Hexie Project Progress.....

I just wanted to upload a pic of the hexagon medallion now that it has been completely surrounded by a row of neutral hexies, followed by a row of green hexies. There are more hexagons than you think in this project! I haven't counted them yet..I'm not sure I want to. I just keep going!

Working the two rows in sections was definitely the way to go. I like to keep my thread as continuous as possible, so if I can tack-baste a hexagon (I don't go through the card, just fold it over the edges and tack the corners...the basting stays in, the card pops out easily when I need it to)and connect it to its neighbor without having to knot and break the thread, I feel like that is the more secure way to go. No short seams. I like it when I can continue around two sides of a hexagon instead of stopping every 3/4" and knotting and restarting.

Doing the neutral/green border around the central motif gave me workable sections, sewing the neutral to the green allowed me to sew at least two sides per seam, and it is fairly continuous. Adding the units to the center was easy, much easier than adding one hexagon at a time to the center working on the big piece.



So now I'm up to the little flowered border....can you see it in my map? Good thing, as I'm tired of just stitching neutral and green together, I'm ready for some red :c)

We'll see how much stitching gets done on the road this weekend...it's going to be a bit more challenging to work this round in sections and get it attached to the "mother ship!"

Oh! And see this?



A month back when I was in Columbia visiting with my son Jason, his sweetie Kim, and her mom Charlotte....Charlotte showed me this hexagon punch she had bought. WOWIE!! This thing played on my mind and played on my mind....

Turns out while we were retreating at Peaceful Valley Ranch, there was also a group of Scrap Bookers there (My thought is that they really are closet quilters, they just don't know it yet! *LOL*)and the sign on their dinner table said "Creative Memories" which was the same name that Charlotte's hex punch had. I asked them if they had a rep with them, or if anyone had a hex punch they'd want to part with. One gal did!! She said "But it's used....." I said, "I don't care!" Retail it runs $20, and she sold it to me for $15! So now...I can punch hexes all I want..in TWO SIZES!

The "paper pieces" hexes that I had been using cost me over $20 for 750. Worth the time it saved if I were cutting by hand, but this? BETTER!

The larger one is the 3/4" per side size that I have already been using. The smaller size? Well, it's awfully cute, but I don't know if I want to really work smaller than 3/4". I'm already thinking on the quilting for the one I'm doing, and there is seam allowance to deal with. It has to go somewhere. On the 1/2" hexes, the seam allowance is going to mostly fill the whole shape. You can't go with less than 1/4" seam allowance or there is not enough to fold over the edge and hold your paper in.

So..back to the pic! Card stock shapes are best! And what fun to use greeting cards and other things that come in the mail that are this weight? I generally like to give cards double duty.....if the inside of the cover has not been written on, and it is a cute one, I'll cut that off and use it as a post card or a gift card. But the other side with the messages? Cut them into hexes, and relive that message puzzle every time you baste one on! Fun :c)

Cathedral Stars Class..

I love teaching the Cathedral Stars class! Two specialty rulers, Easy Angle and Tri Recs and a whole lotta scraps make up for a great quilt!

I've uploaded a slide show for you so you can see the blocks in progress! I just love everyone's color choices. I "KNOW" I have a weird sense of color. And I know that not everyone wants to make a quilt just like mine, in fact I'd rather see people coming up with their own colors! Be sure to check out the one in all shades of purple and gray....awesome! There is one with soft greens and gold too, I loved them all!



colorado cathedral stars

You might have to click to the actual album if you can't view the slide show. those of you in a reader, you probably cant view it there either, so just click!


High above the ranch, on the side of the mountain, sits a little chapel. The view from the chapel window is spectacular. Yes, they have weddings up here! What a gorgeous backdrop for a wedding or a memorial!

But first...you have to go up here to get there:



And follow more of this...on your hike up the mountain!



Inside the chapel were these wonderful stained glass windows....



And just look at this view?!



it was from outside in front of this window that I got that wonderful shot of the valley below that I posted a couple days ago. The clouds had come in, but they were gone by the next morning...it was just unbelievable!

