More Hexies

Happy Leap Day!  We get 365 days in a typical year. But every four years, we get a free day - February 29.  What did you do on your free day?

After a stormy morning and a school delay for the kids (it was nice sleeping in a little), my day turned out to be beautiful.  It's the last day of February and the temperature reached 67 degrees.  With the day so nice, I decided to stay at home and work on my hexies.

I still had to finish the embroidery for my off-white hexagons.

Then, by centering the hexagon template over the embroidery, I mark the hexagon lines.

And here they are!

I plan to use both hexagons, fabric and embroidered, when constructing this quilt.

I still have tons more to create so I'll be continuing with this quilt for a while.

Jane  <3

Obsessed!

It almost a year ago that the American Folk Art Museum, in New York City, presented "Infinite Variety:  Three Centuries of Red and White Quilts."  I had fallen in love, and you may have too.  The bold yet simplistic expression in these quilts were jaw-dropping.  I couldn't get enough.  I wished I was able to see the in person.

To my delight, Gay from Sentimental Stitches (sentimentalstitches.net) and Brenda from Dear Jane (dearjane.com) are creating a mystery quilt together, named Just Takes 2.

Each month, on the first and the fifteenth, they will present blocks for us the make.  Each block will represent a quilt that was presented in the Infinite Variety exhibit.  As of February 15th, we are at 18 blocks.


Here are the ones I have finished so far:

 Block One (6 inches square)

 Block Two (6 inches square)

 Block Three (6 inches square)

 Block Four (12 inches square)

 Block Five (6 inches square)

 Block Six (6 inches square)

 Block Seven (9 inches square)

 Block Eight (6 inches square)

 Block Nine (6 inches square)

 Block Ten (6 inches square)

 Block Eleven (9 inches square)

 Block Twelve (12 inches square)

 Block Thirteen (3 inches X 12 inches)

 Block Fourteen (9 inches square)

 Block Fifteen (9 inches square)

Block Sixteen (9 inches square)

Block Seventeen (9 inches square)

Block Eighteen - well, that's when I ran out of my white fabric.

More blocks will be presented on the first of March, which will be in a few days.   Looks as if I've got another trip to the fabric store in my future!

Jane  <3

SONOMA ROSE : Publication Day

Well actually, it was yesterday! 

I had received the new issue of Jennifer Chiaverini's book, Sonoma Rose from the library yesterday.  It has been since this last November when her last book had come out and I have been anxiously waiting for this new one.  It continues the story from The Quilter's Homecoming.  It continues the story with Rosa, as she disappears in the last book.

And it seems that I'm going to have a lot of reading to do.  My older son had started reading the Hunger Games book series.  He had found out that a movie had been made from the first book and it will be released next month. He is wanting me to read the book before we watch it at the theater together.

My younger son is wanting me to take him to watch The Secret World Arietty, at the movie theater, this weekend.  Since the movie is based from the book The Borrows, we have made a deal with each other that we will read it this summer (we have a few books to read before we can start with this one!).

I am so fortunate that my children love reading and engross themselves into their stories.  I hadn't found my love of books until later in my life, but yet, I can now accompany them in this journey right along with them.

Jane  <3

Hexie Hand-work

Although I love many different aspects of quiltmaking, I believe my whole heart is into hand-work, particularly hand-piecing and hand-applique.  I think it goes back when I was a young girl and I wasn't allowed to use my mother's sewing machine.  If I wanted to sew anything, I had to do it by hand.

I have really enjoyed making my hexagons.  I love the tedious work in marking the lines, to folding the seams, and sewing the hexagons together.

I had made two hexagon flowers each of the Nancy Halvorsen's fabrics (William's Inn).  I hadn't much left because I had used it in two other quilts.

This weekend, my son basketball games were in the same city as one of my favorite quilt stores.  How lucky was that!  He had some time between games, so I had to make a visit.  They have a HUGE assortment of Nancy Halvorsen fabric, so I was in heaven.  Unfortunately, I couldn't stay very long.  I couldn't have my son late for warm-ups.

