...lots more to go. =)

...lots more to go. =)

Found: Yesterday, a thrift store find. A really sweet embroidered baby blanket that has some curious problems. It looks like you should be able to pull and it would smooth out. Like elastic. 

But, no. You can not. The only part of the quilt that is all wrinkled is the  top and backing. 

The flannel batting is perfectly flat. So curious....

Here is what I think...The creator didn't have enough flannel for the batting, so she bunched up the front and back to make it fit. =(

The top is released from the other layers. Now to pick out all the thick thread used for quilting this blanket. 

Finally all released and pressed. As you can see, the creator used a sheet for her project. It feels really great. 

How cute is this???

Stay tuned for the final transformation. =) I am really excited to work on it. 

Found: Yesterday, a thrift store find. A really sweet embroidered baby blanket that has some curious problems. It looks like you should be able to pull and it would smooth out. Like elastic. 

But, no. You can not. The only part of the quilt that is all wrinkled is the  top and backing. 

The flannel batting is perfectly flat. So curious....

Here is what I think...The creator didn't have enough flannel for the batting, so she bunched up the front and back to make it fit. =(

The top is released from the other layers. Now to pick out all the thick thread used for quilting this blanket. 

Finally all released and pressed. As you can see, the creator used a sheet for her project. It feels really great. 

How cute is this???

Stay tuned for the final transformation. =) I am really excited to work on it. 

I love you, my darling Russ....Always and forever. 

I love you, my darling Russ....Always and forever. 

Today is a resting day. I am recovering from a migraine that was triggered by the eye appointment I had on Thursday. And they wonder why I don't make yearly appointments? =/

This last week, I played with scraps....

Got some orphan blocks out of storage and made into mini quilts. 

What do you do with your orphan blocks?

Today is a resting day. I am recovering from a migraine that was triggered by the eye appointment I had on Thursday. And they wonder why I don't make yearly appointments? =/

This last week, I played with scraps....

Got some orphan blocks out of storage and made into mini quilts. 

What do you do with your orphan blocks?

Now that our kiddos are older and have work schedules to maneuver around, Russ and I decided to do for-go a family vacation this year and instead enjoy short little weekends away, just the two of us. This last weekend we spent 4 days in our state capitol city of Des Moines. I experienced the Iowa State Fair for the first time. =) One of the "must go see" was the butter cow. 

Yes, a cow made of butter. What can I say....

We visited a couple of bridges in Madison County. 

Stopped in at Fons and Porter's Quilting store. 

 Rode our tandem recumbent bike on the High Trestle Bridge. That was a bit nerve wracking for me. I am not a fan of bridges and this one was very high!

Russ enjoying the view...haha.

We did a lot of thrift store shopping and looking at antique malls. We didn't buy anything to speak of, but it was fun to look. I will say, I was highly tempted by this chandelier. I have it in my head that I "need" one for my sewing room. 

Truth is, I would rather have fabric. =) I am being more careful with what I add to my stash. It needs to go with what I already own or be a great sale. Preferably both. =) 

Summertime by Quilt Soup

Sweet Cakes, Polka Dot Stitches, Pam Kitty Morning

The Simple Life by Riley Blake

I didn't take any pictures, I was too busy looking around and chatting with the owner, but I want to share that if you are in the Adel area, go to Adel Quilting and Dry Goods Co.  Darling store and she carries a lot of Riley Blake fabrics. Make sure you check out Jacque's web page and blog. =) I liked the shop so much that I added it to my contacts on my phone. I only do that with shops I want to visit over and over again. 

Next I hope we can visit WI when the apples are in season and stop in to see my grandson Lucas, who will be turning two in September. =) 

Life is good...

Have a happy day! 

Now that our kiddos are older and have work schedules to maneuver around, Russ and I decided to do for-go a family vacation this year and instead enjoy short little weekends away, just the two of us. This last weekend we spent 4 days in our state capitol city of Des Moines. I experienced the Iowa State Fair for the first time. =) One of the "must go see" was the butter cow. 

Yes, a cow made of butter. What can I say....

We visited a couple of bridges in Madison County. 

Stopped in at Fons and Porter's Quilting store. 

 Rode our tandem recumbent bike on the High Trestle Bridge. That was a bit nerve wracking for me. I am not a fan of bridges and this one was very high!

Russ enjoying the view...haha.

We did a lot of thrift store shopping and looking at antique malls. We didn't buy anything to speak of, but it was fun to look. I will say, I was highly tempted by this chandelier. I have it in my head that I "need" one for my sewing room. 

