The Emperor Pigeon #1

Today is either day 47 or 48 of our current lockdown. By lunchtime on Tuesday 17th August, we were pretty confident we'd be going into Level 4 lockdown that night. We emailed staff advising them to take their laptops home and half-jokingly said, see you next term. I called in to the bakery on the way home to stock up on chicken pies for the freezer and the diary next door for milk, bread and eggs. 

I have spent the last six weeks doing school work Monday - Friday. I have prepped a tonne of resources for the Year 10 team which I hope saves them some work over the holidays and next term. I've been sewing in the evenings since there is no gym at Level 4 or 3.

My biggest finish to date has been a hexie quilt named The Emperor Pigeon by my nephew when I was working on it last school holidays.

This was going to be gifted as a charity quilt, but the Monday Modern girls convinced me it was a keeper so I hand quilted it.

Given lockdown conditions, I used a mixture of about three threads off the shelf. I particularly like the way they weave together on the corners.

This one is definitely a keeper. Or a keeper within the whanau at least as I think I will gift it to my niece for Christmas.

More Scrap Busting

Inspired by Carolyn's hexies I started some 9.5" squares with 1.5" hexies. I am attempting to coordinate them with the garden rabbit fabric cut from the edges of the Circle Game quilt. The backgrounds are left over from a dress I made a few years ago, and from a dress I cut out back in summer but didn't sew up.

I started using Weetbix box homemade hexies, then I read about the washaway fusible pieces so I have used them. Saves the glue basting, sewing through cardboard and then removing the pieces. Hopefully, they all wash away in the end!

I am also being a bit lazy and not sewing the inner hexie. I plan to straightish line machine quilt the finished project right over the hexies.

How quickly things change | Day 1

I spent last Saturday doing my school work for the week ahead. Sunday happily sewing my Treehouse Textiles Sunflower cushion. Monday lunchtime we watched the Prime Minister announce the country was going into full lockdown by midnight Wednesday. The last two days at school, without learners, were weird. I almost felt teary at the conclusion of our google meet Wednesday lunchtime with our boss (who was already in self-isolation after returning from overseas) and then again driving out of school and seeing the go home, stay home, school closed sign. I did a last minute shop at Spotlight after fearing I may run out of thread and machine needles. Priorities. (I can live on eggs, weetbix and toast for a while I reckon!) I also took the opportunity to buy some batting for the FWSG quilt ... not that I have any backing fabric. However, I feel much better today after not listening to the news/radio all day (Day 1 of the lockdown) and unfollowing people who post drama and rubbish. I plan to do some sewing most days, as I do in my usual weekends and holidays.

I have been working on the Treehouse Textiles sunflower cushion for the last three weekends. It's been years since I did applique and made hexagons! I noticed how much my close up eye sight has deteriorated in that time. It was a bit of stab in the dark with the needle sometimes.

I will add a little bit more hand quilting and then the top is done.

One of the things on my grateful list today is the warmth from the sun. It was a beautiful morning. I am very glad we are not locked down in the middle of winter when it's cold, dark and rainy.

I have decided I am going to use the next four weeks to learn to run. I quite like the idea of running - no idea why. Never been a runner. Even as a kid I was slow. So I started this morning. Thought I would get to the top of the road and be puffed and have to stop. But I stuck with it for 3.35km up the road and back. The last 500m are downhill. I am pretty stoked with that effort. My plan is to run that distance for the next five days and then add maybe 500-ish metres for the following five days, etc, etc. I would like to get to 5km. I will see how that goes.

On my run this morning I saw eight people out walking (just one had a dog), one man exercising on his front lawn, one young man in hi-vis gear waiting for the bus and an older chap out jogging. There were several cars out and about and truck-trailer units on the motorway.

I have also decided I am going to live like the ancestors and get up with the sunrise and go to bed with the sunset. Keeping it simple.

Red Hexagons

I got my A into G and got this quilt top finished this weekend. I quite like it.  Finished the top measures about 42 x 42 inches. Each little red hex is 4.5". I hand sewed them on. They still have the freezer paper in, but I plan to slash the back and remove it!

This is a budget ipad photo. I can't find my little camera - I remember putting it away before the school hols because I was taking my big one home to Hawkes Bay, but it hasn't turned up in any of my usual hiding places (like the teatowel cupboard, or the cake tin cupboard). And now I can't find the connection cord for my big camera. The big camera has pics of baby Lucy's finished pink coat, my work in progress hottie covers, and the quilts the girls made at school a couple of weeks ago during our 3 Day Learning Episode. On the upside, when looking for my camera I gathered all the papers together I needed for my tax return and I got that done as well this morning. I owe a big $17 as far as I can work out. Could be worse!

