Thursday, September 5, 2013

Thursday thoughts.

I just wanted to mention to my "Get your Hex on" buddies that I posted instructions on my website @ http://notionnanny.com/Get_your_Hex_On__Hive_1.html for my September block.

I had a great time with my friends yesterday.  As promised here are their quilts!

Sheila, who I thought was doing the same quilt as mine, ( the one I posted yesterday) finished another quilt from the same book. The one like mine is her next commitment which ends December 31.



Carolyn's quilt was not only pieced and appliquéd, but quilted and the binding was sewn on. She sewed it down while we were visiting!

My friend BJ's, quilt which isn't quilted because she is waiting for me to have time to do it!  LOL

Our next challenge is to be finished by December 31. Sheila is off to Amsterdam, so we are taking the extra time so we can finish something we just started!.   I have my choice of about 10 different projects and haven't figured out yet which one it will be.

Today I was going to sew, but decided to make perogies instead. Maybe tonight!

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Whats on the "sewing' Menu for today.

It's Wednesday and I try to spend the morning in my sewing room. The afternoon is usually saved for my sewing day with some friends.

I am dragging myself back to normal after last months disasters so I am headed to the sewing room in a bit to cut fat quarters for my friends, and maybe sew a little... I will let you know how I make out.

I challenged my little group of friends to finish a project they had started and today is the windup! If you finish you receive a fat quarter from everyone. If you don't finish you get nothing! Well... I will get nothing this month again!, because I didn't' get finished.

A few years ago I bought this book...

I loved the little quilt on the front and I started making it. It was my challenge, and although I have all the flowers made for the appliqué, I still have about 100 leaves to make and attach.... boo who!




I am going to start the leaves this afternoon and hopefully I will get this finished soon...


And just in case you are wondering here is a picture of the hexagon template and the template for the leaves next to a quarter.


Very very small! I will keep in touch so you can see my progress!  My friend Sheila has made the same quilt only using 1" hexagons... I think it is her finish for today... I will get a picture of them side by side...

On a lighter note... yesterday was the first day of school for my two grade 2 Grandchildren. I have tried to make it a tradition to take them each out for their first day of school. We usually go for super and a treat, but things are a little different now so we only got to go for the treat after supper... we had so much fun. they make me smile!



Tonight, its the two senior kindergarten kids... that should be fun!

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

How to Make Hexagons

Tutorial Tuesday 


Today I am going to do a brief tutorial on how I make hexagons!



The Templates – 1 inch


1. I like to print my hexagons from EQ7. Here is how...
    a.  Go to new… Quilt… one patch.
    b.  I make sure the length of the patch is 1” and I add rows, width and length until the quilt measures 5.00 x 8.66 ".
    c.  Print your quilt using 1.6 for all your borders.

2.  Once I have  my printed sheet, I print the templates on hard card stock or heavy paper. I used to cut out more than one sheet at a time, but I found they weren’t very accurate so now I just cut one sheet at a time. Great TV work.
3.     After the hexagon templates have been cut out I punch a single hole in the middle (or as close to the middle as I can get). This helps when I am taking the templates out and is also an aide in basting.




Basting

1.     I usually cut my fabric on my Accuquilt Go! Using die #55011, I use the center die (3”). But if I were using fabric squares, I would use a 3-inch square and trim to fit the shape.






2.     I place my template
on the fabric and starting from the right side, I pull my knotted thread through the center of the template, (right through the punched hole,) and back through to the right side at the middle of the top edge of my template.



3.     I fold my first edge of fabric over, and the first right edge of fabric over and make a stitch on the first corner from right to left. (Of course you lefties would go to the left…) then fold next edges over to form corner and stitch again from right to left.




4.     Continue until you make the last corner and tie off!



5.     Your hexagon is basted. I have rarely needed to sew through the hexagon to baste it, and I just cut the knot at the center of the right side of my hexagon when I am ready to remove the papers. This single little stitch helps keep the template from shifting and I rarely need to pin.


Sewing hexagons together


1. Place 2 hexagons, right sides together.


2. Bury thread knot between the template and the seam allowance to make it easier to sew another hexagon to the corner.



3. using a matching thread, whip stitch the two edges together, keeping your threads tight so they are almost invisible.



Picture shows whip stitching, loosely stitched using a contrasting thread
so you could easily see the stitching.
When hexigons' are whip stitched together in matching thread and stitched tightly, the finished hexigons' should look somewhat like this





Monday, September 2, 2013

Summer Vacation is over... it's back to business

Did you miss me... I decided to take the summer off from my blog routine and get myself refocused.

Unfortunately, this was a terrible summer for me so its a good thing I had decided not to blog because you all would have ditched me! I am not going to bore you with all that went on, but I can just say, that a very good friend of mine said,... "Wow, I have never met anyone who has had as many disasters happen to them as you". Of course ... I cried! I had pretty much been crying all summer!

My beautiful new Daughter-in-law


On a Happy note... My son got married August 1st in Tulum, Mexico. The wedding was beautiful!!!!...


The weather in Mexico in August is HOT!!!! I swear the water in the ocean was warmer than most baths I have at home.




The month of July was a gong show! My son and Mariona got married in Toronto, legally, 2 weeks before we left for Mexico...
Dancing on the steps of Toronto's old City Hall

My sons best friend got married 1 week before we left for Mexico and that meant two new dresses... poor me!!!



Finding a dress for my son's wedding was difficult because it needed to be long and formal and I knew it was going to be hot!

That's me on the right in the teal dress.


I spent zero time in my sewing room in July and when we came home around the 8th of August, our world started slowly disintegrating. Again, not going to get into it! but still no real sewing!



I did manage to get my blocks done for June, July and August's "Get your Hex On" which is a little group I joined in July. I was late sending everyone their blocks, of course! But I am all caught up now.

June block
July Block
August Block
September is my turn at "Get your hex on" and I spent 3 days last week getting everything ready and mailed out. Thanks to my friend Sheila who just happened to be standing behind me at the post office when I discovered my wallet was at home on the table!!! More tears!

My block for September


She paid for my stamps, the blocks got mailed and I met up with her Friday to pay her back. What a crazy month August was, so believe me when I say... Thank God it is September.! Although I might be the only one happy about that!  LOL

My granddaughter ... hamming it up!