Hexagons

A couple more hexagons for your viewing pleasure. These are such fun little "bits" to hold in your hand and embellish and embellish and then embellish some more. When I have them in front of me, they look absolutely "full" and totally embellished. However, looking at these pictures, they look a little bare. Hmmm.

This month is my busiest month for craft shows -- every weekend until after Thanksgiving. Along with a full time job, I am sometimes meeting myself coming and going.

I want to thank all of you for the comments about my new treadle machine, especially Dorothy B (you came through as a no-reply blogger). Dorothy gave a link to a group: http://www.treadleon.net/ where there's lots of information on treadle machines.

My new machine is home, in my front room, and I have tried practicing a little more. As I'm sure will come as no surprise, Madeline loves to sit on the metal pedal, so I keep the belt disengaged when I'm not at the machine.

I'll be back, later, hopefully with more hexagons or other things to show.

New Machine

Earlier this year, I told my good friend, Crazy Judyth, that if she ran across a working treadle sewing machine, for a reasonable price, to grab it for me. Not only did she manage to get a line on one machine, but she got two machines -- and one of them is mine.

It's a Singer, 1928-1930, and it is a beauty. The decals are Egyptian themed and in such good shape considering it's age. The machine runs like a charm, and would run even better if I could get my feet coordinated (LOL). I went down this past weekend for a viewing and lessons. The machine will be coming home to my house in a week or so -- could not fit it in the toy car for the long journey home.

Here's a few shots of the decals:

The cabinet is in very good shape -- only one little spot on it where it looks like someone set a wet glass, but to me that's nothing. I see lots of fun in my future when this baby comes to my house to live. Gee, do you think maybe I could get Madeline to work the treadle part?

Birdhouse Quilt

Here it is -- my birdhouse CQ. Since starting CQForNewbies (button to join on the right sidebar), each spring I'd run a birdhouse block swap. Here are all the great blocks I've received through the years, all nicely trimmed to size and ready to be sewn together. I made a few more blocks myself as I wanted 16 and just didn't have the patience to wait until next Spring and another swap. My thanks to:

Row 1: JK, Kathy Shaw, Me and Unknown
Row 2: Kathy Shaw, JK, me and me
Row 3: Me, Kathy Shaw, Christy Thornberg, Janet Popish
Row 4: Me, Faith Debbs, Unknown, Unknown

Some people didn't sign their blocks and I forgot to write their names on it. If you recognize your block, please let me know. EDITED: These blocks are 8 inches finished. This is our (CQForNewbies) standard size block that we swap.

After picking out the above lay-out, it was time to start sewing the blocks together. Here's where I learned some lessons:

We are sewing embellishments way, way too close to the seam line and not leaving enough extra on the blocks for seam allowances. I'm as guilty as everyone else. I have a nice little pile of beads, butterflies, more beads, charms, that I had to clip off the blocks in order to get the seams sewn -- and these were just the things that were in the actual seam line. I had to hand-sew many of the blocks because the beads were too close to the seam line to enable the block to go under the sewing machine. Hand sew. Through all those layers -- sometimes as many as 8.

Then my "assistant" decided to come and see if I had made the right choices in my block arrangement. She needs an up close and personal view.

Okay. What can I say? Things are now totally out of control! Christy, it was the little wooden birdhouse that tipped Madeline over the edge. The little wooden birdhouse that survived the U.S. Postal Service may not survive in my own house!

I have Row 1 put together and will be working on the seams and I'll show the progress for you as I go.

"Tocktober Fest"

For those of you who are familiar with the Cute Overload site, you will know that October is "tocktober" -- the time of year when little animal "tocks" are shown and celebrated. Of course, my little animal has the cutest "tocks" I've ever seen -- what do you think?

Don't know what we're talking about when we mention "tocks?" Then scroll down.

"Tocks" -- cute name for "buttocks" of course.

CQ

As promised, here's some of what I've been working on.

13 hexes pieced. From the top to the bottom, each hex measures 5.5 inches and I used 6 or more fabrics in each one. And still that pile of fabrics in my room seems just as large as it was before I started. I actually have 21 pieced now, but this is the first group. Do you like the peacock center on the blue one in the center of the grouping?

Then after all that piecing comes embellishment:

Pink one

Green one (some people see green, some see gold -- it is green, trust me).

Back to work.

New Project

Over the Labor Day weekend, I got the urge to start a new project. On one of my Yahoo groups, a challenge was put out to have a large crazy quilt completed by 2012. The battle cry is "CQ by 2-0-1-2" (it rhymes). I started out with one idea, a CQ I had been working on off and on (mostly off). But it just wasn't calling my name. Then an idea popped in my head and I thought about it and then I took off full blast.

Here's what one corner of the sewing room looks like when inspiration strikes:

Boxes of fancy fabrics and a big tub of vintage kimono and obi fabric. These guys are finally going to see the light of day and no longer be cooped up in boxes and plastic bins. I worked and worked for 2 days piecing blocks and you know what? The piles don't look any smaller -- they still look the same size. How can that be? How many blocks do I have to make before I notice a dent in the stash? Sheesh!

