Hexie Squared!...

I placed an embargo on posting progress on this quilt until it was up to borders and...it is!!...wahoo!!!!  OK, so it is really a rectangle but Hexie Rectangled just didn't do it for me so I went with squared...

 

There has been much obsessive whip stitching of shapes going on for the last three days...I even sewed for most of the time at the gathering on Friday night...usually I spend most of the night shop browsing (it is held in a shop classroom), eating tea, drinking cuppas, eating chocolate, adding my two cents worth to someone else's decision making - no-one gets to make decisions without everyone else's input, which is often promptly ignored but it is imperative that opinions are given anyway *LOL* - and general lack of actual sewing...but I just had to have the centre done.  As I take the papers out as I go so it is easier to handle the edges are the only paper shapes left in now, which is why the sides look a bit stiff.

The next step is a narrow "frame" (a straight strip down the two sides and half-diamonds at the top and bottom) then two borders.  Karen used the same fabric as the connecting diamonds and triangles for her frame...I'm in two minds about whether to do that or use something a little stronger - that decision can wait until tomorrow.  I would use the same fabric as the flower centre hexies but it was a scrap and there is no more.  The fabrics for this quilt were purchased at Summer School from one of the visiting shops (we had a different one each day and I can't remember which shop was there that day).  I found the fabric for the main border on the sale stand (my favourite way to buy by the metre) and two $5 scrap bags of pink/green and the decision was made, in the space of about 5 minutes!!!...the colours sort of chose themselves as I certainly wasn't looking for anything in particular, or in fact for this quilt!! I actually liked the challenge of only two colours, picking out fabrics that were predominately one or the other...The second border fabric was found in a shop I often go to so I'll put the centre against the border fabrics tomorrow in better light and see what speaks to me about the frame.

Oh and I was asked if the connecting shapes were pink or cream...they are pink, with white dots.

Happy Stitching...

Squishy Mail Surprise...

A bright spot this week was the arrival in my mail box of a package that had travelled a looong way....

Stamps from Norway!...

Inside?..the most gorgeous Red Brolly girl wall hanging beautifully stitched by my lovely bloggy friend Grethe...isn't it divine...

Don't know that you can tell from the picture but the card is (oh bugger it's sideways! Kris tilt your head OK! Kris' son stop laughing at your mother!!!) so sweet, embossed with butterflies...

And then there is the back of the wallhanging...check out the label...

Canine themed! Perfect!!

Thank you so much Grethe I absolutely love it.  I have the perfect hanger in mind and it will hang in a special spot.

Off to Friday night gathering tonight, I missed going last time so it will be great to catch up...menu items are sorted - Blueberry Tart made for my contribution to tea menu and the ongoing hexie project my stitching menu for the evening.  I really really want to get those shapes stitched together so I can move on to attaching the borders because the thread I want to use to quilt it is winging it's way from across the sea.

Right back to whip stitching shapes...

Happy Stitching...

FNSI Gardening..

As Friday night isn't happening anywhere in the world I have to accept my It'sstillFridaysomewhereFridayNightSewIn has to come to a close.

Presenting the It'sstillSaturdaysomewhereFridayNightSewInReport.

Friday Night Aussie Time I wimped out early, like 9:30 (21:30), being soooo tired and with the attention span of a goldfish with dementia, the result of a day with way too many elements that went way too long without stopping.  My Friday Night Aussie Time consisted of  an entire 100gram block of chocolate and stitching triangles and diamonds around maybe 1/4 of the perimeter of the  hexies...not much to show for that gardening session.  So, after a short nap of 8-9 hours, gardening continued in Friday Night Over There Time...and I really did sew along in USA time watching Bonnie on Quiltcam as she sewed before going to bed Friday night her time...fun!...

When I went to bed last night the garden had grown to...

Oops...not laid down straight, the bird is sideways
imagine a quarter turn to the right, oh well you get the idea

I've a bit of time this morning before going to the fire station for our AGM and on to work for the afternoon so I'm out of here to stitch on a few more flowers before I have to leave.

Once again Heidi & Bobbi have provided incentive to get down and get sewing...see you next FNSI - if not before, feel free to drop by anytime :)

Happy Stitching...

Oh and for GF K...answer to question...

I couldn't describe so here is a pic...

The Garden Grows...

This pile of hexies...

became this....

then this...

then this...

and with the addition of diamonds and triangles the Quilt Whose Name I Can't Remember has grown into...

Please ignore the even more craptastic than usual photography tonight

 

Tomorrow night is Friday Night Sew-In, looking forward to some more gardening...

Happy Stitching...

A Little Pouch...

A couple of Sundays ago I ventured down to Melbourne and met Rosie & Judy at Jeff's Shed at the Craft & Quilt Show....yes I know, it was over a week ago but what can I say, lazy...local quilt group bought group tickets for all members so my ticket was "free" (only reason I went really)...knowing where unrestricted parking is on a Sunday from my days of working at Etihad Stadium I walked the 10 minutes down and across the river...it's always dodgy when I cross the river, my radar goes all out of whack on the wrong side...when I worked in an office situated in the World Trade Centre, back when dinosaurs walked the earth, I once asked my boss where Clarendon Street was...he pointed out the window and pretty much straight down...yep I had no idea that Spencer Street became Clarendon Street when the river was crossed!!!...Melbournites are now requested to kindly stop laughing!...anyway, the point is, it's way safer for me to park on the right side of the river and walk, I have much less chance of driving around in circles or ending up lost in the wilds of the south east somewhere with no idea how I got there!

So, anyway, free ticket, free parking...liking the cost structure so far! I arrive and find Rosie & Judy who tell me they've booked into a class at the Brother stand...a quick trip to the stand and I snaffle the last spot in the class...yay!...and again, free!!!...no idea what the class is mind you, I'm being a total follower this day and just happy to tag along and I'm not adverse to playing with a new machine...

At the "classroom" area of the stand the tutor gave everyone a project pack and we got to play with a nifty little machine...we started by stitching rows of pretty embroidery stitches...

Such pretty stitches...1 1/2 hours later and cream homespun was transformed into a cute little button closure pouch (pattern by Brother - Take-Anywhere Purse)...

Decorated with embroidery stitching and an appliqued heart the pouch finishes at about 7" x 4 1/4", a useful size for toting about a little stitchery or some hexies/paper piecing shapes in the handbag...and did I mention...free!!!

This is the whizzy little machine we got to play with...very nice...and user friendly too...

Probably a good thing there isn't any spare in the bank account or I'd have been very tempted as they were not at all expensive and sewed nicely.

After lunch Judy went off to do her own thing for a while and Rosie & I sat in on a no-cost talk by the lovely Monica Poole who shared the basics of her quilt-as-you-go techniques, which was interesting.  I was sitting right in front of one of her applique quilts (a BOM with a peacock in the centre) and it was just gorgeous.

The Victorian Quilters Showcase is part of this show and there were lots of lovely quilts but as signage at the entrance requested no photos you'll just have to believe me.

Thanks to Rosie & Judy for a lovely day out.

There has been precious little else to share going on...although I have revisited the Quilt Whose Name I Can't Remember, all the diamond paper shapes are covered, the triangles are started and I've joined the first round of hexie flowers (took a little detour from covering papers)...if I can keep up any sort of momentum there may be something to show with that soon(ish).

Hope there has been more happening in your world.

Happy Stitching...