A Hexagon Plan

Posted on April 2, 2009 by Quiltobsession

After getting out the .50″ hexagon Quilters’ Emergency Kit box the other day, I started mulling over a plan. I think I’m going to use the 4-hexagon units surrounded by this green fabric as the centre of a small quilt. It’s a very pale Northcott green. Although the little 4-hexagon units are made using the half-inch hexagon, I’ll use 1-inch hexagons of the green and scatter the hydrangea florets. The size of the centre of this little quilt is, at this point, unknown but will probably be when I’ve had enough of making the little hydrangea florets. Thanks to Wanda at Exuberant Color for suggesting that’s what they look like — as soon as she mentioned it, I could see it too.

Then a thin, maybe half-inch, border of a white or cream followed by a border incorporating flowers like these, again using the green as background.

Finally, one more thin border of white or cream and the outer border of the hexagon diamonds which will be, once again, against the same green background. I think it’s going to be a very soft spring/summer quilt and may end up as not much more than a good-sized wallhanging or it could be a lap quilt. I’m not making any decisions on that yet. I love having a long-term hexagon project to work on. Sometimes I just want to stitch hexagons and, having printed all those little hexagons, I’m really happy to have come up with a plan that I like.

Lester, sound asleep.

And in what seems to be a series of these, another of Smudge in a “find the kitty’s head” poses.

Hexagons, Hexagons and More Hexagons

Posted on March 31, 2009 by Quiltobsession

One of my Quilter’s Emergency Kit boxes contains hexagons. Well, a lot of hexagons. I printed thousands of the Inklingo .50″ hexagons thinking I’d do the Insanity quilt. I decided against it and have been playing around with ideas since then. So far I’ve made a few of the hexagon diamonds and some flowers.

I’ve also started putting together these little 4-hexagon units. This will be a long-term project but an idea is slowly coming together in my mind that will utilize the hexagon diamonds, flowers and the 4-hexagon units.

These are some of the cut and uncut hexagons for the project. I love being able to just pick them up and stitch whenever I need a hexagon fix. No basting, no whip stitching, just lots of running stitches. As they are rather small hexagons, it takes no time to have a seam done.

Monday was a very grey day here. Lester snoozed.

Smudge awake. In the background, you can just see Lester sleeping on the couch.

Four Seasons Quilt Swap

Posted on March 27, 2009 by Quiltobsession

The mail on Thursday contained a package from Julia at Scrap Happy Quilter. In that package was the Four Seasons Quilt Swap 5 quilt which Julia named “Cotton Candy”. Absolutely perfect name. Oh, my! The applique is just gorgeous! The quilting — the quilting is fabulous. I keep picking it up and looking at it. Please go to Julia’s blog and look at the picture of the quilt there — the colours are much truer in her photograph of it. It was a very overcast and grey day here which made getting a decent photograph next to impossible.

I had to take a picture of the back just so you could see the wonderful quilting Julia did. If you click the photo to enlarge it you’ll see that she also did some hand quilting. What a treasure this little quilt is!!

Also in the package was a piece of this lovely Northcott pink. I have plans already for this.

Thanks to Julia for a gorgeous quilt and thanks to Margaret for another really great swap. I almost didn’t join. Am I ever glad I did!! This little quilt is getting pride of place on the wall right now.

Smudge, as usual, was very nonchalant about everything — except when it comes to making sure we were getting pictures of him. If you click on this picture, you’ll see his eyes are open just a tiny bit as he watches to make sure the photograph is taken.

And Lester, at his post by the window. I can’t wait till we look out and see green again. I know it will be some weeks yet but leaves on the trees make it feel like spring truly is here. I’m still not convinced.

Auditoning More Fabrics

Posted on March 26, 2009 by Quiltobsession

A lot of greens got auditioned this afternoon for the Tropical Punch blocks. This first one is a hand dye done by a non-blogging friend who’s a quilter. She contacted me this afternoon and suggested caterpillar guts green, knowing I had some of it. Somehow or another this green got named caterpillar guts green by someone — and the name has stuck. As soon as I read her e-mail I knew exactly which fabric to dig out.

As I was auditioning fabrics, I just kept going. This green is a bit too dull, I think.

I had forgotten I had this Fairy Frost and decided to try them against that. Don’t think this works at all. I have tried them with a plain black and that doesn’t work either.

Then there’s this green which is quite rich, but again not quite right.

This green and the caterpillar guts green are the two that I think come closest to the effect I’m after. Of course, it would help if I could have taken better pictures today but the light was absolutely terrible — a very overcast, grey day.

This is a green Fairy Frost. Again, not quite the right effect.

At the moment, I’m leaning towards setting them in 2 rows of 2 with a small LeMoyne Star in the centre. If I do that, the star will be in the purple and will be surrounded by either an orange or yellow. Then the green will be used as a thin sashing between the blocks. I plan to bind it in orange — I think.

Choosing a Setting Fabric

Posted on March 26, 2009 by Quiltobsession

The gold fabric I showed yesterday to set these blocks just wasn’t quite right. What I’m looking for is sizzle, sort of a visual heatwave after the long winter we have had.

So I went stash shopping and auditioned a few. First I tried this blue.

Then this. I had to use the flash for this picture which has distorted the colours a bit. If I decide on this I’m thinking the green right against the blocks with a thin strip of the orange on the outside.

This one? I don’t think so. The pink seems to wash out the purple but if the purple really is my “neutral”, then maybe I can get away with this. It’s the pink, of course, to which I almost always gravitate.

I like this effect too — sort of tropical punch by the water.

This green isn’t bad. However, if I go with green I think it will have to be a lime green.

A different blue than the one in the first picture, just a bit darker. Again the tropical punch by the water effect.