Update on the leg...I'm walking...but more on my toes on that leg than anything else because it keeps the calf muscle from fully extending. I'm still going from heat to ice therapy wise....and little by little it's getting better, but I sure look funny!

DH and I are headed to Smithfield, VA today....for the Quilting & Sewing expo this weekend! I've got stuff ready to pack in the car, doing last minute stuff this morning while he works a half a day and then we'll be off. I was hoping that leaves would be turning, I'm not sure they are really ready to turn here yet, but as we get further north, I hope to see some prettiness.

We will be going up I-85 to the Virginia line, and going East just below Petersburg, VA....this is big time civil war battlefield country, there are markers all over the place. Memorials and parks, etc....and maybe on our way home on Sunday we'll be able to stop and see some. I don't think I can walk them yet, but I've always wanted to stop. SE Virginia is also well known for their PEANUT FARMS! I'm not sure when they are harvested or if that is going on now, but there will be stands along the road...I'm not a fan of boiled peanuts. They are an acquired taste I think. Kind of slimey and mushy, I much prefer mine salted in the shell, or dry roasted! But still fun to see how they are grown.

Hexagons in the car?!? Oh yes!! I'm ready!

More Colorado....

Update on the right calf muscle.....

I kept it elevated and iced yesterday. Rest! You know me, it is very hard for me to sit still, but never fear, there was a binding and a hanging sleeve to finish! That plus netflix, topped off by some hand quilting when the binding/sleeve were done, kept me busy for most of the day. Upstairs, in the recliner, away from my photos which were on this desktop computer.

I wrapped the leg with an elastic ace bandage, and that extra support really helped. This morning....things are better, not all the way well, but on the mend I'd say. More resting, more icing, it's just not easy for me to do!

So...I did manage to hobble downstairs here in my basement studio along with my hot tea and my ice pack, and I think I'll be able to prop the leg on a foot stool and get some stuff done.

I just flipped through my photos...all taken on my phone, because I forgot my regular camera, here plugged into the computer.....and they didn't turn out half bad!

These first three were all taken from Lori's car as we drove up, so pardon any bugs on the windshield!



All I could do was try not to ooooohh and aaaahhh and wwwwooowwww outloud as we drove up the windy roads! There is a REASON they call these the Rockies!



Look at this gorgeous change of color! The Aspens are really the most beautiful part of fall. The way their leaves are shaped, they DO quake when the wind blows. They shine and they shimmer and the color changes from green to gold to yellow are just breathtaking!



We keep climbing...closer and closer. Windy roads mean a speed of about 35 mph with good reason!



Upon our arrival at Peaceful Valley Ranch, we were instantly thrown back in time. Isn't this carriage great?!



And just look at all this color!



And more color!



I had to stop and take a photo of the reflection in the pond...look at that blue blue sky!




This was the view from the balcony in my room. There was a babbling brook making it's way downstream just below my window, the water crashing over rocks and around branches, following the path it has for unmeasured time.



We unloaded the car, set up our sewing stations! I had help bringing in the 100lbs of quilts, and hung the class quilt from the display rack....but really, we all wanted to be OUTSIDE enjoying the weather, so not a whole lot of stitching was going on! I had my hexagon project.....I've completely finished the rounds of neutral/green that surround the center motif, so now I'm on to flowers in the next round! Whoot! That project travels so well, I'm already thinking of other hexie projects I'd love to do. More on that in another post.

I also had the "In The Pink" along for show and tell as well as a hand quilting project to work on. It's getting progress put into it..little by little.

And I think that's about all I can write before I have to go ice this dumb leg down again....more tomorrow!

Stupid.

Now this is really stupid, and I don't have time for shenanigans like this!

I'm in the living room on the couch recliner....with my right leg on ice. :c( I was going down the stairs, stepped down, and something in my right calf went OWWWWWWWWW!!!!

I've been having trouble with it lately, lots of jog/walking...but I stretch. I told my massage therapist about it, and we did some deep tissue on it last week before going to Colorado. It felt fine.

Then this. Yesterday I felt tightness in my calf....but stretching helped.

