Hexagons, Prior to Placement.

Here are the lose, covered, templates, ready to be selected for a permanent spot in the quilt. I really enjoy this placement part, as I chose which one goes where, then maybe move it to another place, next to a diferent colour choice.

I've noticed that the photos of my hexagon quilt may look a tad odd, to non patchworkers. So incase you are wondering, the paper templates are still retained within each hexagon, until it is all stitched together, in this particular application. When the top is completed, I will remove each template, before adding the batting, the backing fabric, then tacking all three layers together, before I begin the hand quilting.

So some are stitched for the outer edge then, the blocks of coloured hexagons go together to connect it all together.

A Cuddly Companion While Stitching a WIP.

I decided to do a tad more work on my cross stitched, commemorative piece, this afternoon. This is the piece I am doing in memory of my very dear, late, Mother. Another languishing WIP I haven't touched since March. While I sat enjoying the view of the harbour I soaked up the sunshine protected from the blustery wind outdoors. It reached around 120klms, ph last evening although it's not so bad today, so far. My companion Holly, was not averse to joining me in the warm glow of the sun through the bay window. Since she returned from her stay at the vet hospital for 4 days, she is keeping tabs on me & has changed allegiance. DH is no longer 'numero uno,' well, for the present anyway. I can hear her yowling at the moment, LOL, she must have realised she is now alone in the other room. :).

If you look closely at the photo, you can see the shaved area of her upperarm, where she was attached to the life giving, re hydrating, drip. That, along with the expertise of our wonderful veterninarian, are things for which I remain extremely grateful this week.

Today was my turn to host stitching. Although only a small group, it is always pleasant to share times with other stitchers. Surprise, surprise! I did manage to cover more hexagons as we sat and chattered, watching the weather close in with lightening and several loud claps of thunder. The front passed over very quickly, it did drop the temperature rapidly and we are in for a nasty weekend, weather wise. Great for stitching IMHO.

Before everyone arrived, I managed to prepare a casserole for dinner, for the slow cooker. The delicious aroma wafted from the kitchen during the afternoon, making for a comforting meal, on this very cold Spring evening.

Earlier this week, we had a very sick cat. She did not respond after the first day at the vets, but seemed to be better on the following day. We brought her home and she was rather subdued & very clingy. Next morning she seemed to be worse, so back to the vet we went. The vet admitted her again and she was re hydrated & given a nausea shot to last for three days. We brought her home last night & she is back to normal, thankfully. After all the blood tests, urine analysis, kidney function and white cell count, there does not seem to be anything of concern. Even pancreatitis was eliminated. This happened two years ago at the same time of the year, so perhaps it is an allergic reaction to a spring flowering plant. The vet does not know what caused the problem, however she was very thorough.

Although not a photo of our Holly, the picture above depicts a beautiful cat, amongst the flowers. This is a wall plate given to me, because I am a cat lover, as a birthday gift some years ago.

Something Else, For Which To Be Thankful.

This is the latest progress photo on my hexagon quilt top. The RH corner is finished. Yeah!!

As it comes together, with each segment, the feeling of accomplishment is very rewarding. Everything else seems to be on hold, when I get involved in this stitching. I love the rythym of piecing it together with tiny stitches, after chosing which coloured hexagon goes where, and sorting them with the other colour strands. When I need to stitch and have no inclination for thinking methodically, covering the hexagons is also rewarding. It requirs no major effort, as I watch the collection increase. I do appreciate being able to indulge in such a pleasant pastime.

As you can see I am well past the 1/4 done, almost to the half way point for the quilt top. I hope you can share in my delight, as it grows to completeion.

Keep checking as I am sure I will construct a further segment this weekend, although the two boys are about to arrive from school, I may not get allot done until tomorrow afternoon.

First Attempt at Fabric dyeing.

With the horror of an earthquake in this country over the weekend, I did n't think about taking or posting photos. Yesterday, while playing Mah-Jong, we were interrupted after afternoon tea, with a quake of 4.1 a few kilometres off the coast. A very scary feeling for someone who is used to stable ground under foot, at home. I really feel for the folk in Christchurch, who have endured such trauma over the last four days, with constant after shakes.

