It was that time again. I had my screening mammogram. I expect a letter in a few days stating that the images showed nothing out of the ordinary. 

It being Tuesday, on my way home I stopped into a shop called Tuesday's Closet. I've been looking for a used blue jean jacket to remake by insetting part of a quilt I made years ago. I had never stopped here, but this isn't your usual resale/thrift shop! It has as much character as its owner, Tuesday, has! In addition to the usual racks of used clothing, there were 4 or 5 sewing machines around and women were working on embellishing and remaking outfits. They had some amazing overalls, and dresses and jackets made with tiers of ruffled fabric repurposed from other clothes.  I was told to come on down any Tuesday and join in the fun....I just might have to try it! (I didn't think to take any pictures....but found these rather tame ones on Tuesday's Closet Facebook page)

After lunch I went to the clubhouse to sew with the "Piece Makers", and continued work on my bee trails hexie quilt, it's been a quiet day. I'm in the process of hand stitching the bee trails. I might have 1/6th of the quilt done. I'll have something to work on when we meet on Tuesdays for a long time! 

Today was warm hot and sunny. It was 98° when I went out around 1:30. We haven't had rain for 2 days, but it looks like more is coming later this week. With this kind of heat our plants really need the relief.

Dinner tonight: Cowboy onions. When I started this dish last night I didn't realize how long it needed to cook (40 minutes covered, 30 minutes uncovered) so I went with plan B. I made a quick chicken-a-la-king and had yummy fresh asparagus. We'll have more asparagus tonight, with the Cowboy Onions (recipes in Southern Living) and air fried/breaded pork chops. 

MLVI

In February 2020 I attended a quilt show in Venice, FL. I recall stopping by a vendor booth where the shop owner was working on "hexies". Hexies are made using a hexagonal piece of card stock paper and a scrap of cloth. I picked up a package of hexie papers and a recommended fabric glue pen before leaving the show, and before COVID shut the world down. 

Here are a few of my hexies. The sides of my hexies are 1" in length, to give you some perspective. The fabric is either basted around the paper, or the edges are glued on the back of the paper. I tried both methods, finding the glue to be a bit faster. Then, the edges are sewn together, by hand, connecting hexies in whatever pattern desired. 

When I began, I was just playing around. I had no plan. I used my scraps to make "scrappy flowers". I created a number of them. Slowly, my ideas gelled and I decided to make a small quilt with a field of flowers. 

I saw a picture of a quilt in a magazine that had interesting swirls,  using heavier thread. The designs stuck in my head. (If you zoom in you can see what I am talking about)

In 2022 the hexie flowers had multiplied. I put them up on my quilt wall to see how they might look as a "field" of flowers. This would do!

Also in 2022, when we were traveling again after Covid released its ugly, threatening hold over us, I visited a quilt shop.... in Rock Springs, WY! The shop had two darling prints with bees on them. Suddenly I thought I could incorporate the bees in my hexie quilt. The bees plus the swirly quilting design for their 'contrails' could make a fun quilt and a unique design.

Here are some hexies, front and back view, and a close-up view of the bees.

 I began interspersing bees among the flowers, and the quilt began to take shape.  

The 'field' is an ivory white in color. Some of the hexies look like they are gray. That's because they were made using card stock from mailers I received from companies advertising their service or products. I have a die that I can use to cut the papers and fabric to make the hexies. 

Now flash forward (a 6-year 'flash') and the quilt is finally constructed!

Earlier this week I removed the papers that had not already fallen out. Whenever I worked on the quilt, some papers would end up on the floor, along with threads! 

Will you look at that pile of papers?! Wow! There were a lot. 

Just how many? The quilt, which is roughly 50" x 55", 

used 1056 hexies!

That would be MLVI in Roman numerals!

So...now it's time to do some machine quilting to stabilize the quilt,  and then hand quilting the swirlies. 

But wait.... that's not all! 

In 2023 we stopped in Frankenmuth, MI. There was a huge bead shop that we wandered through. I saw some beads and thought to myself, "self, wouldn't those beads look pretty sewn into the center of the flowers on that quilt I will eventually finish?" Sew.... I picked some up and who knows?! maybe they will embellish the quilt - some day!

Terrific Tuesday

 So, it was sunny, which always elevates my mood! (Remember, I said that I think I have SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder)?! And, it was reasonably warm....I didn't even need a jacket this afternoon.

The first thing I attacked this morning (by 7:30 am) was laying out the Lupine & Laughter blocks I completed yesterday. I don't have a large quilt wall, so I put them out on my bed. 

OOPS!

That green and gold block you see toward the bottom center is the quilt I have on the bed,

not one of the blocks of the quilt I am making!

I am missing a block. So, back to the cutting board, machine and iron!

I've since cut all of the pieces and only need to piece the block together. 

I pulled out a few UFO's (UnFinished Objects) or, with a more positive spin, "WIPS" (Works In Progress), to decide what I might work on next. 

These were some placemats I put together a few summers ago. I wasn't feeling well and was 

a member of a sewing group. I wanted something to do so grabbed some 'brights' at a shop in NC 

and put together these "Stack the Deck" placemats. 

I don't like them!

I don't want them!

I'm not gonna finish them!

A recent pod cast I listened to suggested that we sewists go through our WIPS/UFOS and 

decide if we still LIKE them. If not, it was suggested that we pass them on.

My partially finished placemats will accompany me to the next guilt meeting.

They will be placed on the 'freebie' table! 

The 'other' grandmother (in Berkeley, CA) loves to collect castoff items set along the curb.

She found a remnant of San Francisco motif fabric and gave it to me.

I made a small pillow with it when I was in California a few years ago,

and brought the remaining pieces home with me. 

I cut the fabric in squares and began putting on some sashing.

I was planning to make another, larger pillow.

But, the project was shoved in a bin, so it didn't collect dust, but there is sat...

I need to get back to it and finish it. It needs to be sent back to the 'other' grandmother

as a finished, quilted pillow for her house.

Next, I pulled out a quilt I've had finished for a while. 

It needs to be quilted and I want to use the computer to quilt it,

but I want to do "custom quilting" on it. I want to have the computer avoid the larger stars, 

which will then be quilted differently. 

After some practice on the computer I think I am ready to tackle this quilt now.

It will be going on the long arm shortly!

This has been a WIP for many, many years.

I finally have sewn all of the hexies together (hand stitching).

This will be a WIP for a while longer as I still need to put borders on it,

then machine quilt the white part,

then quilt the 'flowers',

then hand quilt flight paths for the bees,

(the individual yellow and purple blocks are a printed fabric with a bee on each.)

and finally, bind the quilt. 

I have a long ways to go....

I'll just take it step-by-step!

Finally (now, around 9 AM) I pulled out a bag I had made, 

but never finished. 

This is a fun Japanese bag that is supposed to tie onto the handle.

I made a poor choice in fabric, it's too heavy for this purpose.

I need to rework the bag. I played around with it a bit,

and I think I have a plan.

Perhaps by next week we'll see if that plan worked!

The rest of the day was spent with the "Piecemakers", a small group of ladies who 

meet weekly to sit and sew. Once a month we also go to lunch. Today was the day,

so off we went to Red's for burgers and wraps,

then back to sew,

and day is done!