Hexie Heavy {WIP Wednesday}

Keeping it simple today.  

Finish:

Cat in the Hat

I finished the quilt right before the holidays.  

But this the only photo I have edited. 

Stayed tuned for Finish it Friday!

In Progress:

Hex on the Beach

Basted all 1008 hexies.  

They are almost too pretty to stitch.  But I have started the first two rows.

Stars and Stripes

I am absolutely IN love with this quilt.  

I finally finished appliqueing the hexies and piecing the stripes onto the star section.   I still have to cut the border pieces, so it is still not close to being finished. 

New Project:

Argyle Quilt

Since Stars and Stripes is in machine stage and Hex on the Beach is NOT going on our family vacation.  

I need a new EPP project. 

I think it is perfect for our teenage son.  I am really excited to start on it.  I have all the fabrics pulled from my stash.  The only fabric I had to purchase was the gray/black dot for the cross sections and borders.

Am I crazy to take on another long term EPP project from the Hexa-Go-Go book?  Would you think I am REALLY crazy to already be thinking about other quilts in the book?

WIP: Oy Vey

I was about to post that I didn't do much since last week's WIP post, until I did a rundown on Instagram. Oy vey...I've been busy.

Pattern Testing

I finished my quilt top for Bree at Distant Pickles.  I started it just a little over a week ago.

I seriously can't wait for her to release this pattern so I can share this quilt!
  Off to buy backing material this week!

Stars and Stripes

I pulled out my hexagons on Memorial Day.

I have machine appliqued the hexagon rows to the stripes and pieced the stripes for the upper portion of the flag.  Still have to do the much longer rows next!

Group Quilt Block

A special top secret group block.  The kind of quilt that will be awesome.  

Don't worry, you will see more of it because I get to quilt it!

Friendship Hexagon block tutorial by Don't Call Me Betsy!

End of the Year Teacher Gifts.

I started these last year, but I finally finished three for the preschool teachers by last Thursday! 

Not a finish though...still have eight or so to go for the middle schoolers.  And I can't take credit for the little Mug Rug saying. A Facebook friend designed them and was sweet enough to share them!

Hex on the Beach

I ran out of hexagon templates.

  I am at 357/1008 hexagons!

This was taken at 196 this week.

 Loooong way to go.  And it's definitely official.  I hate glue.

Mini Vac Attachment Bag

I love my mini vac attachments to clean my sewing machines so much, that I had to make a drawstring bag for them!

My First Pattern??

In January, I designed a quilt for Button.  I have finally decided to get working on the quilt and the pattern this month.

I have crib, lap, twin and queen sizes worked out.
The king is alluding me a bit because I didn't realize they were wider than they are longer?

Second Client Quilt

I was waiting on my latest pantograph order!

Can't wait to use the larger scale Maple Syrup.
 The one I did awhile back was too small for the quilt I'm about to do!

Blogger's Quilt Festival

The voting has begun.

 I have two quilts over there.  Tumbleweed in Home Machine quilting at #2.  and Imagination for Group Quilt at #1.  If your bored and want to vote for someone, I won't stop you!  My secret confession? I didn't vote for any of mine!  Shhhhh....


Now I just need to figure out how to catch up on all the sweet comments and also my blog reading. Something always has to give, doesn't it?

Doll Crib Set

 Do you ever have a UFO that you just think will never amount to anything, but then ends up being your favorite project in the moment?  

This one is my new favorite!

I bought this "vintage" doll crib last year to decorate my studio.  I hesitate to call it vintage because I have no idea if it is, but I am happy that it rocks like a cradle and came with a pillow and mattress.

I have been lamenting about those lost hexagons pre-cuts on the plane in October.  I had thought I might make a tote out of the panels when I finished them HERE.  But I never really felt like it was right.  Friday, I was going through my UFOs to clean out clutter and found them.

The first one was larger and begging to be a doll quilt.  So I trimmed and added the yellow dotted borders.

I quilted along the "chevron" pattern that emerged in the hexagons and then did equilateral stitches around the border using the distance of my walking foot edge to the needle.  I had a few oopsies because little Button came in the room and bumped my arm.  Go figure right?  I decided to use a bit of my Amy Butler stash I have been hoarding for the binding.  It had a soft yellow tone and the blues matched.

The backing was a scrap piece from a fat quarter I had in my stash.  Daisies are my favorite flowers, so it had to be used! You can see the "chevron pattern" quilting a bit better on the back also.
  I grabbed a random pink leftover scrap for the back of the doll pillow with some coordinating buttons.

The second panel was much smaller and seemed to magically beg me to make it into a pillow cover.

I trimmed it to fit the front and added the same yellow dotted fabric as the border of the quilt.

Of course, I couldn't have the green toile fabric as the mattress because it didn't match.  I chose this yellow print because it felt soft enough to coordinate and not take away from the quilt and pillow.

I treated it like a duvet or pillow sham and made a button flap closure at the back to slip the mattress inside.

I am so excited to show you how good it looks up on the studio cabinets.  However, there is one small hiccup.  As soon as I had the crib set all decked out?

Button seemed to think that the crib and set are for him.  He quickly ran and found his baby to put in it. He also declared the quilt "coot" (cute) and insisted on showing it off to his big brothers as if he, himself, created it!

Gah...I love this kid!

My first 2013 finish!  Wooohoooo!

WIP: Hexies....again...

Are you sick of them?

I have to admit, I am glad they are here.  I have not had any time spent on any other items other than laundry the past few days.  Mr. Boss decided to sweep me off to the City of Sin this past weekend.

I was dragging my feet...because I am not just not a fan of Vegas.  But since it was for work and he had big plans there, I left my sweet boys behind.  Hate that!  But last Friday, I was so glad to have the EPPs with me on the way there!  Mr. Boss didn't complain because he wasn't getting whacked in the arm or head with my crosstitch frame!

When we stepped out of the car at the hotel?  

Pavers on the driveway of the hotel

I knew it was going to be a good weekend!

 Since we have returned, I have snuck in a bit of time while waiting for my loads of laundry to finish their cycles and have been playing with layouts.

I cut out more templates while sitting in the car watching tennis practice.  

This time adding a hole with my hole puncher in the middle to have something to "grab" when I pull them out.

I would love to write out my "No Progress" laundry list, but the real laundry is calling my name!!

I hope to focus on my Just Three items for September in the next few days.....4 to be exact.

So far, when I predicted that I would be in Survival Mode earlier this month,  I was right. 

This is the one instance where I hate that I am right!!!

Linking up with Lee!  

I feel like quitting while I am behind...any motivational words or thoughts out there!?!?!??!

EPP Obsession

I am officially in love with English Paper Piecing. I cannot tell you how many times I wish I could be quilting but just can't because I am sitting at another tennis match or sitting in my car.

I love my cross stitch but the frame can be awkward and sometimes I forget where I was and by the time I get back on track, it is time for me to pack it all up.

With the hexagons, I can just keep them in small baggies and pull them out onto my lap! Yesterday I was able to prepare 53 hexagons on a three hour plane ride. And Mr. Boss didn't mind because I wasn't making a scene with my awkward frame!

I also was surprised to see my new book at my doorstep Wednesday afternoon.

Inspiring.

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend! I plan to work on some more hexis since I am away from my boys and my girls (the sewing machines).