I 've been dyeing cross stitching fabric this morning and as a first attempt, I am rather pleased with the result. Not quite as patterned as I had hoped, however the colour is exactly what I had envisioned. I am so enthused, I sought the popular drinking crystals, I have read about, to try their effect. I had hoped to try several colours, (flavours), to have a great selection of pretty coloured fabrics to add to my stash. Unfortunately, that particular product is not available here, so with limited variety available, I could only purchase two flavours/ colours locally. I will try those in the next few days to see what I can produce.

I have a couple of cross stitch exchanges to get together at the moment. One to post in the next couple of days & the other to put together later this month for postage. Photos of those after they have been received by my exchange partners.
I resumed covering & constructing hexagons sections last Thursday evening. They have been added to the quilt to have it completed to half way, on the RH side. It will be exciting to reach the half way point on both sides. Last week I returned to one of my stitching groups, after missing it for several weeks. We meet usually once a fortnight or, three weeks. It was great to return & enjoy all the current projects. It is my turn to host this group on Friday week, so by then, I hope to have the LH side, also completed to the half way point.

Re-assessed & Progress.

Last night I had a change of thought & decided to unpick the entire stitching on the present piece of Floba. After all, I can get started faster with most of the gridding already done, with a few repairs.
In the meantime the photo promised from last week.

The light is not good on the second hexagon row, although this photo is better than the one I took earlier, which had too much colour reflection from the walls and curtains. It is getting harder to capture a full shot as more is stitched. Perhaps now would be a good time to install my Flannel board in the sewing room, for future photos.

Hiatus in Stocking Stitching.

Do you ever find yourself in a similar situation?

After finding my miscalculation, and doing the reverse stitching required to remedy the problem, I was looking at where so much progress had once appeared, when I had a sudden realisation. :(:(
I had carefully gridded the Floba, as usual and somewhere in my enthusiasm to get on with the project, I had turned the fabric upside down/inside out to start stitching. Unfortunately, for me, I noticed there would not be enough fabric for the toe of the stocking. I seemed to loose my mojo for this piece immediately. With twenty four hours hindsight, I have decided to start on another piece of fabric and undo the original at another time, for future use. Luckily I have a spare piece of Floba or two.
Considering I was all the way down to the completion of the wee sheep's head, the removal of that, along with half the shepherd's robe and head gear, took over an hour. There is much frogging still to do, as you can see. So far today all I have managed, is to remove some of the gridding threads.

Stitching Progress.

The top right hand corner of the quilt went together last week and I am rather pleased with the result. Because I use manila folders as templates, = 220gsm thickness, my fingers were a tad tender. I have taken a short break from covering & stitching the hexagons together in sections.
I need to take a better photo of this stage of the quilt, until then, stitching related objects. Above, a small selection of some of my thimble collection.

Although not stitching related this is a favourite, pretty, small dish. It was an engagement present, many moons ago, from a dear friend.

As mentioned before, I resumed work on a WIP, a SB Christmas stocking. I plan on moving at a steady pace this week and next, so photo updates will appear as progress happens.:):)

Wheels Again.

Does n't look too bad...........However when the bumper bar was removed

it was more serious. The insurance assessor estimated the car behind was doing 45-50klms when she ploughed into our stationery vehicle. I'm glad it is a strong wee beast. We were lucky the spare wheel & tyre absorbed the impact, with two little chaps in the back seat.

Early this afternoon we received the call we have been waiting on, for 6 weeks. My little chariot is restored to look like new. Wow! never thought I would appreciate the convenience of my wee car, so much. We insisted on new spare parts, so guess that is why it took so long.

Yesterday, I had reached the plimsoll line. Bussing & returning to the supermarket, climbing the hill from the bus stop, the fifty stair climb up the mountainside loaded to the eyeballs with shopping & collapsing in the front door in a heap, had lost its' appeal. The whole rigmarole was never really appealing to start with. LOL. If the car had not been ready this afternoon, we had resolved to look at buying a second vehicle over the weekend. It is the first time we have not had an alternative vehicle, in nearly 100 years. LOL.
Not that another rear ender is required, however collective opinion thinks it is time for DH to acquire his own vehicle, in the not too distant future.

Another Work in Progress.

Progress on Shepherd's Bush, 'Reed' stocking, my eighth one so far. It is an easy stitch, using perle thread on Floba, a pleasant medium to use, as a change from patchwork fabric & template paper. I planned to have this completed for last Christmas however, now seems a good time to have it on the 2010 completions list.
I love the style of SB charts, especially the stockings. Last year I purchased another 2 stocking charts, to stitch for DH & myself.