Lester is spending more and more time on the windowsill now. Still no sightings of his entertainment troupe, the squirrels and birds, but the gardeners are providing some action out on the roof garden for him to watch.

And Smudge watching to make sure we don’t miss a photo opportunity.

Ideas

Posted on March 10, 2009 by Quiltobsession

This post by Kim with the picture of the kitties is too cute!! If you click on the “Animals” under the picture on Kim’s post, you will be taken to a site with many cute pictures, some with captions that are unbelievably funny. We were looking at them for a while and I was almost crying from laughing so hard.

I was the recipient of some fabrics, including the ones in this post, from a non-blogging friend. If you click on this photo to view the larger size, you will see that this fabric is textured — almost has an embossed feel to it. It’s cotton by Timeless Treasures but I’m at a bit of a loss as to what I can/should do with it. I’m thinking if I cut it it’s going to affect the cloth somehow. I think it would make a marvelous fabric for a plain alternate block in some quilt or another but am also wondering if this should just become a backing for a quilt and leave it at that.

Edited to add: After looking at this some more and reading some comments here and in e-mails, I have decided to not use this in any quilt, even as a backing.

Then there’s this which is definitely destined to be used for the Patchwork of the Crosses. There’s quite a bit of this so I’m thinking it may be my “neutral” for that quilt.

The baby quilt is getting very close to being ready to baste. Hopefully some pictures by the end of the week. I don’t think I’ve ever struggled so to finish something. It’s almost become a chore.

Smudge in one of his standard poses. With a bear, of course.

And Lester on the windowsill. Hopefully some birds and squirrels come back soon to the roof garden for him to watch.

Planning a New Quilt

Posted on March 4, 2009 by Quiltobsession

Lucy Boston’s Patchwork of the Crosses is a quilt that I have loved ever since I saw a picture ages ago in an issue of Australian Patchwork & Quilting. There’s a wonderful article about Lucy Boston and her quilts here as well as some pictures. I’ve been setting aside fabrics for it for a while. So far, they include this grouping:

And this set of Seaside Rose fabrics. I know I’ll be adding some darker shabby chic fabrics when I start it, but I love these two groupings as a start.

There’s going to be an Inklingo collection just for the POTC sometime this year, I believe. Before it comes out, I want to get the fabrics I’ve picked out for the Jane Austen quilt all printed. I’m still debating whether to try stitching the centre of it by machine and hand piece the borders with all those wonderful little diamonds or to hand piece the whole thing. I’m tempted to hand piece it, as I enjoy that so much but I know there is no way I’ll machine piece the POTC and the goal is to finish both this year, so …

The baby quilt is slowly getting worked on. The ’30s prints in it are not prints I’m finding appealing at this point at all. It’s odd — I love them when I start something like this but they quickly lose their appeal altogether. I love the effect and this baby quilt will be exactly what I pictured, but I just wish it was finished!!

This picture is a classic Smudge pose. Had us laughing for sure. It’s a “find the kitty’s head” type of picture. 🙂

Friday Fabric Ideas

Posted on February 20, 2009 by Quiltobsession

I don’t know if this will work or not but I have this beautiful piece of green flannel that I was thinking about using as a border for the Butterfly Stars baby quilt. I like the idea of a really soft flannel along the edges but have never combined a flannel and flat cotton in a top. I’m not worried about shrinkage as I pre-wash everything anyway but wonder if it would result in uneven wear of the quilt top if I mixed regular cotton and a flannel?

This picture shows the flannel I’ve got set aside for the backing of the baby quilt. I have enough of it that I could use it for a border as well, but I don’t think I like it quite as much for the border. Perhaps I’ll add the half elongated hexagons and other bits in the white cotton so as to have straight edges and not add a border. If I do that, I will use a scrappy ’30s binding.

Look at these! I’m having all sorts of ideas for these pinks and oranges and the yellow. I want to add some reds to the mix — me, who has never bought red. I’m thinking that these would make marvelous stars.

And then there are these 4 fabrics. I don’t know quite what I want to do with them but I do know that I want to do something special with them. I love how they play together.

DH got good news yesterday from the eye doctor. His eye is improving, he’s still on 4 drops every 4 hours but he doesn’t have to go back until Monday. This will be the first day all week he hasn’t been to the eye doctor.

This photo of Lester is my current favourite. It may be a bit soft focus, but I love it! Look at those whiskers!!

Quarter Apple Cores

Posted on February 17, 2009 by Quiltobsession

Take a look at this, done by Tilde, with quarter apple cores. I love tessellating patterns and as soon as I saw what Tilde had done, I just had to print a few of the quarter apple cores. These little units go together unbelievably quickly!! I have some Kaffe Fassett prints and have printed enough on 23 of them to make 4 blocks. I’m thinking of another baby quilt — very bright and cheerful. I couldn’t resist.

That was play time on the weekend, though. I’ve got to get back to the butterfly stars. More of the butterfly hexagons are ready but I do need more stars so will get back to those this week. And hopefully get another full row added to the butterfly stars top.

Smudge curled up with a teddy bear.

And Lester making sure he has a warm tummy!

Apple Cores, Apple Cores and More Apple Cores

Posted on February 9, 2009 by Quiltobsession

I finally got the apple cores all cut out for the swap. Because I printed slightly more than absolutely necessary, I will have a nice head start on a pink and green apple core quilt — this may well be part of my apple blossom apple core mini quilt. Not sure yet.

Now to package them for the swap.

DH was back to the doctor today and is on yet another course of antibiotics, this time for 10 more days. I cannot believe this infection from the dental visit is so hard to eradicate. But we are lucky that there are the strong antibiotics available and that he’s able to take them with no problems.