HQAL

January 20, 2019

HQAL Update-Jan and Slow Stitch Sunday

Kathy over at Sewing Etc. hosts this HQAL (Hand Quilt A-Long) and I enjoy it so much.  She has asked us to tell a little about our project.  I am working on a Grandmother’s Flower Garden.  I chose this pattern because I have wanted to make one for a very long time.  I discovered Kathy’s HQAL and decided that this was the perfect time to start and use it as my HQAL project.  I had bookmarked several pages of ideas  This one is the one that gave me the idea to embroider all the way around the edges of the hexagons, this one I really like the layout of, and I like this idea for embroidering on the individual hexis.  I bought a book of miniature flower embroidery patterns at a garage sale to use as a reference.  Right now, though, I am just making the hexis and sewing them together.  I’m sure I’ll do something in the middle of the yellow hexi for each of the flowers – I’m not sure what I will do.  I go back and forth between something super simple (a flower outline) and something more complicated (sort of like this one – a little flower garden on each one).  I have time to figure it out!  I work on this project most nights (after dinner and clean up) while my husband and I watch our shows.   I did not work on it every night – I have been tired lately and have been going to bed a little earlier than usual.  Also, for a bit I had lost my stitching mojo for this.  I’m not sure why that happens, but I have it back for now!  Without further ado, this is the flower I worked on for this three week update.img_5216

I have a few of these flower now and some of them are even connected together with a green row of hexis.  I stopped connecting them when I started making the pieced hexis.  I am enjoying the pieced ones immensely, but I want to intersperse them with the ones that are not pieced so I am waiting to get more flowers done to see how I want to lay them out in the quilt.  Please take a look at the other stitchers participating in this HQAL, they are a very talented group!

This Hand Quilt Along is an opportunity for hand quilters and piecers to share and motivate one another. We post every three weeks, to show our progress and encourage one another.  If you have a hand quilting project and would like to join our group contact Kathy at the link below.

Kathy, Lori, Margaret, Kerry, Emma, Tracy, Deb, Connie, Susan,  Nanette,  Edith, Sharon, Karrin, and Gretchen

I am also liking up with Kathy’s Quilts for Slow Stitch Sunday.  This is definitely a slow stitch project.  I really enjoy slow projects that take time to complete.  I like working on something day by day and seeing it grow.  I find it relaxing to stitch on and old “friend”.  That’s not to say I don’t like a super quick project now and then as well!

December 9, 2018

HQAL Update

I’m having so much fun with this HQAL (Hand Quilt-A-Long).  My chosen project is a Grandmother’s Flower Garden.  I love the simplicity of the pattern and as it is my first EPP project, it’s perfect.  This month I finished two of the flowers.  One of them has pieced hexis:img_4847

I’m actually becoming a little addicted to these.img_4848

They are very fun to do even if they are a little fiddly.  You can see that all of my points do not match exactly.  I am hoping in time and with practice that part will improve.  I also made a flower with non-pieced hexis:img_4850

After working with all those little pieces, this one seemed like a breeze and to almost sew itself!

I’m working my way through The New Hexagon book by Katja Marek.  The link takes you to Amazon but I purchased this book along with a couple of others at a quilt show.  I’m sure I paid more, but it was so much fun to go to the show and talk with the vendors and see all the fun, cool stuff that it was worth it!  This is the second pieced hexi in the book.  It’s called Carol and I found this one to be easier to put together than the first one.  I thought it would be interesting to show the way I’m doing this (maybe there’s an easier way?).  First I copy the pattern and then, since the hexis in the book are 3″ and mine are 1.5″, I make another copy at 50%.  Whew!!  Thank goodness that math is easy!

Then I trace the pattern pieces onto pattern paper with space between them.  After that I use a sharpie and trace on each piece of the hexi through the pattern paper onto the card stock (or old manila folders.  We have boxes of used ones from my father-in-law) the desired number of times.  In this case I needed six hexis so I traced each piece six times and cut them out.  Then I chose my fabrics and away I went!img_4849

Right now I working on another non-pieced flower, but I think the next one will be the third pieced hexi from the book.  They really are so much fun!  If you’d like to join in, the details are below and please take a look at all the other talented hand quilters who are participating.

