Hexie Quilt is Finished

Three years after starting it, I put the last stitch in the binding of my 1 1/2" hexie quilt on Saturday. I still haven't settled on a name for it.

 It may be the last big quilt I try to quilt myself on my Juki.  Handling a quilt this size has just become  too difficult for me.  All that moving around of the arms is hard when you have breathing problems like I do.  Because of all the seams it is a very heavy quilt.  I used a wool batting so that helped a little, but it is still very heavy.

I wish I had better pictures.

I really didn't work on this at all last year.  At least half of it was completed after July of this year, so it's more like a year's worth of work. I will enjoy looking at all the different fabrics that range from vintage pieces from the 1950's through all the quilts I've made.

Wishing you Happy Quilting in the New Year!

Block Five

I finished block five earlier this week and forgot to post it.  I didn't work steadily on it so it took awhile.  I have to say these aren't my favorite flowers of all I've ever appliquéd.  Rather strange, at least the many petaled ones.  Maybe the designer wasn't a gardener.  I've never seen flowers quite like these.

I've developed some carpal tunnel problems, especially in my left hand, so I'm not sure how much more I'll be working on this for awhile at least.

I spent Christmas feeling ill so our plans to join family were cancelled.  Luckily we have a second gathering planned for tomorrow and I'm hoping to feel up to that.

Merry Christmas all.

Block Four-Grapes

Lots of grapes in block four.  I have Karen Buckley's Perfect Circles, but I decided to just sew these without gathering them.  They aren't perfect, but real grapes aren't either and this was a quicker way to go, eliminating the gathering step, and not all that difficult.   I'm putting my block in upside down. I just didn't like the bird swooping in from the top and looking backwards.

Hope your holiday preparations are going smoothly.

Block Three--The Bride

Block Three is complete.  I debated how to dress my bride and decided to make her pretty plain.  Sort of like me.  I've never been very snappy or classy.  Just a Plain Jane and so my bride is a rather Plain Mary.  I like that she is surrounded by flowers as I've always loved growing and tending to them both indoors and out.  I added a tiny bit of embroidery to my flowers to  make them a little more interesting.

Block Two is finished.   I'm really ready to take a break from leaves.  Not sure if I will continue making the blocks in order or not.  Block Three is the Bride and she is surrounded by lots of leaves!

       Having finished the piecing of my hexi quilt I've given myself permission to finally start work on another quilt from my To-Do List.  Winner is The Civil War Bride Quilt, based on the Bird of Paradise Quilt in the American Folkart Museum in New York City.

It will be another slow project, but these days I have nothing but time and I'm fortunate to be able to spend as much as I want of it on quilting and piecing.  I'm particularly fond of appliqué so I know I will enjoy this journey.  

The first block is finished.

  

So many versions of this quilt are available to admire and give inspiration.  

http://thecivilwarbridequilt

The pattern by  Corlis Search is available here  http://www.threadbear.com.au/online-store/product/view/29/44