Hexi's!!

I haven't been able to do much quilting lately. Obviously, right? But I've been thinking about quilting, and deciding on future projects, and reading quilting blogs. A few months ago, I bookmarked a few blogs that featured hexagons. Apparently hexagons are really big in the quilt blogging world. Who knew? Anyway, I'm generally opposed to hand sewing anything. Too much time! Too much work! But my lack of quilting time has made me improvise. The holiday season is spent driving to other places to visit with other people. Time in the car with nothing to do. Nothing to do but try some hand sewing. So I reviewed several hexi blogs until I felt armed with enough knowledge to make my own hexagons.




Turns out - I love making hexagons! Who knew? Not me - definitely not me. I've been a hexagon making fool for the past three days.




I did have an oh, shit moment when I panicked about not being able to actually sew the darn things together. So I tried a few. Presto!



I'm planning to make a grandmother's flower garden quilt. Or pot holder. I haven't decided yet.

My To-Do List

So my friend, Christy, just did a post of her unfinished quilt projects. She listed 20. It got me thinking about my unfinished project list. I keep track of all finished quilts, quilts in progress, and quilts I want to make.

We'll start with the positive.... Since I began quilting in December 1999, I've completed 71 quilts. Of those, I've kept 24 for myself/family. The rest have been given away. That's pretty good, if I do say so myself.

Okay, so now the WIP count.... ELEVEN! That's more than I thought (are you surprised, Christy?). Here they are:

1. Eight Pointed Star wall hanging
2. Dinosaur panel baby quilt
3. Blue and Green Kaffe Fasset for the Polack
4. Austin Starrlight
5. Black & White Block Exchange
6. Julia’s Quilt
7. Anna’s Quilt
8. Lime Green & Royal Blue Blocks
9. String Quilt
10. Mystery Quilt 1
11. Mystery Quilt 2

The first two on the list probably won't be finished. They were started years ago. The rest though, were started in the last two years.

Christy and I organized a stash-busting contest a few years ago and we've decided to do it again this year. It's time to finish some of those WIP's so that I can get going on the wish list!

Hail to PU

The Purdue quilt is finished and mailed. I was tired of the zig zag pattern so I went with Purdue P's.



I've done this pattern before... a long time ago.... In fact it was before digital cameras (whoa, I sound old!) so I don't have an image to share. And I didn't get a great picture of this one. I was so happy to be finished with it!

October 2010 Quilt Camp

My last post was of my block of the month. I didn't mention this but I made it at Camp Tecumseh's quilt camp so I thought I better do a full post from that weekend. It was the Wild Wild West Camp. Check me out on the horse!



This is a picture of Maple. Maple likes to watch people through the window. She also delivered this quilt block to my mom. It was quite a suprise.


At camp, I quilted the Purdue quilt I've been working on.


I also worked on a Mystery Quilt. I wasn't super excited about the pattern so instead of making one big quilt, I made to smaller quilts with the blocks that I put together.





Here are my two quilts at Show and Tell. My mom also did the Mystery Quilt. Her top is on the left.


Here are some more photos from the weekend. I love to go from room to room and see what others are working on. As a quilter, I draw inspiration from other quilters and I always come home from camp with a list of projects to tackle.

Block of the Month

Here's my latest block for the block of the month club. This is a wonky star for my mom. She requested pinks and purples.

Nicki's T-Shirt Quilt

I finished Nicki's quilt! I think I mentioned this before but I REALLY enjoyed making this t-shirt quilt. Much more than I thought I would!




This is my favorite block....


I really loved how this quilt turned out but I'm always nervous when I get paid to make a quilt. I worry that the recipient will hate it. I was especially concerned because I dropped the quilt off at Nicki's house and she wasn't there. So I couldn't see her reaction.



A few days after I dropped it off, I received the following note from Nicki: "NATALIE.... I love love love the quilt. Thank you so much. I hope you are doing well and I'm sorry I missed you this weekend but thanks for dropping it off!"

WHEW!!

Yoder's

I was in Northern Indiana this weekend and had an urge to go fabric shopping. There are no quilt shops in the 30 mile radius of where I was visiting but I was determined! The next county over is Shipshewana - Amish country and home of Yoder's (a well known department/grocery/fabric store). I'm pretty sure they had every Moda fabric available - all for about $1-$2 off what you'd find in a quilt shop. And the largest Robert Kaufman selection I've every seen. I was in heaven! It was very hard to pick out just a few bolts to buy from but I managed.



Look at how big their fabric section is!


Their Kona solid collection.... Could I have five yards of each, please?


The Amish lifestyle is fascinating to me. The horse and buggy's were everywhere - I had a take a picture. (Minus the actual Amish because it's against their beliefs to be photographed.)


I felt like Laura Ingalls Wilder for a bit until I saw a family riding away from the grocery store with a case of Mountain Dew in their buggy. Regardless of their modern taste in beverages, they still make beautiful, classic quilts. Maybe I'll make one too someday.

