all.

Hexie Weekend

Okay - My hand stitched hexies are on hold as I quilt that Hexie flower garden I've shown you before. Actually started on it. I'm being daring and quilting the flowers with pink 50 wt thread on top and silver on the bottom as I practiced on a piece and got the tension just right.  I read and reread Karen H's posts on how she quilts her hexagons and am using her experience to guide me.

And I'm happy with the response so far for my ongoing Giveaway.  Did you read the previous post.  I'm giving away a quilt. So if you didn't read it, go back and enter to see if you win this lap quilt.  There are six ways to enter!

On Wednesday I was at the California Science Center in LA for their Pompeii Exhibit.  It was great - a little noisy with all that volcanic action, but it was very interesting to see all they had from Italy from Pompeii that has not been seen in US before.  They have a great simulation of the eruption, a thorough explanation of the city and how people lived there.  Loved the atriums.

And - I do have a finish!  Here's my completed hexagon charity quilt I made with my new Hex N More ruler.

Here's #2 holding it.  It's almost as big as he is!  I made a comment to myself about how Grandpa wasn't available to hold it so I could take a picture. He immediately said, "I can hold it for you, Grandma." He's such a helper.

I decided to quilt a strip of loops around the edge for the border.  This measures 34 by 36.
I spent quite a bit of time making all those skating rabbits going one way where I could.  It was only when I had quilted half the motifs did I notice I had quilted them upside down to the bunnies. From now on, it's check twice, quilt once -LOL.  I hope baby won't mind.

Here you can see some of the motifs in the squares. I found a cat, dog, bear, cherries, apple, tree, whale, sandman, seashell and airplane to quilt - all Mary Covey motifs.  I used freezer paper to mark them in the full hexagons.

It was very hard to see the quilting on the backing - thus the contrasty photo.  I used silver 50 wt Aurifil thread and silver Superior Bottom line for the back with a 90/14 titanium needle.

So what have you been up to?  Would love to see your eye candy! Linky below; ends Monday, midnight.  Because I love eye candy, I'm linking to Amanda Jean's Finish it Up Friday and Richard's Link a Finish Friday .

Do enter the giveaway!  I'd love to send you my quilt to celebrate my 1001 posts.

An InLinkz Link-up