More hexies & Happy New Year!

While Dad was in the hospital I did have a chance to make a few more hexies, so now I am up to 13. I will have to start sewing the flowers together as I have run out of mylar hexies and need to sew some together to pull more out. Good challenge for me now...should be interesting!

Loaded the Spiderweb string quilt yesterday and quilted a few rows, hope to get it done today. I am using a new panto that I got in DM in Oct. I really like it so far, will try to get a pic of it later. 

It is snowing sleety/snowy balls right now, so not sure what the day will bring as far as weather. They have forecast a couple inches of snow so could get interesting.

Happy New Year!

A little too much excitement, but hopefully back to normal!

 I received my giveaway prize from JoJo's Quilt Shoppe yesterday. What fun, I spread them out this morning so to better enjoy each and every beautiful fabric. Wow is all I have to say! Now what should I make with these.....

 As you can see some are the animals from the park, some the florals, and some just plain fun!

We had a little too much excitement on Christmas. My dad fainted while we were preparing to eat. So we went to a local hospital to have him checked out. They referred us on to Creighton Hospital in Omaha. He has had most every test known to man, and about 10 Drs. conferring!  We are thankful he did not have a stroke or heart attack. They think it was a side effect to some medicine he started back in Aug. So they have changed 2 meds and he got to go home yesterday. He has felt good throughout his stay in hospital, no more fainting. So now we wait and see, I guess. My dad is an active 86 yr. old, so pretty much keeps on going.....lol!

I plan on getting back to sewing today, need to finish the spiderweb stringpiecing today. I just want to add a piano key border. I have many strips pieced at this point, just need to cut them into sections and sew them to the quilt.

Cottage blocks and other exciting news

 In 2009 I thought it would be fun to host a seasonal cottage swap among friends and ladies who take quilting classes with me.  I swapped with a group of friends as well. We swapped every 2 months and kept it seasonal to the months.  It ended last December, so then we had a cottage workshop where I offered some tree patterns and people had a chance to work on setting their cottages together. We had a blast and I set a day in March to have a party and everyone brought what they had done. It was so much fun to see all the creative ideas! I put my blocks together with some trees set in here and there and hung it on display in the classroom. Well, it has been there ever since, so I decided it was time to take it down and finish it! I have had many comments from people who didn't participate so I am going to teach a workshop in January as well.

This morning I found out I was a winner in Michelle's Birthday Bash at Quilting Gallery. I won this Central Park fat eighth bundle! What a wonderful surprise! Michelle has taken a great idea (listing quilting blogs) and turned it into a wonderful haven for quilters. You can find quilting blogs listed by state, check out quilting shops, participate in swaps and weekly contests. She has been working on a cookbook as well. She is one busy lady with lots of great ideas. Thanks Michelle!

My sister, Nancy and husband Dale came in from Vancouver Island last night. We are going to spend the day shopping and chatting, then they will head up to Earling, our hometown. I will be going there for Christmas, then will stay over so my mom and sisters and I can have a sew-in on Sunday. I am going to help Nancy get started on her first quilt...should be fun. She picked out a pattern and fabric when I visited there last summer.

Fun sewing day

Last Saturday,  6 of the 7 ladies who went on a retreat together at Farmer's Dotter Quilt Retreat  last summer got together and had a sewing day. Poor Cindy had to work...we missed her! With predictions of an inch of blowing snow, we headed over to Kim's house. We had a great time sewing, chatting and eating! She was a great hostess and had lots of room for us to work.

 There is chili cooking in that pot behind Kim. It was yummy!

 Diana is moving so fast in the background I almost couldn't catch her on film!

The blowing snow got so bad that several people left early. Diana comes from Avoca, a small town about 40 miles from here. She was packing up to leave when her husband called and told her not to try it as it was so bad. She ended up staying overnight at Kim's and they got a lot of sewing done...or so they say. I know a bottle of wine was involved at some point....

My sister is coming in from Canada on Tuesday, so I am trying to get some cleaning done.I finished quilting the Cottage Quilt yesterday and went shopping with my sister. I am officially finished shopping!  I bound the quilt today and hung it at the store. 

 2 more days of school and we are out for the holiday break. I'm ready! 

Enough to go around!

I made my 7th hexie tonight, so I have enough to make something.

 But I will probably make some more.

I also worked on the string blocks tonight, but didn't take any pix yet. I have 7 of them finished as well.

What's new?

