The other day I saw a quilt that I wanted to make.  The pattern used equilateral triangles and half hexagons.  I liked how it was random enough, but still had some design flow and it would look good in scrappy mode.  I decided on using this shell fabric I have had for a few years, and two solid color charm packs that matched the print.  Then I got out the AccuQuilt and started cutting the print into triangles.  That was quick and easy.  Then I sorted out the charms and cut them in half and made them into hexagons using the Hex and More ruler/template.  It was going smoothly and so quick, I was actually thinking that I would have this top finished within the day.  As with all my quick and easy quilt plans, it was not to be.  As I started putting the blocks together, I noticed the half hexagons were too big, or rather the triangles were too small.  The AccuQuilt triangle die cut is 1/4 inch smaller than the triangles/hexagons cut with the hex and more.  ARGH!  It was time to leave the room and go quilt with the long arm.

The next day, I figured I had two options, sub out the shell fabric for something else and cut new triangles, or adjust all the half hexies and smaller triangles to fit.  I chose the latter, I was able to use the Hex and More ruler to cut the large pieces down to fit the triangles.  I got the blocks together, they are diamond shaped.  Then I had the problem of not having enough of them to make a decent sized quilt.  I was hoping for lap size, but it seems like it will be baby sized.  I am trying to make up a different pattern with the left over parts and pieces.  I am trying to sub in a few rows of large pieces triangles and seeing how I can get the sides straight and not sawtoothed, by inserting pieces.  I walked away from it again yesterday and spent a good amount of time long arming and not thinking of “it”.

I wish I could figure out how to use EQ8 to (re)design it, but its beyond my remedial skills.

The good thing is that my show quilt is getting quilted.  I’m about 40% done, if I continue at this pace I will be done before the due date, 8/28.  We have company arriving on Wednesday, so my sewing time will be limited.  Which reminds me I need to clean up the guest room.

Linking up today to Small Quilts and Doll Quilts for Design Wall Monday.

This past week was a busy one for me.  It started out last Thursday when I brought my machine in for servicing.  It had requested it with a very large pop-up screen on Wednesday.  I figured with it being gone for a week I could get started on my PIQF quilt.  It was on the frame and the battings were “resting”, or getting their wrinkles out.  I am trying to quilt on it for two hours a day, as it is due for entry on the 28th of this month.  After 5 days, I think I’m going to have to up the time to three hours.  The borders are pretty intensive, and it takes me about two hours to quilt each block.  I’m liking what I have so far, coming up with different designs for each one.  Lots of ruler work, and thread changes get tedious, but I think it’ll be a show worthy quilt when it is done.  My machine was done on Saturday and I picked it up Sunday, it purrs again.

I got to work on my Mrs. Miller’s Apprentice blocks for this month, pretty baskets with lots of HST.

I put a border onto my Minute quilt too, still trying to use up that fabric pile. I have  about a half yard of each left.  I feel like it needs another border to frame it up, maybe red or blue or white.

This week I also went on a bit of a shopping spree.  I saw a set of quilt frame clamps on the Bernina Q24 facebook page that I needed.  They were available at Nancy’s Notions, and a fat quarter bundle of Sequoia (Laundry Basket Quilts) jumped into my cart too.  Then I got an email from Nancy’s that their Accuquilt stock was on sale – 20% off.  Oh so tempting, I have been wanting to get the Angles Companion Qube set.  It will make cutting out the Alaska quilt so much easier, all those triangles.  After I had it in the cart, I noticed that in order to really get the most use out of it, they recommend that you have the Mix and Match set.  They are both on their way to my studio now.   Also, while cutting the pieces for the Minute border, I realized that my cutter was getting dull.  I went to the drawer of notions to get a new blade.  This is what I found:

I found some new ones on Amazon, rather than going to the store, for further temptation.  I guess I can confess to yarn purchases (Christmas sweater, sock yarn) and a pattern and fabric kit for the Judy Niemeyer Feathered Star quilt, while I’m at it. It was all on sale – really.

Linking up with Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict for “Can I get a Whoop-Whoop?” today.

