Design Walls Monday

     Yes, it's not a typo, I do mean design walls. And, once again, I am coming in under the wire. In some parts of the country, it's not even still Monday, but in my part of the country it is.

     I taught a class at a nearby quilt shop, so I spent a good bit of my sewing time preparing for the class, making sample blocks, etc. I really enjoyed teaching the class, but I need to work on remembering to bring out my camera, while the class is in progress. This class covered 5 different blocks, that kept me too busy to take pictures. Sorry, I know that sounds like a lame excuse, I will have to work on that.

     So here is what is on my design wall(s). A few more pieced hexagons. I am up to 10 finished, and an 11th one, almost finished. I did a layout on EQ, and found out I need 50 blocks, so I am 1/5th of the way there.

    

     I am still working on this quilt, although there is not much change on the design wall to prove it. All of my strip sets are pinned, and I have been using them for leaders, and enders. I have lots of strip sets sewn together, but I want to wait until they are all sewn together before I start pairing them together, to make my blocks.

     This next quilt is one I collaborated on with a shop owner who's shop is near my house. I did the design, and Karen Daniel from honeybegood.com chose the fabrics. Aren't they beautiful? And they are all organic too. This will be offered as a kit on her web site soon. I am almost finished sewing the blocks together.

     That is what is on my design wall(s) this week. Go to patchworktimes.com  to see lots of other interesting design walls.  

     Thanks for stopping by!

Neglect

     Time always passes so quickly, so often, I look up, and I can't believe so much time has gone by since the last time I wrote anything! Since my goal is to write twice a week, I have been pretty neglectful. Is that even a word? I hope so.

     I say that I haven't been writing.
That is not entirely true. I haven't
 written on my blog, but, I have
 been writing all day. Next Saturday,
I am teaching my Let's Polka quilt at
A Scarlet Thread in McDonough. I have
 spent a good bit of today writing the
instructions for this pattern, and
gathering my thoughts on just what
 I can tell people to help them make
this quilt. 










    Last Thursday, I did our last demonstration at my guild quilt show. I didn't want to do the whole sewing machine thing again, so I thought it would be fun to try a few blocks for another quilt that has been tugging on my sleeve. Especially since it would be easy to work on while I was talking to people. I had already cut all of the strips for it, and I figured I could demonstrate rotary cutting the strips into squares and triangles, and get a few blocks ready to sew. The quilt was inspired by this painting by Vincent Van Gogh.

    
      I mostly, want to just explore using this color scheme in a very simple quilt with small blocks and an overall design. Here are the blocks that I cut, then I sewed them the next time I was at the sewing machine just to see how they would look together. I think I need a lot more to tell if I will like it. I may or may not add a thin sashing. This will be another good chain piecing, and work on away from home quilt.
 

  

     Yes, I am still working on my pieced hexagons-slow going, and my strip quilt. I have been carrying those strips everywhere, and I have all but 9 strip sets cut and ready to sew. There are about 250 of them. I have been sewing them between the other things, using them as leaders and enders, Right now I have 35 sewn, but they are not trimmed yet.

     One more thing. A couple of posts ago I mentioned meeting Karen from Honey Be Good.com. We have gotten together and done some brainstorming. She liked this drawing and chose some fabrics to make into a lap size to sell as a kit. I am trying to get it together for her ASAP .

      

     This is what I have done so far. I am writing a pattern for it too, as I make it. Sorry about the wonky perspective. My largest, best design wall is behind my loom, which makes photography difficult.

     So really I haven't been just sitting around and eating bon bons. Also, spring is almost here, so spring activities are starting up. The community garden, lending library, and my tennis team are all in need of attention. I am working on getting a newsletter started in my town. And now that the quilt show is down, there are all of those quilts to return to their rightful owners. Hope your life is full of fun too. Thanks for stopping by!






    

Design Wall Monday

     My large hexagon quilt is slowly growing. I got one and a half more sewn together, and 2 more laid out.

     Sorry, this photo is not as clear as it could be. I was racing against my camera battery when I took this. Now the battery is dead for awhile. They will look better when I get them sewn, and on the downstairs design wall with the others.















     Lest you think that is all I accomplished, I also cut a bunch of strip sets for this quilt.

    
     I am getting a surprising number of strip sets sewn together by using them for leaders when I sew the large hexagons together.

     That is what I have been up to in a nutshell. Don't forget to go to patchworktimes.com
for lots more inspiration! Thanks for stopping by!

A Big Surprise

     I have made a decision in writing this blog, so far, not to write much about the non quilting areas of my like. One big reason is that I regularly read a couple of blogs that include more non quilting aspects of life. While I really enjoy these blogs, I guess I worry a bit about feeling like I am copying them.

     That said, sometimes your non quilting life runs into your quilting life when you least expect it. I live in a very small town, and I am very active in the local community garden. The other day I was to meet a new person who was interested in joining. In the course of conversing with this person in an effort to get to know her; she mentioned that she works with her mother in a family run business in town. When I asked her what business they were in I was amazed when her answer was a quilting business! There is a quilting business in my town; and I know nothing about it!? Are you kidding? How could this have happened?

     It turns out that this is an online business called honeybegood.com  Their focus on organic, and sustainably produced fabric got me thinking. Although I had thought about these kinds of things in relation to food, I never thought about them in relation to fabric. The whole idea rather caught me by surprise at first. Of course, there is not the depth of variety available in organic fabrics, like there is in the fabric I have been using. Anyone who knows anything about my quilting knows that variety plays a major role in it. Also, organic fabric is a bit more expensive, and I am already struggling to afford fabric as it is. Still, I do feel that it is important to think about these kinds of things; and I do care about how what I am doing is effecting the world that I live in; so I have decided that it is worth working in some organic fabric when, and where I can. That way, hopefully, this will give better practices an opportunity to become more prevalent. They did have some really beautiful fabrics, including a nice selection of solids, which you know I love.

      I am still working away on this quilt:

      I have gotten 15 strip set sewn together just by using them as leaders and enders while sewing on my batik hexagon blocks.  Also, by carrying the strip bins everywhere with me, I have put together 47 strip sets. I like to plan them out in advance, so they are next to the sewing machine, and ready to go when I need something to sew on.

     As stated above, I have sewn 1 and a half hexagons together. I figured out that I need 40 hexagons to make a quilt. So far I have 7 1/2. Almost 1/4 of the way there!

     So, that is what I have been up to lately. Thanks for stopping by!