So here I sit...leg on ice...unable to reach my other computer downstairs where the other colorado pics are, waiting to see if there is more that I need to do with this non-functional leg or just wait it out.

I am heading to Smithfield VA on Thurs for classes on Thurs & Fri at the Sewing/Quilting Expo! This is NOT going to keep me from going!

It might slow me down a bit...but...the show must go on!

Oh, Colorado!!

Have you ever witnessed scenery that just about made you cry? Put a squeeze on your heart and made it feel like it was hard to breathe?

Okay, maybe that was the ALTITUDE, but really, BREATHTAKING does not do it justice!

I returned last night (getting home about midnight) from my visit to Lyons, Colorado, where the Colorado Quilt Council held their fall retreat! The Venue? Peaceful Valley Ranch. I have one thing to say....this retreat was NOT LONG ENOUGH to get in as much of this as I needed! :cD

But first...before the scenery....comes my arrival!



I was picked up by Lori at the Denver airport, and off we went to go have lunch with the staff at Quiltmaker Magazine. What a treat. I love going there, if you have a chance to visit Golden, call and stop by, or just stop by! There is always a display of quilts in the lobby, and everyone is great and welcoming!

We talked about "STUFF"

We talked about the possibility of taking all the scrappy blocks that I have done for my "Addicted to Scraps" column and putting them all in one volume in a future book along with FULL QUILTS (Yes, this means I'm going to have to do some serious sewing!)and how fun that would be.

We talked about the new issue of "100 Blocks" by 100 designers that is due to hit news stands in the next several weeks. WEEEEEE! I have a block in there, and I'm so excited for this issue!

We also talked about future issues of 100 Blocks and my mind is whirling on that.....

We talked about a KING SIZED quilt I'm sending off for a future issue this week...

All kinds of exciting things going on!



And then, since we were so close....Lori took me HERE!! You might have to turn your head sideways...it's the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum!



They have moved since the last time I visited. This time there was a display of antique basket quilts, and they were fabulous! Of course, I also made a beeline right to this display in the gift shop:



$1.00 Fat Quarters! Oh, there were some old favorites in there, and yes, I had to do my duty and support the museum, so several came home with me. They also had their own line of fabric there, and I bought a couple yards for good measure. :c)



I spent the evening back at Lori's house where I was loved on by her two golden retrievers! A home cooked meal with Lori's fantastic lasagne couldn't have been better after a long day of traveling, and we topped the evening off by roasting marshmallows and making s'mores in the firepit off the veranda.

Friday began our trek up to Peaceful Valley Ranch, and I'll write more about that next! Suffice it to say that my Colorado Adventure had begun, and I needed a good night's sleep before we could launch ourselves into the weekend!

Baby Blues...

My little nephew Logan is such a peanut! Just look at him, along with my beautiful mother. I can imagine her holding each of her 8 children, and all of her 17 grandchildren as they came into the world in just this way.

My brother also has 4 step-children which are no-where-no-how ever considered as step, we accept them as full members of the family, and she would have gladly held each of them just like this if she had been around when they were born. Mom is a born mother-er!

My brother Mark is soon to become a Grandpa! His daughter (My niece Melissa) and her hubby are expecting their first baby. My mom is about to become a Great-Grandma for the first time! I dare say that Great-Auntie-Bonnie will continue making baby quilts for each new arrival as long as she can. I am amazed at how families grow, and the love grows with them!



Yesterday I finished the label on the baby quilt. This top has been waiting around for the next "boy" baby to be born into the family, but girl babies seem to be the norm in our family! My brother Mark has 4 girls and one son..with the son in the middle of the bunch.

My Sister Joy had one son, this was made after his arrival too, and then had 3 little girls all in a row....so this quilt sat while I made pink things!

My brother David had a baby girl...another pink quilt....and the blue quilt sat.

My Sister Mary, who is Logan's mama, has a son, Porter, and Porter got a different baby quilt when he was born. Porter was followed by a sister, Kenzie, and hers of course, was PINK!

Now Logan follows Kenzie, and this baby quilt, made with the left over blocks from my Blue Ridge Beauty quilt, goes to Logan!

