The Foxtrot Quilt

This year’s summer’s quilt project was, as per uje, English Paper Piecing.  

 
I love EPP. It is the salve to my soul. I love the non-frantic repetitive nerdy geometric vibe.  I also love that my seam ripper can take a holiday too … I don't love that up until now I have never got to the finishing line with any summer EPP project!

I’ll get a better picture of the quilt top when it isn’t so bloomin daydark or pouring with rain, but you get the idea!

Deciding on something larger than a cushion, yet realistically finishable before the next millenium, this year I went with applique blocks. It made the whole process so much more satisfying and undaunting for me. 

This project has been through many incarnations … it started as a random gingham project, mutated into Katy@ ImAGingerMonkey’s Spring Carnival, swerved sharp left at Lynne@ Lily'sQuilts Georgetown Carnival ...

...  But then, after a freak eureka snack moment involving a piece of watermelon and a Poole pottery plate, it finally found its own rhythm … 


SLOW …

SLOW …


 QUICK ...





QUICK ... 

so far this has been an utterly delicious process ...… and now all that remains is basting, cosy evening hand-quilting and binding …


SLOW...



The Watermelon Foxtrot will be backed with the same plain grey linen to let the (possilby nerdy) hand quilting do the talking. 

Isn’t that just the perfect binding fabric? It’s Calypso - Leaf - by Maude Asbury from my LQS - Brighton Sewing Centre


Lap Quilt: roughly 55" square
Blocks: 14" unfinished
Sashing: 4" unfinished  
EPP: centre hexies, triangles & squares 1.5" -  small hexies: 1" - (side length)
Binding:Calypso Leaf in Grey - Maude Asbury
Kona & Klona solids, Heavy charcoal grey Irish linen, Cotton & Polycotton gingham, FussyCut scraps.


Yay!

Through the Hexagonal Window …

No nerdy tutorial today as I’ve had a day of cutting fabric and playing with hexagons, squares and triangles!

I started piecing with gingham for Katy@ ImAGingerMonkey’s Spring Carnival a while ago and I’d decided that I was going to applique them onto individual blocks of some beautiful heavy dark grey linen, to allow me to treat it more like a sampler quilt.

I’d like to do a wholecloth applique, but I’ve read so many posts in the past from people saying in retrospect that they wish they’d pieced in blocks, that I’m as yet undecided.










I thought I’d try using the negative space of the grey a little more …






Then Lynne@Lily'sQuilts just posted about one of her annual summer epp projects – a kind of mutant spring carnival block – The Georgetown Carnival …




So, I just had a little jigsaw play with what I had already basted … I think it’s a wondrous good idea … and with some careful fabric planning could be just delicious!  Yay! I’m thinking a mahusive, many-rowed centre piece could look pretty funky too ...




What is it about the summer that makes us all rush to the EPP?  What have you got planned?

Busy as a Blogtoberfest Bee

So … at last something has been sewn (and FINISHED!)  in the Pings Household!! My 4x5 modern bee blocks! Yay!





For this bee we had to produce 5 blocks …

I decided to paper piece hexagons and then applique them onto white backgrounds.

These were my first ideas back in August …

They were really fun to make, as I love paper piecing, but I totally underestimated the amount of hexies that would actually look good, so they took me twice as long as I thought they would! LOL! 





Each block is 12.5” finished.

Heather Grey, Light Teal, Green for Lainey @ LaineyBugDesigns

Cobalt, Lime, Aqua for Manda @ StayAtHomeLibrarian

Lime, Chartreuse, Grey for Nikki @ Bumbles&Lu 

Spring Green, Aqua & Grey for Lee @ FreshlyPieced

 

Red, Blue & White for Colleen @ TheBusyBean

Here they all together:






I’ve had to duck out of the next quarter because I just can’t commit the time, but I’m really keen to start again in the new year … and really excited to start getting the blocks these lovely ladies made for me!


There are some fantastic blocks in the 4x5 flickr group here … go feast your eyes!






