hexing along

my hexies are coming along nicely, if I do say so myself!  :)

{if you missed it, and you want to read the begining of their story, go here}

I wanted to sew 2 inch hexagons but I'm too cheap frugal to buy precut shapes, so I looked around the internet for something free.  I didn't find what I wanted, so I opened up one of my quilting books.  {hey, here is a wild idea - how about I use some of those books that are hanging around? hehe}
I found various hexagons, none of which seemed to be the usual sizes {?} and settled on one that is somewhere between an inch and three quarters and two inches.

{Oh, and I can walk again. Which makes me very happy}
I'm linking up to Slow Sunday Stitching @ Katy's Quilts!

chocolate chip cookies, hexies, and the delayed toad effect

I grew up with an older brother.  He did all the usual older brother stuff, including daring me to kiss a toad & then gleefully announcing I was going to get warts.  Let me tell you, I was some relieved when that didn't happen.

What I didn't know then was apparently the toads have a delayed effect, which I'm just now experiencing.  On the bottoms of my feet.  The treatment for which is very very painful.

Since walking is laughably out of the question, I've been spending a lot of time on the couch watching tv with a stack of chocolate chip cookies, a glass of milk, and some fabric to comfort me.  :)
These fabrics, in fact:

The orange dot is DS for Joann's.  The rest are fat quarters that came in a bundle, and not all of them have selvedge edges, but I think there is some It's a Hoot by Momo, AMH innocent crush, and the coffee beans & cups are metro cafe.

But there is one fabric I'd know from a mile away, one I've been hunting for.  Can you see it tucked in there with the rest, looking inconspicuous & all?

Pumpkin Henna Garden!!!!!!!

And yes, I did buy a whole stack of FQs just to get it.  It was totally worth it :)
I have big plans for that PHG, so I set it aside, but the rest have become EPP hexies!

this is my first foray into hexies, and I'm really enjoying it :)
I plan on bringing my hexies to a few parties to show them off, and I'll update this post when I do.
OK, one more reason I love blogland - you can attend some great parties without getting up off the couch and leaving your cookies behind :)  {and birthday cake.  did I mention there is a ton of birthday cake around here?}

WIP wednesday

The Handmade Parade @ there and Back

I've Conquered the Invisible Zipper!

Or has it conquered me?  It's hard to tell, haha! 

Last fall I cut out pieces to sew a skirt from fabric I bought a loooong time ago.  I had a ridiculously frustrating time doing that much , so the pieces have just sat around {until this weekend}

So, last week I came across this: 

and decided to finish my skirt and wear it to church on Sunday.  Even though I hadn't even looked at it for months.  And I wasn't sure where the pattern was.  But hey, why let the little details get in the way, right?

I bet you want to see that zipper :)

Ick, sorry for the crummy photo.  It looked better on my camera, honest :)

Can you see the line of stitches to the left of the zipper?  there isn't one on the right, and this is why - the directions said to handstitch the lining to the zipper.  It took me an hour to stitch one side.  Ok, I was a little distracted by the tv, but still.   I decided I could live with some top stitching showing on the other side.  Who is really going to see it, anyway?  the zipper goes over my butt, and there just aren't too many people who have any business looking that closely at my butt  :) 

interesting facts in no particular order:

- I used this awesome chocolate brown shiny stuff for the lining but didn't think to get a picture of it. no idea what it is, but it's shiny & pretty & feels so nice!

- I have no idea what the exterior fabric is, either.  I half expect this skirt won't survive the washing machine, since I'm not even certain this fabric is washable.  But it feels incredible! hehe 

- this is the first piece of clothing I've made for myself!

- I started sewing late Saturday afternoon. 

- lesson learned from this project:  when it is late Saturday afternoon and you are faced with the choice of either washing laundry or sewing new clothes (which you've never done before) if you don't want to go to church in your pj's, you probably should wash laundry.  Or go in your pj's.  Especially if you have a thing against sewing hems on Sunday mornings while getting the kids ready to leave.

