Badger Cottage

A little while ago I was fortunate enough to be able to attend a full day workshop with Lynette Anderson . . . and these two projects from the Badger Cottage pattern are what we worked on for the day . . .

A journal cover with the cutest little yo-yos (Suffolk Puffs) and a pencil case with lots of little hexies.

The main fabric for the journal cover is a beautiful brushed cotton (found while scouring the store for fabric with Lynette for the "Stitched By Me" quilt I plan to make).

I really enjoyed working on both of these projects and thoroughly enjoyed having Lynette as a tutor . . . her style really suited me and she was great fun!

I was really in need of a bit of stitching companionship and I'd have to say that this workshop came at just the right time for me. To make the day complete I shared a table with a great group of ladies . . . and we even managed a stitch or two amid all the chatting and eating . . .


Pattern: Badger Cottage
Designer: Lynette Anderson
Publication: http://lynetteandersondesigns.typepad.com/lynette_anderson_designs/

Hexagons - A new life

I started making these little 1/2" hexagon flowers a long time ago and then just stopped. But now I'm giving them a new lease of life . . .

I am adding a hexagon at each end and changing them from flowers to diamonds!

I've had to re-purpose some suffolk puffs (or yo-yos) from another pile of unfinished pieces for a couple of them, since I'd used every last scrap of a couple of fabrics. Some of these fabrics were used in a quilt or two. Then the scraps became circles to be stitched into yo-yos. Then these little hexies were cut from the scraps from between the circles!

This will probably end up being a table runner, not the queen sized quilt I once imagined! Still, better something than nothing, right?


Pattern: Hexagons - 1/2"

Hexagon Quilt & Hexagon's Pair

My "Hexagon Quilt" ended up being a bigger project than I originally thought.

I fell in and out of love with it several times over during its construction.

But in the end, I was happy! And this, I believe, was the beginning of my fascination with hexagons.



The quilt is 67" x 88". The hexagons are 7 1/2" at the widest point and there are about 100 in the quilt.

There are some pieced ones . . .

Some plain ones . . .

Some appliqued ones.

I used a crazy mix of bright fabrics, which in the end are a bit too bright for on the bed. But we've used it as a picnic quilt, which is kind of nice.

I made a pieced backing for the quilt (the first time I'd done this kind of thing), but when it came right down to it, the backing ended up as a quilt in its own right - the "Hexagon's Pair" quilt.



It's 79" x 96". This quilt incorporates squares . . . some full size (almost 9"), plain ones . .

Some 4 patch . . .

Some 9 patch . . .

Some bordered squares.

This 'start cutting and see what you end up with' approach was way, way outside of my comfort zone, but I'm really glad that I did it. I ended up with only the tiniest of scraps left over. That in itself was very satisfying. There's something about using almost every last thread of fabric in a project . . .

Charleston Progress

I've started the applique for my Charleston Rhapsody . . . and so far, so good.



I didn't really think about all the points on the triangles when I first saw the pattern - what I saw were all the hexagons (have I mentioned you need 842 of them?).



But there are a few points. Still, I'm making good progress and enjoying it.



I've been making progress with the hexagons, too. They are just an easy distraction when I want to stitch, but not really concentrate too much.

What's happening in your world?

Fascination with Hexagons . . .

OK, so I've come across Barbara Brackman's blog, which has provided some very interesting reading - well worth a look, if you get a chance.

Anyway, she has a couple of interesting posts about hexagons . . . and I was just blown away by a picture of a quilt by Mr Albert Small's quilt from about 1935 . . .



This is his first quilt. The hexagons are 1/2" and it took him 14 months. Not bad for a first attempt!!!

It seems he was quite industrious when it came to hexagons (among other things) and the NUMBERS, the MIND-BOGGLING NUMBERS had my head spinning.

Check out this link for an interesting story about a man who rose to the challenge of his wife's quilting group!

Charleston Rhapsody Hexagons

It's been a very long and very busy week, but in amongst all of that I've managed to make some progress with the Charleston Rhapsody  hexagons . . .

It's a funny thing how something as simple as a needle and thread and a bit of stitching can help quiet the mind and cut through the stress, isn't it?

I've been cutting lots of these . . .



and with a bit of stitching I've made this pile of hexagons . . .



I got the pattern for the quilt in the mail this week and I'm really looking forward to making some progress. I did smile, though, when I was reading through the instructions and got to the part where it talks about making 842 hexagons.

842!

Now, I know it's a managable number, but 842 does make your heart skip a little beat momentarily.

842.

I'm not counting how many I've made just yet. I think I'll leave that till the pile gets a little bigger!

March Sew-In

I had big plans . . . lots of time . . . lots of sewing . . . lots of progress . . .

Things didn't go quite according to plan . . . but that's not always a bad thing.

We ended up chauffeuring our son around and sharing an unexpected dinner at our daughter's place. We had fun and a reasonably early night.

But I did get some sewing done when we got home!

I'm embarking on a new project . . . it's called Charleston Rhapsody by Carolyn Konig. I don't actually have the pattern yet (it's in the mail), but I was able to make a start on the many, many hexagons needed for this quilt . . .



And I'm going to be working with this glorious pile of fabrics.



Thanks go again to Heidi and Bobbi for organising another Friday Night Sew-In. Thanks girls, for sharing your enthusiasm and motivation . . .