Here is a pic of the quilting detail and the fun fabrics in it. I love combining little oddities in my scrap quilts.....some very traditional ones, and some fun novelty ones thrown in for something to look at.

And I'm running late! The dreaded insomnia troll came slinking by about 2:30am this morning, and I was up until about 4am when I finally fell back to sleep. Now I'm up, but needing to get ready to go meet my school friend Lori in Hickory! I'm excited! I'm nervous! We haven't seen each other in 30 years!

When Customer Service Counts!

A while back I did a post on how over time as a hand quilter, my fingers have changed. Yes......I'm getting "Old Lady" hands, and my thimble finger has experienced (or is experiencing from here on out) a thickening of my knuckle joint. It doesn't hurt, I don't think it is arthritis, it's just getting knobby and bumpy. But it's my thimble finger!

I had tried to get thimbles that really fit well before, and the ones I used most were those cheapie plastic adjustable ones....until recently, because I can't get them to fit comfortably anymore. they go too far down on my finger, and the rim of that thimble rubs where the knuckle has gotten big.

I've tried to put them in hot water, and force them a bit wider, but the length of the thimble is what is causing me the problem....they will continue to rub where I don't need them to rub, and this made me extra sad. What was this quilter girl to do?

About 5 years ago I bought a really pretty silver thimble from "Thimbles Plus" when I was in Hilton Head, SC during a Jinny Beyer weekend. I loved this thimble, it was beautiful, it seemed to fit right....for a while..but it was the same problem. The thimble came down too far on my finger and interfered with that knuckle.

Fast forward to this past week at the Jacksonville show!

The Thimbles Plus girls were there, and I was telling them that I was looking for a new thimble, and that the old one just didn't fit right. They told me to bring it in, so I did.....

We tried various sizes and kinds, and it was decided that instead of something that came down so far on my finger, I just needed a shorter style that wouldn't interfere with my old lady knuckle!

This one did the trick!



See how much shorter it is? I can bend that knobby knuckle and the thimble isn't in the way! There is room for my nail, it has great dimples for catching the needle, and it is PRETTY, isn't it?

Well here is the most unbelievable part. I was ready to buy this one, and they told me no, they would just swap it out for my old one. (?????) After 5 years, it was still under warranty and if it wasn't working for me they would just let me trade it in and get one that did work for me.

I tell you what, I never felt as much of a valued customer anywhere in my life as I did at that moment. The new thimble was mine, with a trade in! Equal value for equal value, used or not!

And to celebrate, I bought this:



This little beady beauty is a thimble keeper! I was looking for a thimble cage, but they can be big and bulky to wear. Instead, you insert the chained end through the open space in the thimble, and the thimble rides on the top bead, and actually looks really pretty on!



The little clip encircles the chain, the thimble is secure riding on the bead! Now I don't have to worry about losing my thimble in my carry on luggage, or worry about losing it in the plane seat, etc. Who needs fancy jewels when you can have a thimble that fits, and a pretty thimble keeper for it to ride on?

It's been raining pretty constantly since I got home Saturday night. I'm okay with that. Saturday night's heavy thunderstorms have left behind a couple days of gentle soft refreshing rain in their wake. Everything is so green. I love the sound of the rain, and of being able to just stay inside and enjoy it.

Laundry is going, house work is progressing, and it feels good to be home even for just a few days.

I enjoyed meeting with my Bee last night at Holly's house! the Ms BeeHavens were missing a few.....Laura had gall bladder surgery (well wishes Laura!!) Claire is in France (oh we don't feel sorry for her at all!) Sharon is getting ready for a wedding if I remember correctly, but those of us who did come enjoyed some wonderful conversation, lots of laughs, and even got some stitching done!

I've finished 2 sides on the binding for the magazine quilt....well into the 3rd side so that is coming along. Maybe tonight I'll get to watch that netflix that came in the mail for DH...if it's a bloody gorey thing, I'll just tune it out and stitch anyway :c)

Wednesday....I'm headed to Hickory to meet up with a school friend I haven't seen since Highschool graduation! We went to school together from 3rd grade on.....and just recently found each other through facebook, finding we live just over an hour apart. Is this cool or what? So Lori and I have a lunch date tomorrow and I can't wait to see her in person after 30 years!

