LOG CABIN COWS

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2015!

A lovely holiday season with such good memories:

• our daughter married in Seattle...our new son-in-law to love...
• having Christmas with our son from San Diego and the almost-newlyweds...
• celebration times with family!

Market Bags made from my otherwise discarded rice bags

 

Concluding 2014...

These bags are too lovely to throw!

I participated in a Holiday Art Faire in another artist's home at the beginning of December and I made some money (so I can resupply!). I found customers and other artists at the Faire most interested in: 3-dimensional houses, market bags, holiday-themed coasters, wall decor, homemade ornaments, a prize-winning red and white tablerunner, and machine-embroidered hand towels.

After the Faire, I've continued English paper-piecing hexagons and other shapes (an easy activity to travel with and I find hand-sewing calming).

One of my current goals in the next few months is to bring some quilts to completion. I added another border to my heart quilt and would like to quilt it on a longarm machine if I can find one to use. I have at least 3 other quilts of various sizes to complete.

Log Cabin Cows

My neighbor, knowing that I like to quilt, offered me some of her fabric scraps a few years ago. Some are probably about 30 years old because they are obviously children's prints from years gone by. The motifs of a few of the fabrics inspired me to combine them. I fussy cut the farm animals, in this case, cows, featured in the center of the log cabin block (surrounding fabrics: red with tiny white dots, black with white "cow" spots), each one being a little wonky at 1.75"x 1.75" (more or less):

Log Cabin block with fussy-cut wonky cow centers measuring about 10" finished

When I put all the blocks together, I have fun combinations like these:

I've run out of the feature fabric in the center, so I had to "cheat" or improvise on 2 blocks by using a plain blue square of fabric in the center so I would have an even twelve 10" blocks. I think they're cute and I love the many patterns log cabin blocks can make. These are not quilt-quality fabrics, but they'll have to do. I'm a bit worried about the red fabric running in the wash someday. I might presoak the blocks in vinegar to set the colors.

Happy creating!

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Hexie Crazed? Hexie Nuts? Hexie, why??

Have I been hex-ed??

There are times when I just like to sit and sew by hand. Sometimes I’m tired of sitting at the machine, computer or table. Even if I “relax” by watching a program on TV or a movie, I feel like I’m doing nothing. So I placate that drive to be productive by hand sewing. I think I actually get more out of the sewing than I do out of watching the program. (So why did I "watch" it??)

 In July I received a “freebie” at the Sisters (Oregon) Quilt Show: 1” hexagon papers for English paper piecing and precut sample fabrics (2” x 2” squares). I read the instructions to make my first flower:

I love chickens…how did they know that?? Had they read my blog?? I wish I had cut the fabrics myself so that I could have centered the chicken heads in each piece.

Since this beginning foray into the Hexie-World, I’ve been adding to my collection using scraps left over from other projects. I also bought a new packet of 1.75” hexie papers. What will become of them???

Ideas:

• Use them singly or in combination with other flowers or other hexie shapes.
• Applique onto other items, such as quilts, handbags, pillows, etc.  
• Dare to cut one in half for another effect.

       They can be scrappy like I’ve made these, or planned out for specific effects and designs… “sew” many possibilities.

I enjoyed watching techniques for making hexies, including Sue Daley of BusyFingers. I guess these can be addicting!

HAPPY HEX-ING!

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