Red Hexagon Baby Quilt

This baby quilt is a work in progress. I do like the larger hexagons ... larger than anticipated because I didn't add up correctly. However, three hexagons per block and the quilt will be three blocks by three blocks, so it will all work out in the end and be suitably symmetrical. And I have always wanted to make a red and white quilt.

After experimenting with brown paper for the first few templates, I moved to freezer paper which is more pliable. I also thought it would stick to the background so I didn't get any wrinkles attaching the hexagons. It's not sticking as well as I thought, so I just use lots of pins. Freezer paper does make nicer edges on the hexagons themselves though.

I have pre-sewn the hexagons together and am hand sewing them to the white background. That sounds like a mammoth task - but it's not. It only takes about 40 minutes to sew each block of hexies.

Think I will quilt it in red because I like the quilting to be obvious-ish. I don't plan to do too much quilting though. Perhaps just some straight lines through each block.

I am working on this one as and when I feel like it. I have a bit of school work on at the moment. I had my term planned for my Yr 9 classes, but then we (50 learners and four Learning Leaders - Sci, Maths, Soc and English) had a day together to immerse ourselves in this term's Whanau and learning value (character), and they developed big ideas about heroes - that heroes make sacrifices, are committed, caring/loving, take risks and value relationships/family - so I am thinking To Kill a Mockingbird (the film) and using Scout, Boo and Atticus (and maybe Tom Robinson?) as heroes. I have ordered a few $8 copies of the book from Book Depository for my more able readers. I look forward to them reading it.

Hexagon Quilt Finished

I have finally finished this quilt. I like it lots. There are 297 1 3/4" hexagons hand sewn and it's hand quilted as per usual. It's just right for keeping my feet warm now it's Autumn.

Red Hexagons

You'd think I would sick of hexagons, given my bright hexy quilt has been a W I P since about July last year, but I saw this cool hexy block recently and so ditched my plans for a Red Pepper inspired baby quilt and started playing with bigger, red hexagons.

I think I need nine 15" square blocks, so 27 red hexagons - just three per block. For the first block I used a cardboard template, but they were very hard to pin through. I plan to move onto using freezer paper for the next block - much easier to manipulate.

Stikes me, that this will be a good April school holiday project. Only 2 weeks to go.

Up Close with the Quilting

Loving this process.

I have ditched the French Bohin needles as they bent too quickly going through sometimes four layers around the hexagons. I am now using Jeana Kimball's Foxglove Cottage Betweens Size 10 which I ordered from Grandmother's Garden in Gordonton.

Also loving the Audible app and Audible.com. Currently I am listening to The Cleaner of Chartres. I haven't listened to audio books for years. (They remind me of living in Colorado where every weekend away was accompanied by free books on tape from the library. There was no radio reception over Coal Bank, Molas and Red Mountain Passes at 10,500+ft, but lots of snow - complete with avalanche warnings at times - and great scenery.)

Hexagonal Progress

This quilt has been rolled up in the corner of the couch for at least a month because I broke the last of my Roxanne #10 Betweens and I couldn't find any more Roxannes in NZ.

I tried John James, Singer and Birch needles. I didn't like any of them. Too fat, too long, eye too big etc. But during the week some lovely French Bohin needles arrived in the mail from Gordonton - along with a packet of Jeana Kimball Foxglove needles that I haven't had to open because the Bohins are doing the job.

No excuses now.

Quilting the Hexagons

I decided to go with pink thread because I like to see the quilting when it's done by hand. My stitches aren't as small as I would like - it's a bit of a struggle going through three layers of fabric with all the open/flat seams. However, a couple more weeks and it should be finished.

Now you see it, now you don't.

The mystery mark wouldn't come out with anything. Not Frend. Not Nappysan. Not Kiss-Off. The fabric was starting to wear thin with scrubbing, so I decided to patch it. I appliqued a new piece of grey over the top and re-quilted through the top layers. No one will ever know!

It's probably a good lesson in not leaving quilts a year before finishing them. Taking that on board, I have basted the hexies. Not sure how I will quilt this one - probably, boringly, just out of the ditch and then something more detailed in the spotty border. (These fabrics never photograph well.)

I am not starting anything new until this one is quilted and bound.

