Hexalong at last

Well just before the delightful Lynne of Lilysquilts tells us she is finished her hexie project I am starting mine.  Well that is not strictly true....let me explain.

If you look on my UFO page you will see this quilt top

And this is it now - just a bit more quilting and I'll be putting on some rather awkward binding. 

I started this Kaleidoscope Hexagon at a workshop with Carolyn Forster but wasn't too sure about all that black - I do like the drama of it now!  So I started some brighter blocks which you can see here...

So you see I have two hexie projects on the go - one I aim to finish this year is a 

and a spare...sort of?  Then along comes Lynne and Gayle Brindley with a Hexalong but I am sure you already know this...




I jumped in of course but got sidetracked by other things and have only now decided to merge Kaleidoscope hexies as taught by Carolyn with the Hexalong!

Yeah!  So instead of starting another new project (not allowed to do that, am I?) I am actually finishing an undeclared UFO.  Clever huh?!

This is as far as I have got in two quick evening sessions ....

......assisted by using Carolyn Forster's own hexie templates which I had already purchased.  

The ones on the left are for making the kaleidoscope hexagons and those on the right are for her bigger better hexagon granny's garden type of quilt.




They are lovely and large, and I already have 46 kaleidoscope hexies hand pieced except for the central circle which I can now fussy cut to tie in with my other fabrics.  Whoohoo!  Quick quilt or what!??


[Edit:  now looking at the photo of my bright hexies I realise I have to make that quilt too - make that three hexie quilts I am working on!]

I am booked on a couple of Carolyn's courses in October and I would so like to show her a finished quilt (the black one) and perhaps a finished top...?  Who knows...just watch this space!

Nicky

Size of block

7.5" unfinished

Fabrics

Dots from stash

plus some fabrics I bought at Ardingly Quilt Fair in February 2011

Trial slideshow testing!

Yesterday I was playing with cooltext prompted by my son and also discovered smilebox where you can create photo collages and slideshows.


So of course I had to have a go....with the photos of my Friendship's Garden quilt - can you please let me know if it works ok!??




Sorry that the photos are the same but will do others if it is successful...?

Make your own picture collage

They get a free advert and I get a free slideshow....evens I guess!

Friendship's Garden sashed!

I was hanging up my washing on the line......

and I couldn't resist hanging up my Friendship's Garden quilt and taking a few photos, HSTs and all!

Hope you still like it!?


I do!! 


Not quite finished yet....still needs those applique borders....better get on with it then.

Do you like my name button ....you can make your own at Cooltext (thanks to my son Arthur for suggesting it)

Well no wonder I was bored....

I think I might just have overdone the cutting out of triangles to make HSTs (half square triangles) for my Friendship's Garden quilt as I seem to have this many left over....

You may think this is the same photo as yesterday but I assure you it is not.  My maths was not correct - I was one HST out for each row!


Do you know how many HSTs are in this quilt?  Nope - nor do I but I am just counting ...1,2,3,...11 ...25....37....46....78....99.....150.....200....280!  That's how many and I have finished them all....joined them up....and stitched the quilt top together.


So far so good as they say but I cannot do the happy dance yet - well ok a little one - as I have an applique border to add on and applique is a scary word at the moment as I haven't done significant amounts of needle turn applique since I was doing this quilt in 2005/2006!


Do you want a photo...?


Well here is a teaser.....

More revealed tomorrow after I edit the countless photos I took while ably assisted by Saffy the cat!  Isn't she adorable!??

Great view I think!  And for Saffy too!

I am quite excited this week as I am going to go to Birmingham on Friday, to the NEC, to the Festival of Quilts (FoQ).  I am hoping to put faces to blog names so if you are there please let me know.  I am a FoQ virgin so any tips for a really big quilt show would be most welcome!

Nicky

Pattern

Friendship's Garden by Alma Allen & Cherie Ralston

Still available at Pickledishstore

Previous posts
http://mrsssewandsow.blogspot.com/2011/05/applique-quilt-post-no1.html
http://mrsssewandsow.blogspot.com/2011/05/applique-quilt-post-no-2.html
http://mrsssewandsow.blogspot.com/2011/05/applique-quilt-post-no-3.html






Measurements
Applique block size 20.5 " finished
HST sashing size 2" finished
Skinny accent sashing 0.5" finished


Number of HSTs
280!!

Guess what I've been doing!

Getting slightly bored of cutting out these...

to make enough of these...

to finish off this....

I only need about 144 in total - and I have pieced four rows of 22 HSTs so far.  If my maths is correct I need to add 14 to each row!  I think! 

Put that way it does not seem so bad - I can do this!

Nicky

I am a product!

I was in the supermarket recently and some packaging caught my eye....


What was that?  My name blazened across some packaging?  This needed closer inspection!


Well I was glad to see that I was a luxury product and environmentally sound as I could be re-cycled

But who'd have thought I was this...

Ah well life has a habit of showing you your place and I guess the toilet is mine! But I am fairly essential, something you wouldn't want to be without, just not as glamorous as I would have hoped!  Haha!

Do you have a product named after you?  Is it a bit more glam than mine!??


Nicky

Farmer's Wife 24

I fell behind in this QAL again!


I have made up for it and jumped ahead doing six new blocks yesterday.


They are 

No 5 Bat Wing

No 6 Big Dipper

No 10 Bow Tie

No 30 End of Day

No 40 Friendship Block

No 54 Kitchen Woodbox

And then just because I still didn't like my No 4 Basketweave I did it for the
third time...

No 4 Basketweave (third version)

New blocks on Kona Hibiscus background

New Blocks + Basketweave on Design Board

I have done 24 blocks now.  It seems to work for me to do a whole batch rather than just two at a time - in fact I have another one cut out and ready to go and may do even more tomorrow...??  


They are a bit additive once you get started but my sewing room (aka the spare bedroom)  always ends up in a mess doing these blocks as I look for that elusive piece of fabric to make my block look better! 


Are you neat and tidy or a bit of a messy sprawl like me (only with regard to sewing of course)?

Nicky