 

 

This past weekend I bound until I could bind no more.  Six quilts that needed to be bound and moved on to the finished pile.  I spent most of Saturday sewing and listening to a book, it was going to be a hot day and I decided to stay in.  I did go out in the early morning to water my plants on the deck, but otherwise I stayed in the AC filtered air.

Sunday was still hot, so I went to work sashing and putting together the Christmas Figs BOM.  It took about four hours, I was surprised by how long because it’s just simple straight line sewing.  The blocks are large, 16 inches finished, so I guess when you add up all the sashing strips, 49, and the setting blocks it is a lot of sewing.  It’s a big quilt 😊 and I can’t wait to start quilting it.

 

On the Quilting list, ‘Sew She did’ is still waiting for the wool batting I ordered to come in,  I don’t have the quilt backing loaded yet, because I wanted to get Playdate on to the frame and quilted first.  Unicorns abound!  I found the sparkle minky at The Fat Quarter Shop a few weeks ago, hoping this quilts finds a little girl to love it.

Linking up with Judy for Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts.

I don’t think I ever had to write an essay about my summer vacation while growing up.  We lived at the beach, so from the last day of school to Labor Day, we spent most of our days there.  I once even had a summer job working at a concession stand on the beach. It was an idyllic life for a kid.

This summer I spent my vacation in Oregon with my horse at a ranch in Gold Beach.  Pretty idyllic too.  We went to the beach one day, but it was very windy, so rugged and beautiful.  We also drove down the coast to the town of Brookings.  There is a yarn and fabric store there, called By My Hand.  It’s an open and well lit place with lots of friendly people.  I found yarn for my next shawl in the Curious Handmade series called Tidepool. They even wound it into cakes for me, so kind.  Now if I can just finish the floating shawl, only about 15 more rows to go🙄.

Before I left, I got the borders on my Sew She Did quilt.  There was pinning involved, and NO re-sewing, yay.  Everything fit, the first time around. Ignore the Christmas quilt on the bed in front, it’s there to remind me to bind it and the other two I’ve finished recently

I sewed my backing together yesterday, I had six yards of a gray and black floral print and three yards of a quilty word print. I carefully cut the salvages off and had to cut the words fabric on grain. I used pins and got things together, even ironed it.  But this quilt has to wait until next week for me to start it.  I decided to use a double batting, wool on top of cotton.  I really want the stitching definition to show, if I’m going to spend time quilting this thing to the max, I want it to show up.  Of course I have no wool batting in stash, Amazon to the rescue!  It’ll be here next week, in the meantime I think I’ll throw the playdate quilt the frame and get my unicorns on.

Lastly, I finished up a top this morning, much pink-ness. Great pattern for a charm pack, with the border I used up almost all of it.  It’s for my DH’s associate, I think her baby is due in August.

Linking up with Denise at For the Love of Geese for Put Your Foot Down #10 today.

When I first started my blog, I wanted to name it “Sew she Did”.  Remember the old story about the little red hen, she has a lot of work to do, but no one wants to help her?  The story ends with the hen making/baking bread, by herself, and eating it all by herself.  At the time I had three teenage children at home, and I was that hen.  I know it was partly my fault for not instilling some kind of work ethic into that trio, but it was frustrating at times.  The sheer lack of (their) motivation was astounding to me, sewing time was my salvation.  Just me in my studio, making my things, all by myself, with the satisfaction (usually, LOL) of a job well done.  Sorry, I digress, unfortuneatly, the name was already taken by someone else, so I went with Touch of Grey instead.  That’s a story for another time.  Fast forward to now, the teens are adults and moved out,  I still do most of the chores, but they stay done for longer, and there is a lot more sewing time.

This quilt is named “Sew She Did”, I have two more borders to attach, but its 80 percent done.  It is a quilt that I designed, chose fabrics for, cut out, and sewed together, all by myself. 😉

There will be a red coping strip and then a final border of red and white on point squares surrounding it.  I was going to go with a simple border of plain strips, but since it’s a show quilt, I felt I had to push the envelope a bit.  I did the math, figured out the sizes of the squares and triangles to make it work.  There was a 3 3/8 ths measurement involved, but it worked.  I’m hoping to get the borders attached before Sunday, as I want to bring my machine in for a spa treatment.

Linking up today with For the Love of Geese for Put Your Foot Down #8.