Truth is, I would rather have fabric. =) I am being more careful with what I add to my stash. It needs to go with what I already own or be a great sale. Preferably both. =) 

Summertime by Quilt Soup

Sweet Cakes, Polka Dot Stitches, Pam Kitty Morning

The Simple Life by Riley Blake

I didn't take any pictures, I was too busy looking around and chatting with the owner, but I want to share that if you are in the Adel area, go to Adel Quilting and Dry Goods Co.  Darling store and she carries a lot of Riley Blake fabrics. Make sure you check out Jacque's web page and blog. =) I liked the shop so much that I added it to my contacts on my phone. I only do that with shops I want to visit over and over again. 

Next I hope we can visit WI when the apples are in season and stop in to see my grandson Lucas, who will be turning two in September. =) 

Life is good...

Have a happy day! 

Great tips on how to fix your settings so you are not the dreaded no-reply commenter. It only takes a minute to check your settings. =) 

Thank you Susannah @ Simple Moments Stick!

Great tips on how to fix your settings so you are not the dreaded no-reply commenter. It only takes a minute to check your settings. =) 

Thank you Susannah @ Simple Moments Stick!

The number one reason why I wanted to use paper templates with my diamond hexie quilt was the ease of being able to glue baste each of the hexagon shapes instead of hand sewing them. I thought I was going to have to give up that notion because I decided to switch back to the mylar templates. {I explained the reason for that decision in yesterday's post.}

Then I had a light bulb moment....They do happen from time to time. =) 

The mylar templates are heat resistant which means, in theory, you can use an iron to set the glue!! 

The question for me was, would the mylar pieces hold their shape after having heat applied to them? 

Let's give it a try, shall we? 

You can real use any washable glue you have on hand, but I really like Roxanne's Glue Baste It because the applicator is so precise. It only lets out a drop of glue at a time and because you don't need very much to glue baste the hexie, this is perfect for the job. 

You fold and finger press the fabric around the mylar hexagon template. You can't see it in this picture, but there is a straight pin holding the template to the fabric so it won't move and shift. Just under the fold, you place a couple of drops of glue.

Give it a quick press to dry the glue

Simple as that and the side is basted! 

Do the same thing with the other sides.  Add a bit of glue under the fold, 

and give it a quick press to dry the glue. 

Here is the hexie all basted. Take out the pin and you are done!

 

In no time you have a whole pile of hexies waiting to be joined together. 

None of my templates warped from the little bit of heat I used to set the glue. 

I am so glad this works It will make the process so much quicker than hand basting all of them. 

I hope this helps someone get off of the fence and give making hexies a try. =) 

Have a happy day!

The number one reason why I wanted to use paper templates with my diamond hexie quilt was the ease of being able to glue baste each of the hexagon shapes instead of hand sewing them. I thought I was going to have to give up that notion because I decided to switch back to the mylar templates. {I explained the reason for that decision in yesterday's post.}

Then I had a light bulb moment....They do happen from time to time. =) 

The mylar templates are heat resistant which means, in theory, you can use an iron to set the glue!! 

The question for me was, would the mylar pieces hold their shape after having heat applied to them? 

Let's give it a try, shall we? 

You can real use any washable glue you have on hand, but I really like Roxanne's Glue Baste It because the applicator is so precise. It only lets out a drop of glue at a time and because you don't need very much to glue baste the hexie, this is perfect for the job. 

You fold and finger press the fabric around the mylar hexagon template. You can't see it in this picture, but there is a straight pin holding the template to the fabric so it won't move and shift. Just under the fold, you place a couple of drops of glue.

Give it a quick press to dry the glue

Simple as that and the side is basted! 

Do the same thing with the other sides.  Add a bit of glue under the fold, 

and give it a quick press to dry the glue. 

Here is the hexie all basted. Take out the pin and you are done!

 

In no time you have a whole pile of hexies waiting to be joined together. 

None of my templates warped from the little bit of heat I used to set the glue. 

I am so glad this works It will make the process so much quicker than hand basting all of them. 

I hope this helps someone get off of the fence and give making hexies a try. =) 

Have a happy day!

My first major decision for my diamond hexie quilt was what fabric should I use. I seriously considered breaking into my precious Simplicity stash to make this quilt, but after looking it over, I knew I didn't have enough variety left in my bin to make it interesting. Then I remembered I had a fat quarter bundle of Scarborough Fair by Robyn Pandolf. Perfect!