Hand Quilt Along Links

This Hand Quilt Along is an opportunity for hand quilters and piecers to share and motivate one another. We post every three weeks, to show our progress and encourage one another.  If you have a hand quilting project and would like to join our group contact Kathy at the link below.

Kathy, Lori, Margaret, Kerry, Emma, Tracy, Deb, Connie, Susan,  Nanette, Sassy , Edith, Sharon, Karrin, and Gretchen

I am also linking up with Kathy over at Kathy’s Quilts for Slow Stitch Sundays and Kate at Life in Pieces for 15 mins a day of stitching.

I have stitched every single day this week – so 7 out of 7 days!!  It’s so funny, not that long ago I was berating myself for not finding the time to stitch.  Now that I have this goal of “only 15 mins per day”, somehow I manage to stitch.  And not just for 15 minutes – I’m getting in about 45 mins to an hour in the morning before anyone gets up and during two shows on TV (my husband likes to watch his shows at night) in the evening.  It’s really been nice!

November 18, 2018

HQAL Update and Slow Stitch Sunday

It is time for the HQAL (Hand Quilt A Long) update for the past three weeks.

I was able to finish this flower with the pieced hexis and I am completely loving how it turned out!img_4744

I wasn’t sure I liked those pieced hexis – I wasn’t sure I liked the fabric selection and it just looked a little too busy for my taste, but now that it’s all put together, I really like it!  The pieced hexis were really fiddly, but I actually liked making them once I got the hang of those little pieces.  I see more in my future!

HQAL details:
This Hand Quilt Along is an opportunity for hand quilters and piecers to share and motivate one another. We post every three weeks, to show our progress and encourage one another.  If you have a hand quilting project and would like to join our group contact Kathy at the link below.  Please take a look at all the other fun HQAL project that are going on!

Kathy, Lori, Margaret, Kerry, Emma, Tracy, Deb, Susan,  Nanette, Sassy , Edith, Sharon, Karrin, and Gretchen

Also linking up to Slow Stitch Sunday at Kathy’s Quilts.

 

I am also linking up to Kate’s 15 minutes a day.  I am hoping that this will keep me held accountable to my goal of stitching everyday for at least that amount.
This week:  7/7 days stitched!!!  Both on my cross stitch project and on my EPP project.  Some knitting was thrown in there as well :o)
And, since this is a scrappy project, I’m linking up with Quilting is More Fun Than Housework, which is absolutely true!
October 28, 2018

HQAL Update and Slow Stitch Sunday

Finally, the first of the pieced hexis are done!  Last time I was here:img_4447

I had three pieced with three more to do.  Now all three are pieced and …img_4615

And I think I’m going to do this dark blue as the back ground.  It will be fun to see how these look when they are incorporated into the quilt.  I love this Hand-Quilt-A-Long because it keeps me working on this project.  Without it, I might have already set it aside for something else and I’d really like to finish!  Details below if you’d like to join our great group of stitchers!

Hand Quilt Along Links

This Hand Quilt Along is an opportunity for hand quilters and piecers to share and motivate one another. We post every three weeks, to show our progress and encourage one another.  If you have a hand quilting project and would like to join our group contact Kathy at the link below.

Kathy, Lori, Margaret, Kerry, Emma, Tracy, Deb,  Susan,  Nanette, Sassy , Edith, Sharon, Karrin, and Gretchen

I’m also linking up with Slow Stitch Sunday at Kathy’s Quilts.