Don’t forget to go and have a look at how others are doing in this year’s Blogtoberfest  organised by TinnieGirl … there are some great giveaways going on too, linky hosted by CurlyPops  … check them out here …





I’ll be back tomorrow or soon after with the finished projects from  The Japanese Scrap Bag Challenge … sponsored by The Eternal Maker.  You’ll be voting for the ultimate winner … and I can tell you … there are some lovely lovely creations …

Here’s to a short sweet week if you’re working and a long leisurely one if you’re not!

Scrappy Hexacabinalong – Quick Tutorial

 

I’ve made a couple of these hexagon log cabins now, as part of LilysQuilts Summer Hexalong …

This one from yesterday uses strips that are uniform in size (1.5”).

They are sooooo easy to make, and if you choose different sized hexies for your central piece you can really get some variety going! 








I received my Happy Mochi Yum Yum winnings from Lily’sQuilts today and I couldn’t resist having a little play.






Vicky, aka Patchwork Queen (my lovely BritQuiltSwap partner) asked me if I’d used a tutorial, but I hadn’t – I just busked it, so I thought I’d make a quick tutorial for anyone who fancies making these … they’re easy peasy lemon squeezy and a grrrrreat way to use up your scraps!

This tutorial is aimed at everyone from absolute beginner up - no meaningful measurements here … You can choose whatever size hexagon you want as your central piece and just build from there until you get to your finished size.

If you want them to fill a square block, just keep going until oversize and then trim … If you want to square them off with a white background, that’s easy too … just a couple of triangles and rectangles to add …

I hope the following tute is clear – I’ve numbered each stage so that if you just want to right click and save em they’ll be easy to view.  It's not difficult, so you should be able to make one in just a little longer than it takes you to read this!

Have fun!

Happy Hexing!  Don’t forget to check out Lily'sQuilts for the Hexalong, or take a peek on Lily’s flickr page at all the lovely stuff people are making and join in the fun  …

Sunday in the Park with Hexies - Giveaway on Lily’s Quilts + New Quilt at Moda Bakeshop!

 

Pop on over here to Moda Bakeshop to see my lovely online friend, Lynne from Lily’s Quilts, unveil her Bakeshop debut Hexagon Park.  I’m so pleased that this will bring a shedload  new visitors to Lynne’s blog - she does some really amazing quilting and is so generous with her knowledge and advice!

It’s a really super pattern (Hexies? Tick! Beautiful? Tick! Even I can understand the instructions? Tick!) and it showcases perfectly the gorgeous Sherbet Pips line for Moda from Aneela Hoey @ Comfort Stitching.


Now, the Brucie Bonus here is that Lynne is also doing a giveaway on her blog for a layer cake of Sherbet Pips, so there’s no excuse for one lucky winner not to have a go at her wonderful pattern!
So, make sure you pop over there (remember to come back later though!) you’ve got until morning of Sunday 27th (a day earlier if outside the UK) - don’t forget, this line is not available here until March, so like Lynne’s quilt, it’s a precious thing :)

No-one puts Baby in a Corner

I knew things were finally getting back to normal in the P&N household when I found myself indulging in a spot of furniture shuffling at 2am!  

I haven’t done this in a while but I was getting really cramped in this little corner which I claimed back in July  …  Ah look, there’s Mrs Singer before she had her breakdown …



Now, I’m luxuriating here, on the other side of the room!



I popped up the other leaf of my wonderful junk shop £20 table … and now … I’m vay vay happy!



Hmmm … that Tesco carrier bag lining the wastepaper basket is especially fetching, dontcha think?

So, time to play along with Sophie @ Her Library Adventures today and zoom in on the tree a bit …



This is my little (black) Christmas tree.  Usually adorned with miniature birds and tiny glass baubles, but this year … HEXIES! 

Oh yes … and attached with the humble safety pin … Ta-Da!

Do join in the fun and have a look here at the other trees …

Baubles, Hexies Sequins & Beads

I’ve used these fill-able Christmas tree baubles for years - you’re supposed to put photos in them but I usually fill them with sequins or glitter or some such -  

I think they’re much more fun with little beaded hexies suspended inside, don’t you?