Photo Flood

Since this is such a busy time of year I am going to flood you with photos rather than lots of chatter. These are the little wool ornaments that I made for my grandchildren this year. Little penguins. If you read my post from a few weeks ago you will notice that they go with the penguin gift theme. I am pleased to say that my grandkids look forward to their ornaments each year and love looking back through their collections from over the years. That is what makes it worth it to me!

Below is a photo from Thanksgiving of me with three of the little darlings. August and Katie on top and Grey on the bottom getting a little tickle of encouragement to smile.

 And the tree! We all love our own tree, filled with love and memories from years gone by and usually something new as well. My Williamsburg Medallion Quilt is the backdrop.

 I found the perfect spot for my little red hexagon table topper. My little rocking horses and reindeer are playing merry-go-round on the pedestal plate. That is my Wintergreen pattern in the background--still available on my website!

 If you have been reading my blog for a long while you may remember this little cute tree quilt. I designed the pattern and have the instructions for FREE on my website. This version is smaller than the directions specify. I made so many of these for gifts! And so did many of you! If this design is new to you be sure and see the gallery.

Lastly, I want to share my Tone it Down quilt from last winter's American Patchwork and Quilting magazine. If you are on Instagram, go to #apqquiltalong and you can see lots of variations, including the original by Lissa Alexander, commonly know as the very talented ModaLissa. Right-she designs for Moda Fabrics!  Anyway, I love mine! The pattern is actually called Burgoyne Surrounded, a very old pattern after a Revolutionary War general. Lissa updated the pattern in a beautiful way! (I know--if you follow all these links you will be here all night!)

 I hope you are enjoying this wonderful season of hope and love!

SPEED-not all it's cracked up to be

Another week, month, year has sped by and leaves me in it's wake wondering what I can say I have accomplished. Whatever it is, it is not enough, I can tell you that. 
I have been working on a little hexagon treat that I shamefully copied from Jo Morton. Well, I did change mine a bit. Jo made the most darling little tree skirt! I hope she won't mind if I share her photo. She is amazing! Follow Jo's blog!

 I added another round of hexagons to mine and made a table topper. I think it will look darling with some greenery on my round kitchen table. The hexies are 5/8 inch. I learned that you measure hexagons by the length of the side. I was able to purchase a couple packs of them at a quilt shop over the summer. It is enjoyable stitching in the evening while watching TV. But let me tell you, these babies take forever! This project has been every evening for a month! In this case speed is not involved. Just consistent stitching!

 Somewhere on line I saw where someone finished the edge of their project by adding hexagons all around the underside of the quilt. Again, tedious, but what a nice edge you get. I should have stopped there because I am not at all happy with my hand quilting on this project. Maybe it doesn't need to be quilted. Can I get a hands up for that?

 I happened upon this project in the December 2012 issue of American Patchwork and Quilting magazine while sorting through my magazines. The design came from a vintage project that Ann Hermes adapted. This is one I wanted to make when I first saw it. I always have scraps, and they prompted me to get to work. I enjoyed this scrappy, wonky project so much that I just kept making blocks, and now I have a much larger quilt like this that I adore! Plus it feels so good to find yourself at the bottom of the scrap box!

 On another note, I have been having a terrible time posting to my Facebook for Patchalot Patterns. Things just don't seem to show up. It is very frustrating. And you know I don't post to my blog like I used to. But I am on Instagram and also on Pinterest. In fact I just noticed that I have 91 boards on Pinterest. Someone please save me from myself! I do think it is a great way to catalog photos of quilts and things that you like. I would prefer to fine tune it a bit, but so far making more boards is my only option. I have so many boards now that sometimes I am not sure where to pin an item. So I make another board.

In reference to my last post, I am now into season 12 of Midsomer Murders and they have become a little spicier and perhaps a bit more graphic. I hope I didn't recommend something that you find offensive down the road. Oddly, it didn't seem as provocative to me as American TV. Then again, my head is down stitching for a good part of the program!

LOVIN' SPOONFUL

Every time I look at these little hexagons beginning to take shape I am just so happy! I promised myself that I would start with a small project so as not to get discouraged. Ever feel that way? Then I decided to begin adding the filler hexagons, so those didn't seem overwhelming. Sometimes new quilters are overwhelmed with the size of a project. I get that! But with any project, it is breaking it down into smaller components that makes it do-able. I guess I have learned this over time with my many projects. "You only need to make one block at a time", says I. This is the eating an elephant one spoonful at a time philosophy. Which begs the question, "how many elephants have I eaten in my lifetime"? 

I have also learned that persistence pays off. So I decide how much I am willing to finish. Then do it! For this project I am already seeing how darling it will be in the center of my round kitchen table. I was just going to make the star points, then decided I could manage the sides also. I guess the whole thing will be appliqued down. Experimentation will be needed as I have never finished a hexagon project before. How are the rest of you finishing the edges of your hexagons?

Notice I said I never finished one before. I actually made tons of these hexagons long ago and  recently gave them away to Rose Marie at Applique 'n Patch Quilting. Rose Marie has already begun playing with the hexagon blocks and I will love watching what she creates. Those hexagons were a case where I bit off more than I was ready to digest. Again with the elephant thing. 

So I am still stitching away and I know you are too!  Happy Threadtrails!

PUT A HEX ON YOU

Long, long ago, before I ever made a quilt, my aunt got me started making hexagons. My color choices were pinks and blues, and I am sure some of you can date this project fairly well. You probably even recognise some of the fabrics! After reading about Libby's hexagon adventures, I took mine out of hibernation for inspection.  Each individual hexagon measures 2 inches across. What on earth will I ever do with them?  I know what I should do with them, but will I? It is doubtful. I have about 30 of them. Anybody interested? Only respond if you actually will do something with them. I want them to go to a home where they will grow into something productive! If too many respond I will have a drawing a week from today.

Well leave it to Libby to draw me into her fun! I started following links from her posts to others who are creating very nice hexagon projects. So I started playing around. I know there are some nifty methods out there these days, but I came up with my own little tricks, so I thought I would share my madness.

First I trace a hexagon template to a strip of freezer paper. I fold the freezer paper several times, then cut around the drawn hexagon. This gives me four to six hexagons. If you are concerned with the freezer paper slipping, you can actually press the layers together on the outside edges with an iron. Don't press within the lines of the hexagon tho, 'cause it will seal it together. 

Next, press the hexagons to the back side of fabric, shiny side down, of course.  Trim around each hex leaving a seam allowance. Fold the seams over and baste down using some yukky colored thread that you don't like any more.

Now you can sew your hexagons together into pretty patterns. My current hexagons measure 1-1/4 inch across. They are still not as small as some that Libby did, but they are a size that I am happy with for creating a table topper, or whatever this turns into.