October 7, 2018

HQAL update & Slow Stitch Sunday

Progress on my grandmothers garden patchwork is going steadily along.  Last time I updated I had put together three of the flowers and had the green vines/leaves in place and sewn:img_4307

My plan was to get the next flower done and attached.  I have some green fabric that I found in my stash was excited to use next.  The flower did get done:img_4446

You will notice that none of the white hexagons are sewn together.  They are sewn to the flower, but not to each other.  That is because I got a teeny, tiny bit distracted.  I went to a quilt show with one of my daughters (we had a fantastic time!), but while there I saw these three books:

I knew I NEEDED them and am now obsessed about pieced hexagons.  I decided to make the first pieced hexagon from that first book:img_4453My finished hexagons are 1.5 inches to a side so the pieces are kind of tiny:img_4449

And they are a little fiddly, but I really like making them.

There are no real plans with these other than to make a few and add them to this project.  It took me quite a long time to make these.  I first made the cardboard pieces to wrap the fabric around and then prepared each piece and then sewed them.  I am getting a little better at sewing them, but they still take awhile.  I am completely enjoying the process though!

This Hand Quilt Along is an opportunity for hand quilters and piecers to share and motivate one another. We post every three weeks, to show our progress and encourage one another.  If you have a hand quilting project and would like to join our group contact Kathy at the link below.

Kathy, Lori, Margaret, Kerry, Emma, Tracy, Deb, Susan,  Nanette, Sassy , Edith,

Sharon, Karrin, and Gretchen

Also linking up to Slow Stitch Sunday at Kathy’s Quilts!
September 16, 2018

HQAL Update and Slow Stitching Sunday

I can’t believe another three weeks has gone by!  And time for another HQAL (Hand Quilt-A-Long) update.  I did spend time with my project almost every evening so I feel I made some pretty good progress.  This is where I was last time we posted.

I had finished the purple and blue flowers and then started the red one.  Some green has also been cut.  This is where I am now…img_4307

The three flowers that are done are now all connected with the green (stems/leaves) around them.  I’m only stitching on this for about forty minutes each evening.  I do think I need to spend some more time ripping out the machine embroidery on the orange flower – maybe every other or every third evening – just so I can get it done.img_4308

There was also a little bit of progress on this flower.  All in all, I’m pretty happy with how much was done in this three week period.

A little information about our group and how to join if you would like.  This Hand Quilt Along is an opportunity for hand quilters and piecers to share and motivate one another. We post every three weeks, to show our progress and encourage one another.  If you have a hand quilting project and would like to join our group contact Kathy at the link below.

Kathy, Lori, Margaret, Kerry, Emma, Tracy, Deb, Susan,  Nanette, Sassy , Edith, Sharon, and Karrin

I am also linking up with Kathy’s Quilts for Slow Stitch Sunday.

August 26, 2018

HQAL Update and Slow Stitch Sunday

I love this hand quilt-a-long (HQAL)!  I am having so much fun with it.  This is where I was last time:

The purple one had the center and two rings of petals sewn.  The blue one had the center, one ring of blue petals sewn and the second ring of petals prepared and ready to sew to the flower.  This is where I am now:img_4193

The purple one has the white border done and is ready for green:img_4194

The blue one also has the white border – all the white is attached to the blue, but not all of them are attached to each other.  img_4195

I cut some of the pieces for the next flower – I actually really like the red!  I’m not so much of a red person, but I had this fabric and decided to use it.  I hope the floral fabric for the outside petals looks nice when finished.img_4196

I also cut some green border fabric.  AND…

Ripped a little more.  The photo on the right shows what I am ripping out.  Who would have thought it would be such an arduous task to rip out those stitches!  But a little at a time and it will get done eventually.  This HQAL is hosted by Kathy – all the details are below.  If you get a chance, please click through to the other talented needleworkers taking part in this HQAL.  I am also taking part in Slow Stitch Sunday.

This Hand Quilt Along is an opportunity for hand quilters and piecers to share and motivate one another. We post every three weeks, to show our progress and encourage one another.  If you have a hand quilting project and would like to join our group contact Kathy at the link below.

Kathy, Lori, Margaret, Kerry, Emma, Tracy, Deb, Susan,  Nanette, Sassy , Edith, Sharon, and Karrin