Monday, Monday....

I did get around to making the other four  three sections of the Basketweave Braid Star block.  Love how this is looking with all the same colors.  The two top sections have been mixed up a bit but since I ran out of two of the 'colors' I decided I'd do the strips in the same fabrics as it progresses.   I do like the looks of them the best so I'll probably make all the rest of them this way.
Unless I change my mind.     

Scrappy is Great!..... as long as I can control it.  LOL

Heading over to Judy's Design Wall Monday to link up.
 ..... Have a great day. And stitch happy!

January Blues....

The color: Blue.  
For the last several years I have admired all the rainbow quilts that have been made by quilters that took part in soscrappy's Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  So this year I've decided I want to join it.   
I needed to come up with a block that I would like to make each month and not get tired of.  
Of course I spent way to much time pondering as usual.  I did finally come up with the one I want to use.   It's a paper-piecing pattern.... of course!  My favorite way to sew.

This is called Basketweave Braid Star.
The complete 12" block used 4 of these sections.
I plan to mix up the colors in each block as we get farther along in the year with more colors to choose from.

And Pat Sloan is having a scrap busting "Hip To Be Square Challenge".  The first block she came up with is an 8x8 setting using 2½" blocks in any color you want.  I went straight to my 'blue' drawer and started pulling, cutting and sewing and in no time at all I had this sewn together.   

 LOVE IT!!  I don't know what her next challenge will be but I'm definitely thinking I'll be making one of these each month in the same color as the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

But for now..... Have a great day. And stitch happy!

Backing finished.....

I don't usually 'design' backings for the quilts I make.  I finish the top and then take it to my LQS to have it quilted.  I'll pick out the backing fabric, batting and thread while I'm there and the girls will put it all together and call me when it's finished so I can bind it.  Love quilting by check!  lol

But since this snuggle has been made with specialty fabrics I had a LOT of leftover pieces after I had finished the top.  I really didn't want to put all of those pieces into my scrappy stash ..... Sooooo my only solution was to piece the pieces and come up with some semblance of a designed backing.
 (Two quilts in one kinda thing).
This is what I came up with.....

Just checking to make sure it will be wide enough to cover the quilt completely.

TA DA!!  One backing finished
and ready to take to my quilting gals so they can do their magic.  

Now I'm off to link up to Judy's Design Wall Monday.  And have another cuppa while I ponder what I'll start working on next.  Something simple I think.  That I don't have to use math or my brain too much.
    But for now..... Have a great day. And stitch happy!

One top finished....

I finally got back to my sewing machine and it really didn't take long to finish up the borders on this quilt.  Top is done and now I'll start working on the backing then get it off to my quilter.
This has taken waayyy too long!!!

Let's go check out what other quilters have been working on over at Judy's Design Wall Monday.
And for now..... Have a great day. And stitch happy!

It's Sunday and I'm stitching slow....

Over a month ago I posted how far along I had gotten on my Hexie Quilt here.  Since then I've been working on it quite a bit and it's now reached this size.  Since I only have one more of the 'blocks' that I had pre-made ..... I need to start working up some more of them.

It takes a LOT of paper hexagons to baste and sew together so while I was sewing along I started thinking about how I 'reuse' my papers when I remove them as they get sewn together.   

When I first started I did buy several pkgs of paper hexagons from my LQS.  Then I found Geta Grama's site and she has a downloadable template so you can print and cut your own papers.   

So I bought me a ream of 110wt cardstock and started printing.  [[Make sure your printer is printing to scale]]  You don't want to do all that work and then not be able to use the paper hexies because they printed the wrong size.  Yep!  I did that!! 

So after printing and cutting I started basting ..... and sewing ..... and as I sewed I used to fold the adjoining hexie so I could get a good straight seam.  That made the papers weaken at those folds.  I found if I ironed them they would toughen up a bit and they were good for another baste.  

This is a picture of how distorted they can get after folding.  

After I had a pile of papers removed I would take a big handful and use a hot dry iron and just press.  (do not iron back and forth)  Just press & lift and press until all papers are flat.  Works like a charm and I've been able to reuse these papers over and over.  Now when I find one that is too flimsy I just toss it and look forward to printing some more.  Thanks Geta!  

I'm heading over to Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching to link up.  And from there I'll be linking on Karen's Sew Darn Crafty Linky Party.  Come and join us to see what others are working on.   

But for now..... Have a great weekend.  And stitch happy! 

Hexie BOM ....

I have finally finished the last of the 2014 Hexie BOM and now have to make a decision on how I want to finish them.  I keep thinking I want to tie them all together with a single background color of hexies ..... but I keep hesitating for some reason.  Oh Well!  More pondering I guess.

Here is the Dec "block".   It was fun and fast.

Sadly I just found out that two of the sites that I enjoyed linking too are no longer posting their linkups.  Soooo Looks like I'll be checking the web to see if I can find any others.

But for now..... Have a great weekend.  And stitch happy!