My little friend got all "hyper" with all the activity going on -- pieces of fabric thrown to the wind, lots of strings to play with, the iron cord whipping back and forth.

So far I have 19 blocks. I'll show them next time.

I won!

Several weeks ago, I was one of the lucky winners of a lace jackpot from Cathy at Crazy by Design. As you can see from the pic above, there is a lot of lace here. And there was even more, but I already used some -- couldn't wait! Thanks Cathy! I have only won one other time in a blog giveaway so it was great to be the recipient of your generosity.

The lace pieces in the lower right -- those were dyed with some wild indigo I have that's growing in my yard. Somewhere in my internet browsings, I saw where someone had used indigo leaves to dye yarn. I tried the leaves, but mine didn't work. So I ground up the seed pods (which are a beautiful dark purple/blue color) and the seed pods did the job. I only used a couple of the pods because I was just experimenting, but I think when I have some time (yeah right!) I will pick a whole bunch of the pods, lose the leaves, and try this again.

Craft show season starts this weekend so at least now I'll have an excuse as to why I don't blog that often.

New Round Robin Starting

On CQForNewbies, we are doing a new round robin -- Fantasy Landscapes. Above is my fantasy land, Midnight in the Fairies Garden. Since CQForNewbies has been established for a little over three years now, we felt it was time to take everyone a few steps further. This is our first RR for more experienced stitchers. A lot of our members have been with us from day one and are ready to take on more challenging swaps.

Now by no means does that mean we are not helping newbies any longer. CQForNewbies is still a newbies group and we still have lots of swaps open to everyone, especially newbies. If you'd like to join us, there's a button on the right for you to click and it takes you right to the sign up page.

Below is the next to the last block in my Birds of a Feather quilt that was supposed to be done much earlier this year. Don't know what happened -- I was doing really good with my block a month and then the bottom just fell out. These are all appliqued blocks using fabrics from my stash. I am currently working on the LAST BLOCK (yahoo!) but it has about a million leaves in it so it's going slow.

Last but not least, is my final block for my Birdhouse CQ. When we first started CQForNewbies, one of our first swaps was a birdhouse swap. I continued this swap each year, always with a birdhouse and/or a bird requirement, and by adding a couple of extra blocks myself, I now have 16 completed blocks and am ready to start setting this together. This will be the first CQ I have attempted to put together and of course, there will be all the seam work and embellishing after the top is complete. Since craft show season is starting up, it may be a while before I can get back to this one.

Thanks for stopping by and thank you to all of you that leave me comments. I try and answer each one but some of you come through with "no reply" which means I have no address for you.

August

Hello everyone. Here it is August -- where the heck did the time go? Seems like it was just Memorial Day a couple of seconds ago.

This post has lots of pictures -- I know you love to look at pictures, because I do too (g).

I've been working on a few things -- here's a little covered tin I did. I was inspired by all the little covered tins that have been turning up on the 'net and by my friend Mary -- and I finally got mine completed.

A little fairy -- all embroidered and beaded. She will become a pillow to be sold at the craft shows this Fall -- which is one month away!

And this is my crazy girl. This is how she sleeps on the recliner. It doesn't look very comfortable to me, but Madeline will sleep this way for hours.

July 21

It's been so long, once again. About 4 weeks ago, I fell down the concrete stairs coming into the building at work and completely tore up my foot and ankle. Nothing major broken, but extreme swelling, 3 broken toes, a HUGE fat, fat foot that was the most lovely shade of purple (both top and bottom) for several weeks. Since it was my clutch foot, I could not drive or hardly walk for 4 days and then I've been hobbling around ever since. No celebrating the 4th of July -- just sitting around with my foot up in the air and an ice bag on it. Finally getting better.

While I was supposed to be off my foot (yeah, right!), I made up two blocks for the CQForNewbies Season to Season swap. Right now we're starting with the Summer season. You embellish one half the block, then trade and someone else finishes it, while you finish their block.

I did two blocks as I am the hostess and I had to be prepared in case an odd number of people joined up.

I also received this gift from my dear friend Mary in Louisiana. We'd been discussing covering the little Altoid tins and I guess I asked so many questions that she was nice enough to send me one so I could see it up close and personal (LOL). It even has my initial on it. And as if that wasn't enough -- she sent me two of her beaded motifs. I definitely see more CQ blocks in my future so I can take advantage of these great beaded paisleys. Thank you again Mary!

And last, but definitely not least -- I bet you didn't know that a chair rung could be a pillow? My little wild kitty was very good while my foot was so messed up. She sat very close to me for days on end and was a very sweet companion.

At one point, I had my foot up on a TV tray and Madeline jumped up on the tray right by my foot. I was immediately on guard -- scared she would hit my foot -- but she didn't. She layed down, very close to my injured foot, and put one of her soft little paws ever so gently on my foot and would give it a little pat. Then she's sleep a little, wake up, and put her little paw, once again very gently, on my foot and give it a little pat.