- pattern is Barcelona Skirts by Amy Butler

And I finished just in time to slip it on & head out the door Sunday morning! 

P.S. - I'm back from my blogging break! hehehe  Actually, I've been lurking around.  Turns out it is hard to quit blogging cold turkey :)

Edited to add: I'm linking up to TNT Thursdays!  new things tried - sewing clothing, & an invisible zipper!
I'm also linking to Whoop Whoop Fridays & TGIFF!

Cozy Plaid Fabric Goodness

I made pillowcases :)

I love that they are coordinating, but not all matchy-matchy - His & Hers pillowcases for my Mom & Dad :)

It feels a bit silly and little-kidish to give my parents handmade pillowcases, but I wanted something I could finish quickly, instead of adding to my WIP list.  And I know my parents will appreciate them.

The fabrics are all DS for Joann's.  Two different colorways of the same plaid, {I Love Plaid!} and the same grey dot for each.  My Mom loves pink & grey together, so naturally I thought of her the first time I saw this fabric.  The yellow plaid kind of looks to me like someone went crazy with a highlighter :)

And can I just say how tickled I am that what was just a pile of fabric in my stash yesterday is now two pillowcases, ready to be useful?  Does anyone else get excited about that kind of thing?

*If you followed the link above and are wondering, I have used that tutorial to make pillowcases that I donated through an LQS :)

I won't be back to my blog until July.  I'm unplugging myself for a few days, because I'm just plain exhausted & something has to give around here.  So I'm cutting out my tv & computer time until I get a few important things taken care of & get better rested.  I'll catch up with you all later, ok?

H2H Finish

I finished my H2H quilt, yay! :)

My little helpers were nice enough to hold it up for a picture - I just love those red rain boots sticking out :)

That great, crinkly texture is one of my favorite things about this quilt; the whole thing is just so soft and drapes nicely, as if it has already been lovingly broken in.

My original plan was to bind with a navy blue fabric with pink flowers that has been in my stash for a long time.  Unfortunately, it didn't age well.  When I opened it up to iron & cut, it was faded along the fold lines :(

I'm running out of larger pieces in my stash, so Plan B was to cut a strip from each of several darker purples.  I'm pleased to have found another option that {in my opinion} looks so lovely, and didn't involve a shopping binge :) 

I really am trying to cut down the size of my stash, because I don't have much storage space in my house & because I don't want my pretty fabric to sit in the closet until it fades or yellows.  It really is sad to pull out a fabric you have been hoarding, waiting for a special use, only to find it in that condition. (I have fabrics with a 2000 copyright on the selvedge, and some probably older than that, if you are wondering)

I used a pastel varigated thread for quilting.  Varigated threads are great for people like me who have a hard time settling on just one color :)

I pre-washed most of these fabrics at my Grandmother's house before she passed away, so the whole quilt smelled like her house, {until I washed it at mine} making it all the more pleasent to hand stitch the binding down :)

At different stages, I've loved & hated this quilt.  As I was joining the blocks together, I really thought it was going to be awful.  I'm glad I didn't banish it to the stack of UFO's, because now I've completely changed my mind about this quilt.  Funny how the right boarder & binding can do that for you.  And how Plan B can turn out better than your first choice.

Tomorrow is Friday, and we all know how blogland loves to party on Friday, so I'll be bringing my quilt around and linking up :)  {I'll update this post to say where when I do}
TGIFF @ Quilt Matters
AmyLouWho Sew & Tell
Confessions of a Fabric Addict Whoop Whoop Friday
Richard & Tanya Quilts

In Progress...

{hand stitching} binding :)



Edited to say: I'm linking up to the H2H linky party over at Confessions of a Fabric Addict.  I'm still stitching the binding, but expect to put this in the mail on Monday.  A broken washing machine, kids' sports, etc all got in the way this week, but that's life, right?  Anyway, I will be posting about the finish Monday or Tuesday, so stop by then to see it :)