Thursday....off to Colorado! I'm teaching for the Colorado Quilting Council's fall retreat, and I can't wait! Just look at this blurb from their events calendar page:

Colorado Quilting Council’s Fall Retreat will be held at Peaceful Valley Ranch in Lyons, Colorado. Peaceful Valley is one of Colorado’s most popular ranches. Nestled high in the Rocky Mountains (8400 ft), it sits right on the St. Vrain River amid 800,000 acres of the Roosevelt National Forest. Although secluded, it is only 60 miles from Denver and easy to reach. The ranch also features an exercise room, swimming pool and beautiful fall hiking.

It's the fall hiking that I am in the mood for....I hear the quaking aspens are turning a brilliant yellow as of now...And in anticipation, I think I'll turn on John Denver today and let him entice me with "Rocky Mountain High!"

The Infamous Clark's Fish Camp!

IF you are in the Jacksonville area, and IF you have your own transportation and can get there (Because it is a bit of a haul if you are staying down town) be sure to visit Clark's!

From the outside, you would swear there is NO WAY ON EARTH that this could be a viable eating establishment, it looks like an over grown and added on to chicken shack sitting there at the edge of Julington Creek....one good strong wind should push it right off its moorings and into the water it would go!

In fact, it looked extra uninhabital this visit due to the construction and excavation....seems the bathrooms always flooded and alligators would be found swimming around on the water covered floor!

So for our convenience, since the bathrooms were closed, there was a porta-potty-trailer just outside, if you should happen to need one!

It started out as a simple bait & tackle shop. I'm not sure when they started to serve food there, and I am doubly unsure of when it came to be the retirement home for copious amounts of really weird taxidermy, but there you have it!

Everywhere you turn, there are animals and birds and reptiles of all varieties staring back at you from behind their glassy eyed expressions. In other words, it's a ZOO in there, and it's not just due to the mobs of people that frequent the place. It's everywhere!

This blurb is from the website:

"Rumored to be one of the largest privately owned collections of taxidermy in the country, Clark's menagerie of preserved animals includes lions, tigers, monkeys, bears, giraffes, deer, bobcats, and a flock of birds that gaze eerily at guests in the bar area and dining rooms."

Weird or not, it is just plain fun! And the food is great. I ended up with the stuffed flounder florentine, which had spinach and scallops as the stuffing...it was baked, not fried, so delicious!

And these are some of the lookers-on while we dined!



This guy was just hanging around and chillaxing.....



Don't you think this is extremely weird? Musk Oxen and Lions together? Add Christmas lights, and some how it is "ambiance" !



I just know this guy had his eye on my hushpuppies!



I'm not sure how the taxidermy collection started. I don't know where they all came from. It's sad and it's beautiful all at the same time? I'm not sure how to describe it.



It's a very very interesting place! If you have a chance...go! It's a Jacksonville Tradition for me!

These pics were taken by Marcia's hubby, Lou!



He caught me trying to duck out of the way from his camera, but he got me anyway!



A view from outside...yes there are gators, and turtles and other marine life right there in the water!



Even with the cloudy skies predicting rain, it was a gorgeous Jacksonville Friday evening!



My special thanks to Marcia and Lou for making sure that my one request of a return visit to Clark's HAPPENED! It was a great show, and this was the perfect end to a perfect visit!

Ooops!!!

Dear RCP...
Your comment on my last post went PPFFFTT when I hit the wrong button on my phone to publish! I didn't mean to reject it, or you! Send again please! I tried to email you back but you have your email set as noreply@blogger.com and you have no blog for me to comment on so...this is my S.O.S. to you!

Raining raining raining here....finally decided to get out of my jammies! I've got a binding on, working on the hanging sleeve right now, planning to meet up with DH at the Japanese steak house for a late dinner!

His MS ride was TODAY! I want to thank everyone who donated so generously. With your help we were able to raise over $2600.00 for the fight against MS! YOU GUYS ROCK!!!

