June Binding Challenge

June is almost over and no-blog Mary and I did accomplish a lot this month.

Mary got her May quilt done this month.  I'm just so glad she hung in there and got it done.  It was a big quilt and it has been too hot for her lately.

Even though this next item is not a quilt, she finished this sweater.  It was an ufo and that is what Mary will be working on for the next few hot months.  UFO's.  Such a good thing!  There may also be a new start ...... LOL

My June challenge was to finish my "Hexie a go-go" quilt.  It is DONE!  Washed and dried and ever so soft.  More on this quilt for another post.  I need to take outside photos, but it is pouring rain today .... which we so badly needed as our area has been under a fire hazard watch.

For July, I will bind a quilt but just not sure which one to finish right now.  There are a couple finished quilts that need sleeves and labels ..... so best get those done ..... especially the labels. 

Cherish your day, cherish your life!

Cheater hexies

In a bid to move this hexie project along, it got hung up on the design wall and the light bulb clicked on and I started to play.

As my idea was a happy thought, more and more white hexies were made.  This project is now moving along very nicely.  Why cheater hexies, you are wondering?  The centers are cut from a cheater panel and then appliqued into a hexagon frame.  If I didn't tell you this, you would think that hours were spent embroidering all those designs.  No, not this time .... but the panel did appeal to me and I just had to have it.  It was bought many, many years ago when that was quite the thing when vintage quilts were showing up on internet and in magazines showcasing cheater panels.  Most folks did theirs with pieced blocks, but not me!  LOL

The border will have red hexies ..... much more work for me.  At first, I was going to do a simple border, but my hubby really liked the border on this quilt and I have to agree that it is quite effective.  So, it shall be ...

Now, my "Hexie a go-go" is being worked on as well.  My goal for June is to finish it.  Right now, it is more than 3/4 done.  The section on the right are all attached and there are 3 more rows almost attached Still to do are just 3 more rows.  Getting there!  So, I will just plug away at it.  I do have to say that right now, the completed section feels soft.  It will be interesting to feel it once everything is attached and washed and dried.

My sister and I spent a day at the cottage this week.  When we arrived, we heard quite the commotion and we just stopped and listened.  It was a flock of geese flying overhead and they landed in the water.  Now, this was quite odd.  We normally hear them and then seeing them flying in formation in the spring and late fall ...... but not at this time of year!  What is going on?  We debated about this and decided that the smoke might be affecting them further north and they decided to just fly away from it; thus landing on our lake.  We are not affected by smoke this week.  They swam in front of our cottage and after counting the heads ..... there are over 50 geese in the group.  When we left after supper to head home, we could still hear them honking down at the end of the lake.  Will they stay the whole summer?

Cherish your day, cherish your life!

Hexie a go-go Again

I do think that is what this quilt should be called ..... Hexie a-go-go!  Has a nice ring to it!  It is off the design wall and ready for taking along with me to the cottage for sewing together or along to babysitting (rest of June is going to be a busy month with babies).

The bottom four rows are now a finished section.  The next three rows up are attached into individual strips.  These strips just need to be sewn together and then sewn to the bottom section.

It is the middle of the month and this quilt is at the half-way mark.  I will plug away at this quilt and see if it can be finished by the end of June.

Here are the rest of the strips pinned together and marked so that they don't get mixed up.

This project was taken off the design wall to make way for this UFO.   It has stewed on the shelf for many, many years and the light bulb clicked on with an idea to finish it.  More on this project later!

Cherish your day, cherish your life!

Circles of Red

Well ..... here is my circle quilt finished and ready for displaying along with my other red/neutral quilts for Canada Day (July 1).  I do like the diagonal effect you see when looking at this quilt.  It wasn't planned, but happy it turned out this way.

On the chair, can you see my unfinished hexie project?  This has stalled because I still don't know how to finish it.  It can stew for a while and then the light bulb will click on with an idea.

Quilt Details:

Source:  No pattern .... I just like making circle quilts!  If you look closer, this quilt is based on a nine patch block with the center square having a dark red fabric.

Block Size:  each circle square is a finished 3" or a 9" finished nine-patch block.  The circles are 2".

Started:  February 2023

Top Finished:  March 2023

Quilt Finished:  May 2023

Quilt Size:  45-1/2" x 63" (top size before quilting, washing and drying:  49" x 67")

Machine quilted by:  Kathy Wareham using Circle Meander quilt pattern.

