I Broke into Tokyo....

Have you heard about the new hop sign-up? 
Sign-ups just started today
and it is ohhhh so fun to hop along with everyone.

I decided it is best for me to start on it now. I like to be ahead on the game or try to be.
 See that pretty little pack of 4" squares sitting neatly upon the shelf. 
The one with the blue tomato pincushion on top. 
I know what a generic little pincushion I have. 

 

 

Well, just wait I will show you in a few days what my new pincushion looks like. Anyway, I decided to grab that set of Tokyo charms and get busy on the Batik/60's hop project. 

 

And Yes, Smurfs have invaded my sewing area.  The kids thought that they made a great addition to the shelf.  The Smurf are like little gremlins.  They keep moving all over the place and causing havoc.  And they love to leave messages on the chalk board.

 

Well, most of my blue Tokyo was cut up.

Hmmmmm.........

What to do with it with them now? 

And I better find some more pretty little squares to set under the

tomato pincushion because now he is look quite lonely.

Sewing and A Bed of Nails.....

I caught your attention, didn't I?  What does sewing and nails have to do with one another?  Well, not a whole lot unless you have a spool holder that is not quite like anything that I have ever seen.

My handy dad had a piece of scrap wood and a few hours time and decided to work me up this spool holder. It was intended to have wooden pegs, but he didn't care much for using a dowel or some pegs. Now, a nail now that fit the bill.

 

He cut off the nail heads.  Took the sharp edge of the tip of the nail and installed them into the holes that he drilled. 

It holds 30 spools of thread.  Oh, I'll have to save up to have a pretty little spool of Aurifil setting on each of the nails. It is hung on the wall behind my sewing machine for easy access.

 

 

 I love things that are a little different and unique from anything else.  This definitely fits the bill. And if I ever want to try out to be a circus act, I already have my Bed of Nails. (Although, I think a clown is more my style) 

Hexie Hop Winners!!!

 

Here are the winners to the giveaways!

 

 

 Pat from Scrappatches won this lovely honeycomb set.  

 

 And Billiebee , Rhonda D., and Made by Me In Red will receive a set of these lovely threads.

Congratulations ladies and thank you to our lovely sponsors the Fat Quarter Shop and Follow that Thread. Be sure to pay them both a visit. 

Thanks to all my lovely followers new and old!!

Without you this would be a boring place. 

 

 



Not Your Grandmother's Flower Garden Quilt and Giveaways

When I use to think of Hexagons, I thought of the old timey quilts that might rest upon great grandma's rocker.

 Gorgeous hand-stitched masterpieces that covered the beds with wooden foot boards.  One of the things I wanted to accomplish in my life (as a quilter) was to make a quilt mostly by hand and with mostly solids. 


Well.....



After 8 weeks of working on one solitary sewing project this is what I finished.  A little less than 24 hours before the deadline. (Of course, I didn't mean to cut it so close.)

 WARNING: You have to expect a lot of pictures.  It did take 8 weeks  ;) 

I used large precut Hexies from the Happy -Go - Lucky line of fabric for the centers and the solids are all colors from Timeless Treasure. (Which were not precuts) The hexagon flowers measure at about 13" across.  There are almost 100 hexagons on my quilt.

For some added hexie fun, I added some to the corners.  All the hexagons, are hand pieced using

50 wt. Aurifil thread.  

The only parts of my quilt that were touched by a sewing machine is the pieced front that I hand appliqued the giant hexie flower to and

the back. (Which might have taken me 4 hours out of these weeks) Every other stitch was by my own hand.  (and Band-Aid fingers)

Can I say, I LOVE it.  It is unlike anything that I have designed and sewn.  I don't know that I will hand quilt another quilt this large (84 inches square), but you never know.  The only thing I regret is not keeping track of how many hours I spent working on my quilt.

And guess what in honor of my BIG finish.  There is a giveaway.  Well, actually Four.  Just head over HERE and HERE to check it out.

Hexie-licious Giveaway #2 - Closed

Are you ready to check out some great Hexie Quilting Fun?
 

 

 I hope you hop along with us.  I am sure you will be inspired with all the great artists.