Back to that hanging sleeve......

A Rainy NC Sunday....

And I'm spending it in my jammies! I am refusing to get in a car today. I don't want to go anywhere today...this day, is for UNWINDING!

And for playing with this:


IS SHE NOT GORGEOUS?!? I first saw her on Thursday morning when I arrived at the Jacksonville Quiltfest. I must have walked by her a dozen times, drooling, oohing, ahhing and telling myself...NO. MORE. MACHINES!!

She was still there Friday after my two trunk shows! Still there when the show closed down and we went to Clark's Fish Camp for dinner (More to come on Clarks, I think it deserves it's own blog post...lol!!)

Yesterday morning (Was it only yesterday?!? Saturday??) I went to take the skyrail from the hotel to the convention center, only to find that the skyrail doesn't RUN on Saturdays!! (#@($*&(@#*$&!?) So what's this girl to do? Walk! It was just about 2 miles, and it wasn't all THAT hot yet....a bit humid, but what a perfect day for walking across the bridge and enjoying Jacksonville one more time before flying out yesterday afternoon.

I got across the bridge, only to see miles and mobs of runners and walkers do a HEART WALK through the center of downtown! I just joined the mob, talked to some people, accepted a free bottle of water they were handing out....and when they turned LEFT at the end of their route, ending at Jacksonville Landing, I turned RIGHT...and continued on down to the convention center.

By this time I had convinced myself that the machine would not still be there. How could it be? It had been a fabulous show, mobs of people, the machine was SO gorgeous, it had to have found a home, right? And besides...HOW on earth was I to get it home? My checked luggage was 2 miltary duffels of quilts, a total of 100 lbs, the limit I could check. I had my roll aboard carry on with my clothes and my laptop bag as my "allowable" take-with-me luggage. There is no way on earth (Or Jacksonville) that I was going to be allowed to carry an extra package aboard the plane....

Or was there?

I got there, hot and sweaty, found my way up the aisle....and....there she was. At that moment, I knew she had to come home and I was going to risk it.

After some quick thinking, I remembered that the 2 planes I was taking were "United Express" (Nicknamed "United Distress" by a friend of mine!)and that they took the roll aboard luggage and checked it plane side, so I'd only be walking on the plane with the laptop bag and this small black FW case, which fit just fine in the overhead bins on the smaller planes.

It took some doing getting through the check point.....but even the TSA agents agreed she was a beautiful machine and she got oohs and ahhs from the passengers behind me too as she was checked out going through the x ray station!

14 lbs in her case was switched from one hand to the other as I also switched which hand was pulling the carrying on behind me with the laptop bag looped over it...my arms are TIRED!



Here she is all tucked into her little case with all the accessories. She came with a walking foot and a 1/4" foot as well as a bunch of other goodies...and look....even her foot petal is painted metallic magenta!

A further inspection shows that she was born in 1937, and she runs like a dream! I'll be taking her on a voyage with me when I go to retreat in Shipshewana, Indiana in a few weeks!

I think I need to go get a pedicure to match her paint job, don't you agree? :cD

PS! CLICK HERE if you want to visit Johnny's website. His specialty is the featherweight, but he has other vintage machines as well...301's and hand cranks and toy machines and EVERYTHING. He does repair and servicing, and he carries a full line of parts too.

I just got this email from him as I was writing this post! (You should have seen his puppy dog sad face when I said I was buying this machine, I think he thought he could KEEP it forever!!)

Hi, this is the old sewing machine man, Johnny. I didn't know who you were or anything about you at the Jacksonville quilt show. I am really impressed, I had no idea you were such a renown quilter and teacher. I can't think of anyone else I would have wanted to see my hot rod featherweight go to, I hope you will enjoy it. I have cruised your machines, you better never come to my little shop cause you would need a truck to leave with. Check out some of my machines on my web site, and those are only some of them. Of course some have found new homes, but many are still in the shop. I see you are seldom home, wow what a schedule. It was a real pleasure meeting you, best of luck and if you change your mind about my hot rod, I'll take her back.
Guess your quilting like my sewing machines (keep you in stitches!)
johnny