Halloween Half Hexie Table Topper Quilt

Halloween Half Hexie Table Topper

The Coshocton Canal Quilters held their quilt show this past weekend. It was a very nice show as it always is, and if you're ever in this part of of Ohio, it's worth the trip. It typically falls on the same weekend as the Ohio Mennonite Relief Sale which is held in Mount Hope, and you get your fill of quilts and quilty items. A friend came to town, and we squeezed both into one day. It was a lot for one day. 

One of the things I really look forward to is the Quilter's Corner in both places. Around here it means pre-loved items typically donated to raise money for the organization. They did not disappoint at either event, and I will show you some of my lovely finds in the coming days. For today let me share one of my favorite buys, and personal challenges I take every year. Buy something, and use it immediately. Don't sort and store it. Use it. So this little project was a baggie of scraps I got for $2. 

Dresdens & Fish: Spindrift II

Spindrift II

Slowly, but surely--no, that's a lie. I am hammering away at this quilt every chance I get. The 4th is upon us, and we celebrate here with a big party. A rock band at night, this year we have Road Dog, followed by this small town's stunning fireworks. Everyone is welcome here, and we love meeting people who've driven in from several counties away. So there is a lot to do to get ready yet, and I want this done before. 

Machine Pieced Hexies Progress

The Final (Organic) Layout

In my free sewing time, I'm following along with Mary Huey's Scrappy Hexagon Quilt. Her method allows for chain piecing these bad boy angles, and makes it easy to whip up a crazy, difficult quilt in no time. (It's kind of like the magic of having an Instant Pot, ya know?) Last week's post had us laying out the sets we'd made. Groups of 4, 3's, and a few 2's. Then the border or edge pieces were cut, and the whole shebang laid out as one quilt. 

Half Hexie Flimsy & Backing

Whirligig Half Hexies

Such an interesting perspective of hexies taken at an angle. You can see it's a flimsy already. This is a quick quilt.

Whirligig Half Hexie Quilt

Half Hexie Whirligig

In the last post, Stolen Moments for Stitch & Play, I was playing with my scraps. Play is good. I traded the scraps for more moderate fabrics, and in a short afternoon put together the lower half of this sweet quilt. It's slightly under 45" from edge to edge here, and with a border/background will flesh out to a nice baby or toddler quilt a little larger.

Stolen Moments for Stitch & Play

Vintage Log Cabin...Again

I am still plugging away at this quilt. I have to be in a special frame of mind to work for long periods, but I've determined to finish it this summer. A little bit each day brings good progress, and maybe I'll have it done before I've had it a whole year.

When my husband needed to do some work far out in the country, I grabbed my project gear, and off we went. Cell phone service is good in town, but once you get into the hills around here it's hit or miss--mostly miss. I was the safety in case there was an accident. Poor me! I had to just sit there and quilt.

Giant Rose Star Quilt Finish

Good Kite Weather!

What a blustery week we've had! Snow, thunder, rain, and even barefoot days. The weather blew in with heavy winds each time, and I was lucky to have a day with both sun and calm skies to get a picture outside. I wanted you to see the true colors of this quilt at least once. I was shocked at how hard it was to photograph the color violet inside, and this quilt has the full range.

Fussy Cuts Tips & Template Play

Machine Pieced 60 Degree Star in 
Digitally Printed Fabric

After my short experience with English paper piecing, I decided I needed a better method to achieve 60 degree piecing. See 60 Degree Shapes. Measuring with standard quilting rulers was successful with 60 degree diamonds, but my interest piqued in specialty templates for more complicated shapes. I was travelling light for a few days, but 2 new Marti Michell template sets, G & H, were small enough to pack in my carry-on. Both sets are based on 60 degrees shapes, but in different sizes. I'd bought them several months ago, but had no time to really spend getting to know them since. Now I had a weekend ahead wide open for play. Off we went!

A Soft Finish: E's Hexie Quilted

How I wish you could feel this quilt! 

If a finished pieced top is called a 'Flimsy Finish', I think a finished quilted top should aptly be named a 'Soft Finish'. Binding is all that's needed yet here.

E's Hexie Quilt: Modern Baby

E's Quilt

This baby quilt was on the top of my list to get done, and it went from single hexies to pinned in the frame yesterday. The backing is Minkee, and the batting Warm & Natural. My customer requested a peach thread, and I've come to find out my source doesn't carry peach. A Natural White Omni laid on the top fools the eye into blending with some of the pastel colors, but I have a grey that matches well, too, with both top and backing.

Managing Changes in Creative Energy & Design Wall

"You can't wait for inspiration, you have to go after it with a club."--Jack London

I have low energy right now. My current projects aren't progressing, and I'm struggling to get back on track. No real passion. No creativity. A proverbial standstill. Blah.