I only got a few fabrics so I'm looking forward to going back when I have more time to shop!

Another part of this quilts will use hexagons with hand embroidered flowers.

More hand-work!!

Now, I'm needing to mark the new fabrics so I can prepare the hexagons.  I'm hoping to have a photo tutorial on how I make my hexagons because I'm not sure if many people do it the way I do.

Be back soon!

Jane  <3

Happy Valentine's Day

I just had to place a post about my busy day yesterday.  Being Valentine's Day, I wanted  to make some treats for my younger son's party at school.  And regretfully, my older son is no romantic (but I shouldn't expect too much from a young teenager).  I had to make his gift for his girlfriend.

I was asked to make brownies for the school's party, so I decided that they had to be heart-shaped brownies.

We had some snow this morning so getting to school was a little rushed.  I had to take the photo from the car!

My older son couldn't  give an idea of what he wanted to give his girlfriend for Valentine's Day.  They hadn't been together for very long and I don't think he should spending big $$$ for roses.  So I had an idea that combined both candy and flowers...Hershey's Kiss rose buds.

I made a dozen.

Placed in white gift box and tied with a big red bow.

Although he was unable to help me make a few (because of basketball practice and homework), I hope she's a girl that appreciates a handmade gift.

The things we do for our babies!

And I had a few fabric roses from last year's Valentine's Day.  My younger son had picked on to give to his teacher today.

I've gotten some more progress on the hexagon quilt.  I'll be posting those photos soon.

Jane  <3

Fun and Busy Weekend

It is a few times that my family and I have a fun and productive weekend.  I'm usually left drained and spent after a day like this (okay, perhaps I'm a little beat) but today, I am grinning ear to ear!

Our day started early this morning with some tournament games that my older son played with his basketball team.  He was done with his games by mid-afternoon, just in time to go to my younger son's first Pinewood Derby with his Cub Scout pack.

We had left the basketball games with the news that we were ranked second overall and we are to come back tomorrow to play against the first seed team!

And this was my younger son's first Pinewood Derby as a Cub Scout.  My husband and I were a little worried about the outcome of the race - if his car performs badly, he could get upset and cry, and may lose his dedication to the whole Cub Scout organization.  But it turned out all good.  He had placed first in his Tiger den and received a trophy.

Even my older son had entered a car into our "Anything Goes" race (a race for parents, and older siblings) and he had the fastest car!

I now have a big smile on me face for our successful day that we all shared together.

Jane  <3

Backtracking A Bit

I wanted to go over a past post that I had not finished.  The post was on December 1, 2011, and at that time, I was having a few frustrations with this particular project.

I was wanting to enter the Bernina Fall Bag Contest, back in October-November.  I had finished my bags just prior to the deadline and then I had problems downloading my photos to their website, so that I could enter them into the contest.

Well, that was a few months ago, and it's obvious that I was not able to enter my bags into the contest.  At that post, I only gave a sneak peak of what I was making.  So now, I'd like to show of the finished bags.

These were the two photos that I was wanting to submit into the contest.

The concept of the contest was to make a mini tote bag (pattern was provided by the website).  I wanted to create mine as a treat bag for the hand-quilter.  I had filled it with sewing needles, thread, pins, and pincushion, as an example.

Since it was a "fall bag contest," I thought it was appropriate to place a patchwork maple leaf on the front pocket.

I had made 8 altogether, that's 2 each of 4 different colorways.

I had added a drawstring to mine.  I couldn't help myself.

Please take a peek at the contest at allpeoplequilt.com.  There were over 100 entries and the judges chose their top 10 and then it was up to the viewers to chose who the winner was.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do with mine, now that Spring will be approaching around the corner. By the way, where did January go?!  I think I may just pack them away and bring them back out again next fall time and see what they may inspire!

Jane  <3