Friday, September 13, 2013

Hexa-go-go, and Quilts-go-go

While I was off to Kansas City my traveling project was English paper-pieced hexagons. It took me several years of seeing others make them before I finally succumbed. Well, and I might have had a little push because I'm giving a "Hexie Magic" program at our next, October 14, Central Florida MQG meeting! My introduction to sewing hexagons started with the Happy Hexagon baby quilt I recently completed, I'll practice on another hexagon baby quilt in the near furture, and currently, I'm making English paper pieced (EPP) hexagons. I've EPP before... just never hexagons.

I located an online template for one-inch papers at http://moxyideas.com/downloads/
On card stock-weight paper, I printed five pages of 15 hexagons per page, and cut them out individually with scissors.

After doing further online searching and reading, it's suggested that to save time cutting out fabric for hexagons, it's easier, and just as effective, to cut fabric squares. For 1" papers, my fabric squares are 2-1/2" X 2-1/2". Here's a chart for figuring what size square is needed for a specific size hexagon.

I hand-stitched with Mettler basting thread, preparing enough hexies to sew into a zipper bag and a 16" pillow - about 135 hexies.

This is the progress I made during travel time - the fabric that will become a zipper bag.

In the quilt-news department, two of my quilts have been selected to appear in upcoming shows! I'm pretty excited about these.

"Buckles and Belts," my original design made for the MQG Madrona Road Challenge last January is one of 112 quilts that will be shown in the "Modern Quilt Challenge" at the AQS show in Des Moines, Iowa. Oddly enough, my quilt was also chosen for use in AQS publicity!

You'd better believe that I'm wishing I still lived in West Des Moines! I'd definitely be attending the show!


Because quilt show times overlap, I had to pull "Buckles and Belts" out of the September 26-28 QuiltFest of Jacksonville (FL), but five of my other quilts, including "Bloom," will be shown there.
Bloom
"Bloom," was selected to appear in the "Quilts of the Modern Persuasion" display of 19 quilts at the MQX (Machine Quilter's Expo) in Portland, Oregon, October 10-12.
Quilts of the Modern Persuasion is a Special Exhibit at MQX Quilt Festival in Portland. These are the entrants that have been accepted into the exhibit.
Laurene Farley
Nancy Fleury
Molly Hanson
Linda Hungerford
Becky Johnson (2)
Becky Knopp
Amanda Leins (2)
Donna Morales-Oemig
Kelly Orr
T. Pino (2)
Kristi Ryan
Shannon Schlosser
Mary Torrey (2)
Angela Walters
Candace West
It's pretty exciting. Though I'm spending a small fortune on shipping! Still, I'm very grateful that others think my quilts are show-worthy.

Whoa! And in big area news... a modern quilt shop opened last week! Maybe that's not such a big deal to those of you who have a quilt shop nearby, but it's definitely good news around here. With more than 800 quilters in Quilting Guild of The Villages, and our 30-plus member Central Florida MQG it's so nice to have supplies handy. Simply Sew Boutique is located 18 miles from me, in Summerfield, Florida. Even 18 miles is convenient when compared to mail order, which I have done almost exclusively since moving here 15 months ago. I'm predicting our CFMQG quilters will have a great relationship with the shop and it's friendly owners, Kathy and Kelsey.

I haven't shared a picture of Hogan our nearly ten (next month) year-old beagle-chow for a long time. He's doing really well since having his left eye removed last February, due to having glaucoma. You'd never know his vision is limited based on the way he snaps at - and catches! - flying insects in his mouth! When I saw him in this unusual paw-crossed prayer pose - who knows why - I had to take a picture. He's mellow. Cuddly. And easy to love.

Linda

20 comments:

  1. Your quilts are awesome! They are definitely show worthy.

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  2. Oh I will be at the AQS show to cheer on your quilt. Do you want me to stand near it and let you know people's comments? :)

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  3. Congrats on Bloom going to Portland...and in good company with one by Angela Walters, too!!

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  4. Congratulations on all the quilt show news. I'm not surprise at all though as I knew your quilts would be selected to be shown. Love seeing Hogan again, he looks very elegant as he is lying there with his legs crossed ;). He doesn't have much of a chow in him, does he?
    Your hexies look great but have you thought of securing the fabric around the paper without going through the paper with the basting thread? That way you can leave the pasting stitches in and I find it easier anyway. Lately I've even glued the fabric into the paper, but I must say it's a bit of a pain to remove the papers later on.

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  5. Hexies are popular! (Carla, Mary and Rene have all post blogposts about hexies today!) Congratulations on having your quilts in shows- what a special feeling that must be!

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  6. Congratulations! I wish I lived close enough to go and see the quilts on display.

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  7. Congratulations on the recognition for your beautiful quilts! The Buckles quilt is the very essence of Modern. No wonder they chose it for promotions. Hexies are looking good.

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  8. Congratulations, you must feel so proud to have your quilts accepted into those quilt shows. We've all known your quilts are "show-worthy" now others are noticing too!

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  9. Congrats on the showing of your beautiful quilts. I plan to go to the JAX show, so I will look for yours on display. Good for you!

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  10. Congrats Linda!!! How exciting to be among the select few to have a quilts in two big shows. Well done indeed. Your hexies are really cute too. I still haven't made any.

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  11. You go girl!!! How exciting, keeping fingers crossed!

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  12. Wow Linda you're really out there aren't you!
    You'll be teaching at that new shop soon I bet.
    Well done.

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  13. Congratulations to you Linda. What a well deserved honor. Everything that I've seen on your blog tells me that your quilts are certainly show worthy. What a thrill. I'm close enough to the Des Moines show, but not sure I can go. I like your hexies that you are working on. It will be such a cute little purse or bag. I'm doing a few here and there too, but not as small as yours.

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  14. Congratulations on all your exciting news. Using Buckles and Belts for advertising is super exciting! What an honor!!!

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  15. Hi Linda, I have missed you, glad to see you are working on hexies as I have wanted to do some so badly but needed a push.
    Congratulations on your quilts be chosen of course it is no surprise because your work is so beautiful.
    Glad you got a new quilt shop near by because I know what it costs for mailing. Sometimes more then items I have bought.
    Your life is really taking off andi am happy for you.
    Blessings Sandra

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  16. Congratulations Linda on having your quilts selected for the shows! How exciting! I plan on going to the Des Moines show and I will be looking for your quilt. I am so happy that we had the chance to meet a few years ago. Wish you were going to be at the show!

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  17. Congratulations on being chose and on being used for advertising! Your quilts are always gorgeous. :)

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  18. Wonderful to see your quilts are being given the recognition they (and you!) deserve, Linda. Well done! It warms my heart, too, to see you've finally caught the hexie bug. Now you know why I've been in love with them for so long :-)

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  19. Been awhile since I last visited your blog...First, congratulations on your quilts being selected for show and used in publicity...also enjoy reading about /seeing photos of grandchildren.

    "And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us and establish the work of our hands for us..." Ps 90:17

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  20. Hey, big congrats on "Buckles and Belts" - that really is exciting. :) It's a great quilt. (So are the others in the Jacksonville show.)

    LOVE the hexis you're working on - when you use the squares, do you trim the hangy-overs to a hexi allowance after you've stitched them together?

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