Sewing on...

I'm trying my hand at cutting and stitching the Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt. http://quiltville.blogspot.com/p/celtic-solstice-mystery.html. It begins today, Nov 29, 2013.

I do have several other projects going, but am setting aside today, Nov. 29, to begin this new one. I enjoy having many things going at a time. Makes sewing room life interesting, to say the least.

I found a way to sew Hexies on the sewing machine!

I took abit of information from each of the following links and found a good way to sew hexies together on the sewing machine without hand sewing around the papers first. 

Please go to the Moda website click on the Honeycombs pattern for their PDF file. http://www.unitednotions.com/un_main.nsf/fp


From yesterday's post and video, I found that using an Open Toe foot makes it so easy to locate where to begin and end sewing (#20 for my Bernina). I know Pfaff also has an open toe foot. And the other manufacturers probably do as well.  Next I found this beautiful tutorial on marking your machine bed with tape instead of marking each hexie with drawn lines.  This method worked very well.  http://www.fromthebluechair.com/2012/11/how-to-piece-hexagons-part-1.html
  
So...here's what I have done with about 6 hours cutting from my scraps and sewing.  Today I will work on filling in all the gaps and then sew in rows as the Moda tutorial suggests.

As can be seen, on this sample, I have used some of all the tutorials listed above and from yesterday's video post. I did mark the bed of my sewing machine with painter's tape.  This really is a timesaver and helps immensely.

Without the Big Shot machine by Sizzix, the task of cutting the hexagons would have been very labor-intensive. Check out their website: http://www.sizzix.com/product/657900/sizzix-big-shot-machine-only-powder-blue-teal

I do have an older style Big Shot; but the cutting action is the same.  Cutting up to 8 layers makes the cutting  go very quickly. I used Sizzix Hexagon, 2 1/4 in sides #657885.  http://www.sizzix.com/product/657885/sizzix-bigz-die-hexagon-2-1-4-sides

Hexagons and Hexies

No matter how you say it, Hexagons and Hexies have become quite popular. I like to sew everything by sewing machine, and you guessed it, this process for hexies is not so easy. Here is what I have found to make the sewing more pleasurable.

I have found a great tutorial on the Inklingo site, http://www.lindafranz.com/blog/how-to-sew-hexagons-by-machine-the-movie.  I really like her idea of using an open toe foot to see exactly where the sewing machine needle is placed.  I am going to try her technique today! 

Completing Projects and Beginning the New

What a beautiful day here in the Pacific Northwest.  The temperature is 82 degrees in the house and too hot to sew.  I did manage about 20 minutes in the sewing room today to finish the two coffee placemats.

I have an embroidery machine that I will soon begin to do machine embroidery, after taking about a year away to do other things.  That does not mean that I have not been looking at embroidery designs.  I like Urban Threads designs and Threads N Scissors and Embroidery Library, and of course, OESD.

My son and his two boys were here for 9 days.  In the process of readying our spare bedroom, I found more unfinished projects and have been completing them. I also have finished two coffee-themed tumbler place mats I started several weeks ago.  I cut the tumbler blocks on my Big Shot Machine by Sizzix. I like to work with gridded fusible interfacing, on-point.  I finished the table runner top yesterday. When it is quilted, I will post pictures.

Generations Sewing and Quilting

My Dad entered my Mom's quilt into the 2012 Western Washington Fair (The Puyallup Fair) in Puyallup, WA.  The quilt was placed in the "group category-- large quilt" because both Mom and I worked on it.  The two ribbons won  were "First Place" and "Best in Class", plus the participation ribbon (see above).

Three generations in the profile picture, my Dad, my granddaughter and me.

Sewing has always been a part of my life; and for the last 18 years quilting has taken over my life. My grandma sewed and knitted.My mom designed and made my school clothing. She was very good at this. I would go with her to a store to try on outfits I liked. She drew the style in her notebook.  Then a trip to the fabric store to find a pattern and fabric that closely resembled the clothing I liked; Mom would sew the outfits I needed for school. Mom got involved in quilting after her four children were graduated from high school.

My Mom completed many quilts over a span of 30 plus years. Every one of her grandchildren had at least one quilt my Mom had pieced and quilted. Mom passed away in 2008. Between the time she passed away and her memorial service a week later, I finished the quilt that Mom was working on the day she passed away.  The quilt was for my sister's first grandchild who was due to be born in a short time.

A few years later, my Dad asked me to complete the quilts that Mom had started but not finished.  There were 5 pieced tops that were not quilted.  In some cases, Mom had set aside the backing for these quilts. Some needed additional borders added, which I did buy fabric for and add.  A long-arm quilter completed her step; and I sewed on the binding by machine and finished by hand-sewing.  One additional quilt was done with the method of quilt-as-you-go. Three sections were complete with her machine quilting done.  The fourth section was complete with her machine quilting done, but had not been added to the other three sections. It was my job to add this last section to the quilt and machine quilt on my sewing machine to match what my Mom had done.  I held my breath, copied Mom's work with my sewing machines' stitching to sew the edges together, then turn under and hand-stitched the overlap on the back. The quilting needed to be completed as Mom had done. I did my best to replicate her stitching. And it won ribbons...in the fair last year!

I am just beginning today as a blogger, wanting to share with all about my everyday sewing room experiences.