174 and counting..

Here is a photo of the latest 174 hexagons, although not all attached in one piece.
Others have been covered and await placement at a later date.





I thought the underside was also interesting enough to share a photo.


Cross stitching has been neglected since pursuing the hexagon quilt. I'm feeling the need to stitch something more manageable, in hand, at the moment.

I 've joined a regular, wonderful, Christmas Ornament Exchange, once again this year. Something I 've done & enjoyed for several years. Being part of that exchange has made it possible to meet with other wonderful stitchers from many different locations. I also joined, a Halloween Ornament Exchange, last week. These two very pleasant commitments, will provide a welcome distraction from the hexagons for a very short period. If I am still feeling the need for a smaller stitching project, one of my WIP's will suffice.

No start has been made on the planned coat, although I did buy a selection of interesting buttons,. Which one to use, is a further choice, when the coat is completed. Hopefully this project can be under way soon. I still have lining and specific interfacing to locate. When the car is returned there are several fabric places yet to investigate. The last weeks, without the convenience of my car, has made me truly grateful for my own wheels.

Hexagon by Hexagon.

The top right hand corner of the quilt background is almost stitched together. Not in the time frame I had planned, although closer than this time last week. I have covered & stitched into rows the 150 templates, so more need to be prepared for the third section. Photos tomorrow.

My DH shared this with me, from where he found it, somewhere on the web.

In this 2010 month of August, we get to experience 5 Sundays, Mondays & Tuesdays. It will not happen again for another 823 years, so enjoy it this time around.

Commemorating A Rite of Passage.

"It is the sweet things of life which are the real ones, after all."
Laura Ingalls Wilder.

August 9th, 2010.

Louise, Happy Birthday Darling.

Who'd have thought from this, much earlier "rite of Passage for us,

to four years & three weeks later, came one of our life's many blessings.

The beautiful woman you are today.

Back to the Quilt.

I am happy to say, as many others can attest, one can always be uplifted when immersed in stitching, Whether it be patchwork, quilting, crossstitch, embroidery or, one of the other many choices available with needle & thread. No doubt, artists would say the same about having colour and paint brush to hand. For that matter, I know it is the same for whatever pastime brings you joy and banishes all other thoughts. I am truly grateful to be able to play with colour, which happens to be fabrics, in this instance. As promised earlier this week, the hexagon progress photo. I hope you enjoy seeing how it is coming along. It is a much more demanding task, timewise, than I first envisaged, although there is nothing quite like a challenge. :) As it comes together I am inspired to achieve more, towards the completion.

Yesterday a friend came for lunch & some shared stitching & chat time. We were blessed with a beautiful sunny day, such a treat, after all the wet weather since May. I managed to cut out 150 hexagon templates, ready for covering, only managing to cover thirty last night. A tad more than that, needed before the next section goes together.

Amidst Life's Encounters.

It's interesting now & then, the way life throws a curve ball, as one is merrily sauntering along, minding ones' own affairs. The best part for me, is the ability of the human spirit to triumph & rise above the swill, trying to assault the equilibrium. One can chose to suffer the onslaught of such swill, or recognise the lessons it may be masking. The latter seems to be the intelligent option to chose, thereby, rendering much wisdom and exposing wolves in sheep's clothing.

A New Winter Coat.

A new winter coat it will be!

While in the city on Wednesday I selected a pattern for a coat. I also noticed a rather lovely cream fabric. IMHO, it seemed just the right sort of thing for the coat pattern I had chosen. No rash decisions. Instead, I came home viewed the instructions, phoned the store and asked about the quality and the
self pattern contrast within the weave of the fabric. After some contemplation, I returned to the store today and purchased a tad more than stipulated on the pattern envelope. I checked out lining, although one was of a similar colour, I decided more thought was needed. The plan is to have the coat completed before this winter ends. Progress photos will keep me inspired, once it is cut out and under way.

I have made some headway with the hexagons, the top left hand corner will be together, by bed time this evening. A photograph tomorrow, for an update. Over the weekend I will need to replenish my store of cardboard hexagons, so much cutting needs to be done before I can cover the next group. The right hand corner, seems to be the next logical section to accomplish.

As July draws to an end.