Hexy Top Done!

It was fine-ish this morning, so I got a photo of the finished top.

Just in case you were wondering, there are 297 1 3/4" hand sewn hexagons. I shared it on Monday. You should see what others have finished in the last month!

Now all I need to do is quilt it which is why it's still a work in progress.

All Squared Up

I needed more than some white hexies to finish the top. I needed to add 10 coloured ones to fill in the gaps.

I then squared the quilt up and added a 5" border of spots.

When it's a calmer day (it's been blowing a gale all day.), I will take a photo of the whole thing. It's pretty bright! Pretty and bright.

Hexies - Another Update

I haven't been neglecting my hexagons, just slowly cutting, folding, gluing and sewing when I feel like it - usually on rainy Sunday afternoons. And we have had plenty of them this August. (August has always been rainy. Our school hols used to be in August when we had three term years - up until about 1995 - and it always rained.)

I am down to about four fabrics, so don't think I will be making any more coloured hexies. I just need about 18 white hexies to finish it up before I add a border to square it up.

Below is the binding and border fabric I bought from The Little Craft Store. I wanted something different. Not a solid. I look forward to experimenting with the border. I might do spot, white, spot like I did with the cushion border last week.

A Hive of Activity

I was really just looking for a title that went with Quilting Bee!

Here are the supplies for the first round of our Monday Modern Quilters' Bee. This fabric will be sewn into a block for Helen. All will be revealed.

And here's an update on my hexy quilt.

Hexagons and Navy Work

It's not good photography weather at the moment. It's either dark, raining or foggy. Not good for pin quilt to tree and take photo. But anyway, I had some time in the weekend to put into the hexie quilt. I am now at the stage of making more hexagons. I need to make some halves to square it up before I go too far with whole new hexies. I am about half way through the fabric, so it may grow by about one third which will suit me fine.

And I have done a few more letters on the Sublime Stitchery Sampler. Not in love with the J. It reminds me of writing with Mrs Nutt, my Standard 4 teacher. Clearly, I didn't excel at hand writing because I turned out a printer.

I am in no hurry to complete either project.

Hexie Update

I am going to make some half hexagon flowers to square up the sides. But I am quite enjoying the making and am very tempted to make it big enough for me! I don't think it will be finished any time soon. That doesn't worry me. I am trying not to impose unnecessary deadlines on myself. It is a hobby afterall and not a job!

Hexies - Progress

Progress! I have made 14 sets of hexagons - bound to need lots more - but I have started joining them together with white ones to get a better idea of how it's going to look. It is very colourful!

After the first few hexagons which were a bit mixy-matchy, I have tried to make them more homogenous (makes me think of the Count Homogenized TV programme from when I was a kid - which after googling for a link I have just discovered was made in NZ!). So now I have pink hexies, green (the top one above), orange (the bottom one) and purple hexie flowers (the middle). I hope this will make the quilt look less random. The Kaffe Fassett fabrics, from 2007 according to the selvedge, are so soft.

Each side of each hexagon measures 1 3/4". I am glad I didn't make the hexies any smaller because I like seeing some progress after all my hand sewing.

On a side note, if you are interested in modern quilts and modern quilting, we (Jacqui, Megan and I) have written a series of posts on Modern Quilting over at the Auckland Modern Quilt Guild website.

Pink and Green Hexies

Loving the sewline glue and my pre-cut hexagons. (I find Kiwiquilts super quick to deal with. Order one day and it's usually in the letterbox the next.)

I think I will join them all up with white hexies because there's not enough variation in the centre of  the hexies to make each one distinct when they are right up next to each other. I am up to 8 sets now.

Buttons, Blueberries and More Material

I diverted off State Highway 1 into Huntly this morning. I found some red buttons for the navy quilt at Allen Fabrics right in the main street.

Then it was on to Grandmother's Garden in Gordonton.

I bought backing fabric for the Leicester Square Quilt:

Some linen like Japanese cotton for who know what purpose:

Two fat quarters, again without purpose but I am a sucker for paisley, and five fat quaters and some hexagons as a birthday present for one of my cousins:

And finally, some wool batting.

Back on the road and I was still in search of some more red buttons. I bought four punnets of blueberries to make muffins for going-back-to-school morning teas. I called into the Bernina shop in Pukekohe. They have the best button selection I have seen in a long time. Old school style in the plastic tubes with one wired to the lid.

Then it was home via the library to pick up my reserved copies of Material Obsession 1 and 2.