I started a new stringpiecing project Sunday. What is it about stringpiecing that is so much fun? Maybe it is the carefree messiness of using all those strings.  I think part of it is that we are using up scraps, of which we always have left after projects. 

I did buy a light green leafy batik fabric to use in each block so it has that unity.

I am making the Spiderweb block, here are some parts.

I also made one more hexie flower. If you are keeping score, that makes 6.

Show and Tell

Eileen brought in her Diamonds Forever quilt on Saturday to show us. She isn't happy with it, we all loved it. I think she has been working on it too much, and will love it after she steps away for awhile. We were all ready to auction it off right then and there (since she doesn't like it) and may the best woman win!

Cobblestone Path class & Sunday doings

Class went well yesterday, Everyone got a good start on their quilts. Most had all their pieces cut out and at least several put together.

Don't they all take a nice picture?
I plan on sewing today, maybe going out to do a little shopping too. I am working Mon and Tues but get a long weekend for the holiday....I am ready!

This and that

 Sue couldn't come to the last 2 sessions of Beginning Quilting, so she came the other night to tie her quilt. She is learning to bind it tomorrow night and it will be finished. Sue sewed her whole quilt together by hand!

 Here is hexie #5.

I have been working on a new model for a class the last few nights, but think I will just kick back and watch my favorite shows tonight.

Monday blahs

Weekends sure go by fast don't they? I taught a tshirt quilt class on Saturday which went well. Yesterday I had to do some cleaning...it was pretty awful around here. I then quilted a small quilt I want to use for a class display. I haven't quilted anything for a few weeks so it felt good. I went to the Mid America Center in the afternoon to the HyVee Whole Health Experience. My daughter is a dietitian for HyVee, so she gave a talk on heart health. Lots of good info! There were also lots of vendor booths with lots of samples to take and try as well as cooking demos. After supper I did manage one more hexie. So the pile is growing....ok,so maybe 5 isn't a BIG pile, but it is a pile!

BTW, I don't know this little cutie, but he definitely looks like he knows it's Monday.

Starflake kaleidoscope class and one more hexie...

The kaleidoscope class was fun yesterday, even with the ruler snafu!

 Jane's are the 4 greenish ones on the wall behind her.

 Rose used fall fabrics.

 Eileen used a bright tropical print.

 Pat's was lots of blues and greens, Eileen kept trying to steal them.

 Dianne's fabric was filled with umbrellas. Can't even tell.

 Diana used a fall floral.

 Mary used a soft floral with green accent. I love seeing these blocks come together as the repeating type blocks are so much fun. They are going to be some gorgeous quilts...I hope I get to see them finished! **hint, hint ladies...

 One more hexie, so now I have 4....

 Am I done yet? just kidding...

More bloomin' hexies!

I made a couple more hexies.

 This one is ready to sew together.

 I love this fabric!

Let's see, what can I make out of 3?

I have my bookfair at school tonight so probably no hexie tonight!

Hexies

One of the things I bought at the AQS show in Des Moines was a set of the mylar hexies. I have been thinking about making hexies for awhile as I have been seeing them a lot online, but wasn't fond of the idea of cutting all those paper hexies. And let's admit it...I didn't know if I would actually do it. So hated to start. After watching a demo of using the mylar hexies at the show, I ordered (they were out) a set of the 1" hexies to try it out. They came Saturday, so I got busy!

 My first flower! It was fun. I basted another one but haven't sewn it together yet. Hopefully I will get enough done to make a runner at least...lol..I'm a realist, ok?

Now, let's think about this...if I could make one a day.....

Lots of quilting last week and a beautiful day ahead!

I had classes 3 nights last week, so the week flew by. Mon. and Tues. night were both Sampler #11 Classes and Thursday night the beginners learned how to make and sew on their binding, so they are officially finished...when they get it hand sewn down, that is! They are going to start a Sampler Class next month to learn some new techniques.

Yesterday was the second session of the Diamonds Forever class. Eileen had fun playing with her layout for a long time, asking advice we were all happy to give!

 If anyone has or has seen any of this multicolored paisley print, Diana needs more!

 Dianne's growing stack of diamonds!

 Betty sorting and making more...

Gail working away, with her very organized piles!

Diana's very bright diamonds mixed in with kitties!
They weren't all ready for the design wall so they promised they will bring them back!

After class I went shopping with a friend, then worked on another version of the Peas in a Pod quilt that I'm making.  Hope to finish it today.

No night classes this week, but I do have a book fair Thursday night at school. Should be fun.