I never imagined that when I won a Moda honeycomb of Happy-Go-Lucky, that I would ever make anything too large with the happy little pre-cuts.
 I spent the last 8 weeks creating a Hexie project that I absolutely love. 

The pre-cuts made hand sewing them together a breeze.  How would you like to give them a try?

 A beautiful collection of fabric.   Look at these

I am going to have to pick up a set of these myself.


What do you need to do win this pretty little set of Sunnyside?
 
This giveaway is open to everyone!!!

1.  Leave a comment telling me if you have used Moda Honeycomb precuts before.

2.   For the second entry, Be a follower of my blog. (Because you know I love my followers!!)

I will choose one winners on August 28th after the Hexie hop is all completed. 

(Make sure you are not a No Reply Blogger, if you are unsure, leave your e-mail address in a comment)

Thanks again to the Fat Quarter Shop who is sponsoring this pretty giveaway.

Congrats to the winner!

 

Hexie-licious Giveaway #1 - Closed

Well, tomorrow is the start to the

 

 

My grand project unveiling is in a little less than two hours and I barely finished it up in time.  Nothing like last minute, right?  I tried several different products during this project.  One of my favorites is Aurifil 12 wt. thread.  I hand-quilted everything using this gorgeous thread.  I loved it!!

 

 Well, I ran into a bit of trouble trying to find it.  After being pointed in the right direction, I was introduced to Donna at Follow That Thread.  She was so nice and willing to help me find perfectly matched thread and she had it in stock.   A Win , Win!!  I could not be more pleased with the great customer service she so willingly gave.

Well, her kindness continues.  How would you like to win a set of Aurifil thread samplers?

Beautiful threads in a rainbow of colors.  You can have a sample pack that contains a spool of 50 wt., 40 wt., 28 wt., 12 wt., and the Lana 12 wt., which is a blend of 50/50 acrylic and Australian wool.  (I am a bit jealous)


What do you need to do to win a set of these threads?

This giveaway is only open to those in the U.S.. 

For those international, I've got another giveaway for everyone.

1.  Stop in at Follow That Thread and tell me you favorite Aurifil color. (I love them all) Come back and leave me a comment.  :)

2.  For a Second Entry, Like Follow That Thread on Facebook.

3.  For the third entry, Be a follower of my blog. (Because you know I love my followers!!)

I will choose three winners (Yes, three) on August 28th after the Hexie hop is all completed. 

(Make sure you are not a No Reply Blogger, if you are unsure, leave your e-mail address in a comment)

Congrats to the winners!!

Good Luck!!!

 

My Sewing Spot

 Since I can't show you my Hexie project, I thought that I would show you how I have been spending my non-sewing hours.  I decided to do a little painting.  I have noticed that since I have began quilting a little over a year ago that my taste in decorating has changed.  No more tan for us.  I have finished the master bathroom and now my sewing space.

 

I painted it with a light shade of green: Valspar Lily Pond.  And then on to decorating...

My dad again came to the rescue and built me some shelves.  I spray painted them with Valspar Exotic Sea.  Love the color!!!  So Nice and Bright!!  The shelves make a great spot to store some of my fabric.

 

I picked up this great rod and the buckets at IKEA.  We happened to finally make it to one and I can say it was a huge inspiration of great room and storage ideas.  Oh, what to put in them.

 

I also hung a tension line (also IKEA) across the top of my wall.  I added a few of my Aurifil BOM blocks but later will be adding some finished mini quilts.  Maybe with the same fabrics.

The pink shelf is actually a chalkboard.  Again, my dad cut it out and I went to painting.  I used Valspar Chalkboard paint for the black background (which works great) and the pink in Valspar Pink Burst Spray paint.  I framed some fun little sewing wall stickers that if I get tired of can quickly be changed.

   I wanted a super fun space that I loved to go and create at.  Now, I am off to get a weee bit more organized. 

 

 

You don't need a lot of space to call your own.  I don't have a whole room to set up a sewing space, so a wall in the house will have to do.  And I know I will enjoy sitting down in my little corner of the house.