Batting:  Hobbs 80/20 cotton/poly

For my binding, I ended up doing a scrappy binding and quite pleased with the way it turned out.  Three fabrics were used and strips of 22" in length were alternated for a pleasing effect.  I don't know why I haven't done this before?  Will it happen again .... absolutely.

Is there still lots of red fabrics in my stash ...... heck, yes!  Time to make a few more red/neutral quilts!

I’ve been having some strange emails lately.  Got one today saying I’ve been hacked and to pay up otherwise they would send a compromising video to all my contacts.  I could view the video by clicking onto a link.  No…… I will not do that!  So, in the event you get an email from me with a video attached, DON’T OPEN IT OR YOU COULD BE HACKED.  FAIR WARNING.

Cherish your day, cherish your life!

Hexie a go go!

Great progress has been made and my goal is to complete it this month!  Can I do it?  I think I CAN!

This is how my sewing of the pieces look.  I can see a bit of thread from the front.

This is the back showing my whip stitch.  A variegated crochet poly/cotton is being used to sew the hexies together.  It is a tad hard to sew with the crochet thread, but it will be stronger than just regular thread.  Plus, this was in my stash and a good way to use some of it up.  Waste not, want not .... use it up or give it away.

 

Some readers have been wondering at the size of these hexies.  The edge size of my front hexie is 2-1/2" so that my hexie finishes at a good size.  Roughly 5" high and 4-1/2" wide.  Perfect to use up repro charms for the front pieces.  Batting was cut out the same size and some batting strips were frankpieced.  Again, use it up as those strips would have ended up in the landfill.  I'm feeling very resourceful these days!  LOL  Use it up ..... use it up .... use it up ..... that seems to be my motto lately.  The more that gets used, the less in my stash.  I'm looking ahead ..... years are adding on to my age and I won't live forever to use up my stash.

The violet template (below) is my backing template.   Fabric squares were cut out at 5-3/8" wide x 6-1/2" high and then trimmed using the template.   The template could have been bigger to make turning the edges over easier, but this is what was found after rummaging through my EPP templates.  The sizes turned out great for me after all.

This is what my project looks like so far.  The bottom two rows have all been attached.  The next two rows up will be next to sew together and then they will be attached to the bottom two rows.

Only 5 more hexies to make and then I can concentrate on finishing this quilt.

Oh happy, happy days!

My mind has been dancing with new ideas to try out.  I'm thinking the Kingfisher quilt but with a twist.  Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.

Our area has been having air quality alerts from the forest fires in Quebec.  Yesterday morning was pretty bad.  The smell of smoke was quite noticeable.  We so badly need a couple days of rain to put out those fires.

Cherish your day, cherish your life!

May and June Binding Challenge

Well ..... we had a slip in the challenge.

No-blog Mary decided she needed a break from everyday life and had a vacation in New Orleans instead.  You know, we all need that in our lives sometimes and how good it is to just up and go and enjoy life.

I had to laugh when she sent me this photo of her binding!  She said that she will work on this quilt for June but not pull anything else.  She also said that because they don't have a/c in their home and summers are hot and humid in Toronto, she might take a break from binding and work on ufo's instead during the summer months.  Heck, I'm OK with that ...... I don't want to pressure someone into doing something they just don't want to do.  What would the point be?  Friendship is far more important and so is the enjoyment of each day!

I have to admit that getting my quilt done for May was a challenge for me too.  With all the appointments for my hubby, it was hard to get into the groove to get the binding done.  Still, I managed with a day to spare.  Here is my quilt all washed and dried and crinkly.  More about this quilt on another post.  And, yes, I did go with scrappy binding and it was fun to do that.

So, what will I work on for June?  

My hexie quilt-as-you-go.  There are only 26 more blocks to do and then I can start sewing rows together and then I can have a finished quilt .... binding done individually on each hexie and hand quilted!  Once finished, this quilt will be twin sized.  

Last night, I chatted with my friend Debra  and I showed her my hexie project and mentioned how much I enjoyed the hand quilting on each piece.  Who knows what will be in store for me and hand quilting.  I have to say that this method of pot holder quilts is growing on me a lot.  Wendy at The Constant Quilter is a master of this method and she does such lovely and interesting quilts.

What else will I work on for June?  Some more spring cleaning and purging.   I have a bunch of stuff ready to be bagged and dropped off at the thrift stores.

Cherish your day, cherish your life!