Amongst the daily chores, a small amount of stitching filled a couple of hours, over the last week. I finished the embroidery on a gift, found fabrics, which had been eluding me and re arranged one of the book shelves in my sewing room.

This afternoon was spent immersing myself in times long gone, viewing our collection of photographs. Amazingly, by late afternoon, I had been reminded of wonderful times, celebrations, family gatherings, parents & grandparents, and fun times with school friends. I relived some of the times depicted in the photographs, as I remebered fondly, those events. What a great tonic! The object of the search was an upcoming birthday celebration, for one of our children.

Instead of deciding on one of my current WIP's, as an interlude, while continuing the hexagons, I have decided to pick up some dress making/tailoring. I am thinking an evening top or, perhaps a coat. The next step is to choose patterns, & notions. I already have two fabrics, suitable for tops, so coating fabric needs to be sourced, for such a garment.

Visitors.

Thank you to all those folk who have so kindly become followers or left comments. My plan has always been to be diligent with my creativity posts, however I am human and can fail to follow, even my best intentions.

Speaking of Visitors, a photo above of the very pretty feathered kind.

These are Australian Native birds, called Rainbow Lorikeets. They are often friendly, when food is offered. These two are part of a local flock which visit morning and evening, and walk backwards & forwards along the sitting room windowsil. As soon as anyone inside moves in the direction of the kitchen they fly to that windowsil. They create quite a noise outside the window, annoucing it is time for their treat. My DD#2, feeds them a special vitamin enriched liquid, especially prepared for their species. As they are nectar & fruit eaters, some folk, mistakenly feed them sugar in water. Over a period of time, the adults who have been fed this, produce young who are unable to stand or use their wings. They are often very cheeky & when they have been feasting on rotting fruit, they are very comical, (drunk) after consuming the fermenting pulp.
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Today we were informed our car will be out of action for about ten weeks. Oh dear! We will need to consider obtaining a "beats walkin" of some description, preferably an automatic version, after yesterday in DD's manual. IMHO it is totally unsuitable for the roadways in Wellington, even tho many folk must drive in this mode.. I did learn to drive on such a vehicle, realising very quickly, automation was a much more pleasurable, driving experience. To each his own. Without my wee chariot, there will be more time at home to stitch. This afternoon I felt a distinct inclinatiion to start, or perhaps I should say, continue, with a WIP. I do need a small distraction. So, which will it be from the many awaiting my attention?

Progress on Hexagons.

Work is continuing on sections of the background hexagons. I have decided to add more fabrics than I used in the centre pane, drawing these from my stash. I always enjoy this part of the quilt proceedure. Fondling fabrics takes much time, before a final selection is reached.

Last week was the first week of school holidays and yet again, it was raining and miserable. We took the boys up the coast, for lunch. When we were returning home we were rear ended. A driver behind, was rubbernecking, and missed seeing the traffic in front had stopped. My car has a badly damaged hatch door, requiring repairs. We are currently waiting on spare parts so it is booked in for next week. We will be on Shank's pony for two weeks. Outdoor escapades will only be local or, within the public transport destinations. Hopefully I will be able to stitch up a storm in those two weeks.

I love the rain and the cold weather, but with rain since the 19th of May & only glimpses of sunshine, even my tolerance levels are somewhat stretched. However, there are delights to be found in the gloom. I felt blessed to be able to look out the windows over the weekend, as I sat stitching, to see the beauty of the snowcapped Rimutakas in the distance, beyond the harbour. I hope you can share my delight with this photo.

Wet Weather Stitching and Planning.

The wet weather continues as I stitch more on my hexagon quilt. Guess it is the right kind of weather for sitting indoors and stitching on this project. Here is progress so far, with the proposed look of how the centre will eventually be surrounded by the background of hexagons.


I decided to re-arrange the previous group of hexagons, so they needed to be reverse stitched :) :). They are now together in a different sequence, as I work across and down in sections. I am happier about this method, it is still a mammoth task, although rythmic and enjoyable.

I have a couple of stitched gifts to complete, which have been languishing in my "to do" pile, while I try to select the correct finishing threads and fabrics. I have a square to do for our local Guild birthday celebrations, and it needs to be completed in less than two weeks.

I have done very little cross stitching of late, although I have three new small charts from gifts. They await my attention, after the current one is completed.