Friday, September 11, 2009

Friday Flaunt - Traveling Hexagon Quilt

It's official. My Candied Hexagons project is now a traveling hexagon project.

Over our long Labor Day weekend, DH and I took four days away and drove to Oklahoma - the cities of Tulsa, Stillwater, and Oklahoma City. During the eight hour drive between Des Moines and Tulsa, some of which I drove each way, I hand-pieced hexagon blocks (but not while driving!) I have 11 hexies to show for my time in the car.

I am very pleased with the precision points I'm able to achieve by hand-piecing.
Since coming home, here's how I've pressed them.
My question for you experienced hexie quilters: Is this the proper direction to press these seams? Being right-handed, I thought it seemed best to press in a clockwise direction. I like the cute little "blossom" in the center. But, is this the best way to distribute the bulk? (You can click on the photo to enlarge it.)

The hexie below was easier to make because it has fewer pieces.
This one is also pressed clockwise to make a center blossom.
Odd colors I know...
...but when I put them on the design wall with the focus print hexies, they look a little better.
I have many more combinations of hexie shapes to hand-piece, so I hope it will progressively look better. However, if anyone has some advice to impart - especially if you're familiar with the Candied Hexagons pattern - please speak up! I'm at a point where I can still make changes, even with my print choices.

As for being in Oklahoma... we spent two days in Stillwater for the dedication and season-opening football game at the newly renovated (at the cost of $4 million) Boone Pickens Stadium at Oklahoma State University (OSU). We're very proud of our son who was a structural engineer on this three-year remodeling/expansion project.
We were given favored treatment and enjoyed a tour of the facility that included seeing the OSU Cowboys' locker room, training room, team meeting rooms, coaching offices (with Barry Sanders' Heisman trophy on display), private suites, and the Posse Club. It's a spectacular stadium, inside and out, that seats 60,000 fans. An unexpected bonus is that we had the honor of meeting Mr. T. Boone Pickens himself. He's a gracious and personable man with a vision for harnessing wind energy to achieve American energy independence.

Happily, the Oklahoma State University Cowboys beat Georgia, 24-10.
As you can see, you weren't in the "in" crowd unless you were wearing orange.
Guess who wore orange.
P.S. This is my 100th post!

7 comments:

  1. Happy 100th! I do like how your travelling hexie quilt is coming together, though I can't offer any advice on pressing since I'm piecing mine over papers. What I can say, however, is that the more hexagons I make the better they all play together. I think that's the secret with this exuberant and scrappy quilt. Your weekend sounds lots of fun too!

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  2. Traveling Hexies look fabulous, I too love the way the centre radiates perfectly! It doesn't look to me as if you need any advice, you have a great colour sense.

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  3. Wow, Linda, I love it! Great that you took that trip to OK as well. I didn't know that Brent was working on that -- great job and I understand how proud you are of him. I will be following the progress of this quilt as I also love the pattern. And all of this makes me yearn for retirement!

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  4. Happy 100th...your hexes look great...love how they are coming together for you! I think you will have it done before your return from Australia...stay in touch!

    Mary Jo

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  5. Happy 100th post! Those hexies look great!

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  6. Linda, I think the more variety you have the better, it's going to look very different finished then when you focus in on particular areas... am loving the colours you've chosen so far...

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  7. Happy 100 posts.
    Great hexagons so far. They look great together too. I don't think it matters which way the seams twist as long as you have the middle lay flat.
    I am not a football fan but it sounds like you all had a great time.

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