Happy First Day of Spring!

Today, it is officially the first day of Spring.  It's my favorite season!  I have been enjoying the warm 70-80 degree temps for a while now.  So in my opinion, it has started about three weeks ago.  But based on the calendar, Spring is here!!

This last Saturday was National Quilting Day.  Unfortunately, I was unable to do any quilting.  My younger son had his Blue and Gold Banquet for Cub Scouts.  He has now successfully advanced to his next year as a Wolf Scout!  And then the day after, his was sick with a fever.  I was able to do a  little quilting while I was watching over him.

Tiger's display table

centerpieces I had made

He was home from school for a day, so I had spent that day working on my hexagon pieces.  Luckily, he was able to overcome from his illness on his own, without the aid of antibiotics, and he is at school today.  So I spent my "day of quilting" a little late, but I got it in!!

I'm planning on spending the rest of my day making more hexagons.  Maybe I'll take them outside with me and stitch in the fresh Spring air!  But once the boys get home, there's homework to do and a Science project that I've got to get my older son to get motivated on!

Have to go for now, hexagons are awaiting!

Jane  <3

March is National Quilting Month?

I realize that March is National Quilting Month yet it's ironic that I'm not doing much quilting this month!

March has me busy with Blue and Gold Banquet decorations.  I'm still keeping with the camping theme.

The little tents will be placed on the tables with some having the familys' names on them.  I'm planning on placing a photograph of the scouts' face sticking out of the opening of the larger tents.

Once that is over, I'm needing to help out my older son with his science project.

And the add to the to-do list, he is also wanting me to read the Hunger Games trilogy before the movie comes out at the movie theater.  For some reason, he's wanting me to know the WHOLE  story before we watch it on the big screen.  That only gives me two weeks to finish book #3!

Hoping to get a lot of work done in hopes to work on my hexagons before the month is gone!

Jane  <3

A Non-Quilty Project

I haven't had much time for quilting.  I try to squeeze a little when I can, but I've been able to do very little.  And the reason why? - Cub Scouts Blue & Gold Banquet!

The purpose of the Blue and Gold Banquet is to celebrate our Cub Scout pack's anniversary, to thank pack leaders and other adults who have helped the pack, and to inspire the leaders, Scouts and parents.  Simply put : we're celebrating Cub Scout's birthday!

Our pack tries to make it a special event by inviting friends and relatives to attend.  Our scouts will also receive their advancement badges and awards at this time.

It being our den leader's first year in Cub Scouts, and I had five years with my older son, I asked if I could start on the decorations.  Our boys are to help make table decorations and I will be assembling, what I call our "show-off" table.

I thought a camping theme would work good with our scout decorations.

I have made a poster that will be used as a backdrop for our "show-off" table.

This was my progression:

I have other items to work on.  I'll be meeting up with the den leader and we will be working together on some projects.  Our boys will also help out with some painting.

Like I said... busy, busy, busy!

Jane  <3

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