Painting and Hexies!

I am painting what used to be my daughters room and is now becoming the guest bedroom.  This room might just finish me off.  The paint color has been so hard to cover.  The ceiling was painted 2/3rds of the way by the previous owners.  The trim work needed a bunch of tender loving care.  I am still painting.  Have been for weeks.  However, I am nearing the end.  I am painting it in a color called Lemon Sorbet!  Yes, exactly how you imagine it.  Fresh, light and like a little ray of sunshine.

In the evenings I have been working on Hexies.  I saw this quilt on Pinterest several years ago and fell in love with it.  I had cut and prepped several baggies full of blocks to work on.  Then they sat in the container.  I am having so much fun with this project.  My darling daughter and I are working our way through Gilmore Girls again this summer.  That is our stitching time.  She knits, I make hexagons.

Somebody wants her knitting needles.  He would watch her swish the needle across the seat of the sofa and then POUNCE!  I could not resist getting a picture of those eyes.  100% concentration.  

Well I guess it is back to painting for me.  I have sipped coffee for long enough this morning.  I can't wait to show you the finished room.

Temperature Afghan

I was away at the end of June at a quilting retreat in Texas.  One of the ladies had a temperature afghan with her and let me tell you, I was fascinated.  You record the days temperature where you live.  Then you organize yarn from cold colors to warm colors.  There is no science here.  Do what makes you happy.  Then you make a motif in your corresponding color for that temperature.  Again, pick a shape you love and use that.  Stitch them together in order of the days and you should have an interesting afghan at the end of the year.  One very specific to your home town.

I have chosen to arrange my yarns in 5F increments.  When I got to zero degrees F I changed to 10F increments.  

Here is my afghan for Chester, NH at this stage.  It does not matter where you start in the year.  Mine will be running from summer to summer with fall, winter and spring in the center.  I think it will balance the colors well.  

I sure hope my kids don't read my blog because I am making one for the two married kids.  One lives in Texas and the other in California.  I am so excited to see the finished and different results.  Hopefully this will be a Christmas present for 2017.  Isn't it a fun idea?

Quilt Blocks become Quilt Tops!

I really enjoy making quilt blocks.  The repetition is so meditative and soothing.  I had managed to collect blocks for a few quilts and bagged them.  Well I decided it was time to stitch them together into tops.

This one is a rail fence style quilt - a pattern from Missouri Star Quilt Company.  It uses a jelly roll and some yardage for the frames.  It was a fun top to put together.  It is made of Christmas fabric and a dark green grunge for the frames.  I have made the binding and will quilt it soon.

This is also a Missouri Star Quilt pattern and appears in Block Magazine.  I loved making the Dresden flowers.  I actually still need to border this quilt.  All the rows are stitched together now.

This pattern is constructed using dresden wedges and then the block is squared off and sashed.  This is a lap size quilt and I can't wait to get it quilted to use on fall evenings watching TV.  So fun to make.  I will need to show you what I am doing with the cut off curves!!!

I am really happy to have gotten these tops to quilting stage.  I plan a marathon few quilting months come fall.  Meanwhile, I still have about four tops in progress that are ready to be stitched together barring a block or two.  

Thank you for visiting.