Mind Your P's and Q's

I finished quilting the yet-to-be-named t-shirt quilt. YAY! I used my mom's machine. It's like going from a Honda Accord to a Lexus LS.




I also started my next Purdue quilt. This will be the third one I've done. It's always nice to be paid for making a quilt though I am getting tired of black and gold. Instead of a zig zag, I decided to make up a P block. That required drawing out the pattern - not something I usually do.



I was able to finish five blocks yesterday. What do you think? I'm still deciding.

The Ugly Block

Remember when I mentioned the Block of the Month homework I had? Well here is a picture of a previous block I did. I liked the block design but sage, rust, and tan are definitely NOT my colors.

Let the Wild Pinning Begin!

Wonky Star

This is my first foray into wonky stars. I made this block for an exchange I'm doing with a group of local quilters. A royal blue and bright yellow block was requested. I really enjoyed putting it together so of course, now I want to make a my own wonky star quilt. I'll add that to my ever growing list....



In other qulity related news, I spent the weekend quilting away with my mom. I finished three other blocks for the exchange. (We do one per month so two were catch up, one was for this month, and one was for an upcoming month.) I also finished the top to the T-shirt quilt. My mom left her rockin' Janome with homework to get the thing quilted before I have to return the machine to her this weekend. It's a lofty order so we'll see if it happens.

Piano Girl

After getting the top of the t-shirt put together, I was struggling with what to do for the borders. When my friend Christy suggested piano keys, I was immediately excited. I've never done them but I think they'll be perfect for this quilt.

Tight Quarters

Because of our move from a four bedroom, 2900 square foot house to a 2 bedroom 900 square foot apartment, I no longer have my own quilting space. Luckily my husband doesn't mind when I take over the kitchen table. I'm happy to finally be up and running again!

"I love it when a plan comes together."

I know it's not much, but I AM making progress on the t-shirt quilt.


Here are some blocks laid out....




Since this photo was taken, I've sewn all 12 blocks together and now I'm deciding on the borders. I had some whitish fabric with different color polka dots picked out but I'm definitely not in love with it. My friend Christy suggested piano keys. Brilliant idea! It will be more work but totally worth it for this quilt. I can't wait to get started!

Funkified Finish

I finished the Elephunk quilt that I was making for a friends baby awhile ago. He was born March 15 and I had the quilt to him fairly soon after. But I'm just now getting around to posting the pictures. I was so excited to start this quilt. But as I was making the blocks, I began to get really worried. I didn't like the colors that I'd chosen. And when I finished the blocks, I laid them out and HATED it. I was so upset! But knowing that tops always look better after they are quilted, I continued with the project. And once it was finished and pulled out of the dryer, I fell in love, love, love with it. Absolute love.



during the quilting process, I've gone through periods of not liking a quilt to liking it (and sometimes the opposite) but never with such extreme feeling as with this one. Some quilters stop in the middle of the process and rework blocks they might have concerns about. Or they don't finish the project. I have considered these options when a quilt isn't going to way I'd like. But in the end, I've found that if I trust my original instincts, it almost always works out.



It would have been difficult to give this away but the recipient loves and cherishes it so much. I'm always happy when my quilts make their way to a good home.

T-Shirts Galore

I'm starting a t-shirt quilt! It's the first time I've tried one and it's going really well. I've stablized the fabric and I'm in the process of cutting them down. I haven't quite figured out the pattern or how I'm going to lay them out. We'll see what the creative process brings.

I'm a bad blogger

Yet again, I delivered a quilt without getting a picture. I ALWAYS take pictures of my finished quilts so I don't know how I've neglected to do so, yet again. Anyway, here's photo of what it sorta looked like. It's the best I can do for now. I will be better - I promise!

Black and Gold

I'm making another Purdue quilt. It will be zig zag like the last one. I'm not going to lie, I'm getting kinda tired of the black and gold color scheme!

Elefunk

I finished the elephant quilt for baby Miles but didn't get a picture of the finished quilt. DARN! But hopefully Miles' momma will come through for me so I can get it posted.

An almost finish

Still plugging away although it doesn't seem like based on the lack of activity on this blog. I've recently finished quilting another baby quilt - this one for a good friend who is due on March 15. The binding isn't on yet (nor made but that's just a minor detail) so this is just a sneak preview for you. Wait until you see the cut elephant backing!

Flower Pots

I can't believe I didn't post these pictures sooner. This is the second finish on my list of commission quilts. I was inspired by the bedding of the recipient which came from Pottery Barn and featured long stemmed flowers. (Hence the name of a quilt that doesn't actually have pots in it.)



I'm not particularly fond of applique but the technique used for this is called "slaplique". You sew a straight stitch a half inch on the inside of your cut piece of fabric. It will fray once it's washed which hides any imperfections.