After sorting through the bundle and deciding which prints I wanted to use, I also shopped my stash for a few more prints that would go with it, I got busy cutting and cutting and cutting. 

Whew! 

800 squares for the diamonds, 100 yellow ones for the centers and some Kona Snow for the path. I will need many, many more path pieces than what I cut yesterday. 

For my quilt, my math man said I will need 94 diamonds for the project to make a 60"ish x 70"ish quilt center. I decided to go ahead and make a few more extra to use them for a pillow or something. The left over fabric from the fat quarters are safely tucked away so I don't use them until this project is finished. I plan my quilts as I go, which means I have no finial vision in my mind yet. 

You can find the free pattern I am following here.

The second decision I agonized over was what kind of templates to use. Did I want to use the mylar ones that I already own, or paper ones and glue baste them? 

I decided to try the paper ones and use glue....

The glue worked great and basted the hexies nicely, the part I didn't like is using the paper itself. I found it felt too flimsy and was hard for me to handle when it came trying to sew the hexies together. There is nothing wrong with the product, it's only my personal preference. I know many who love the paper ones. The feel of the Brandy's mylar templates is much more to my liking, so I will be hand basting the hexies after all. 

Okay...Time to get busy! 

Have a happy day!

My first major decision for my diamond hexie quilt was what fabric should I use. I seriously considered breaking into my precious Simplicity stash to make this quilt, but after looking it over, I knew I didn't have enough variety left in my bin to make it interesting. Then I remembered I had a fat quarter bundle of Scarborough Fair by Robyn Pandolf. Perfect!

After sorting through the bundle and deciding which prints I wanted to use, I also shopped my stash for a few more prints that would go with it, I got busy cutting and cutting and cutting. 

Whew! 

800 squares for the diamonds, 100 yellow ones for the centers and some Kona Snow for the path. I will need many, many more path pieces than what I cut yesterday. 

For my quilt, my math man said I will need 94 diamonds for the project to make a 60"ish x 70"ish quilt center. I decided to go ahead and make a few more extra to use them for a pillow or something. The left over fabric from the fat quarters are safely tucked away so I don't use them until this project is finished. I plan my quilts as I go, which means I have no finial vision in my mind yet. 

You can find the free pattern I am following here.

The second decision I agonized over was what kind of templates to use. Did I want to use the mylar ones that I already own, or paper ones and glue baste them? 

I decided to try the paper ones and use glue....

The glue worked great and basted the hexies nicely, the part I didn't like is using the paper itself. I found it felt too flimsy and was hard for me to handle when it came trying to sew the hexies together. There is nothing wrong with the product, it's only my personal preference. I know many who love the paper ones. The feel of the Brandy's mylar templates is much more to my liking, so I will be hand basting the hexies after all. 

Okay...Time to get busy! 

Have a happy day!

My first epp hexagon wall hanging is finished! The hexie flowers are sewn together and then I appliquéd it to the background fabric like I appliqué my dresden plates.  I couldn't decide what to do in the middle, so I played with a larger hexie flower... 

...and fussy cut the lamb for the center. =) This wall hanging will be going up in my sewing room. It measures 29"x31".

This was my "test" piece, to see if I would like making hexagons and the hand sewing it involves. 

The verdict??

I DO!

I am getting ready to start a larger project. I have my sewing kit all set up and I am auditioning fabric. The  free pattern I am going to follow can be found at Paper Pieces.

I am not ambitious enough to make a queen size quilt that the pattern is written for, so my math man helped me figure out how many diamonds I would need to for a 60"x70"-ish size quilt. Once I get there, I can decide if I want to make it bigger or be done. 

Now back to auditioning fabric. =) I can't wait to get started! 

My first epp hexagon wall hanging is finished! The hexie flowers are sewn together and then I appliquéd it to the background fabric like I appliqué my dresden plates.  I couldn't decide what to do in the middle, so I played with a larger hexie flower... 

...and fussy cut the lamb for the center. =) This wall hanging will be going up in my sewing room. It measures 29"x31".

This was my "test" piece, to see if I would like making hexagons and the hand sewing it involves. 

The verdict??

I DO!

I am getting ready to start a larger project. I have my sewing kit all set up and I am auditioning fabric. The  free pattern I am going to follow can be found at Paper Pieces.

I am not ambitious enough to make a queen size quilt that the pattern is written for, so my math man helped me figure out how many diamonds I would need to for a 60"x70"-ish size quilt. Once I get there, I can decide if I want to make it bigger or be done. 

Now back to auditioning fabric. =) I can't wait to get started!