yes the quilt that needs a name change 
I posted a couple days ago on choosing fabric for the triangles that will go in between the hexie’s on this border that I am currently working on. I found a couple more pieces of fabric to audition. Yes I agree that the white that I showed the other day is too washed out for the hexie’s as it takes away from the hexie shape.
Here is what I have right now – I’m not saying it will be one of these– just more ideas as of now. And keep in mind it is just for triangles – it will not be a background border fabric also– just triangles to hook these hexagons together. So it might be hard to imagine it.
this one I don’t know how it shows on your screen – is a very light beige with white swirls in it. Lets call it #1
#2 is kind of a dark khaki color – brown rather than khaki green as it sometimes can be.
#3 is a butter cream batik.
The next border will have a lot of the white on white colors again – I’m not sure if it will be applique I will need to measure when I get this hexie border down and sewed on and go on with designing from there – this is design as you go method – or maybe no method at all LOL
I might need to get the design wall out once again and hang it all up so I can get better photos and see what it would look like – might be easier to decide actually when I see it all together.
Opinions? Or you don’t know either unless it is hung up to see it better?
Chance of snow today!! What it is supposed to be spring we were in the 80’s last week – the plants have all moved back in the house again 
Yesterday I was out of town most of the day and didn’t get home until very late in the day – I was visiting my mom. Had lunch with one of my sisters and her daughter plus mom – a little shopping and a lot of driving – about 2 1/2 hours each way.
I did go over some projects last night though while relaxing and watching some tv.
The row for Patchwork of the Crosses was finished on Monday night and last night I laid it out to look at it and make sure it was all in place for when I start to sew that row together. 6 x 6 rows will make this quilt 72 inches square–now to get busy sewing it on and then get some more blocks ready to make it 7 x 7 I’m pretty sure I will be going up to 8 rows x 8 rows so still some work to be done on it.
I got a couple more Diamonds Are Forever blocks pressed last night as well, I’m not even sure when I pieced them but they were waiting for me to press so I got that done. I hadn’t slept well the night before so the drive tired me more than usual.
The next hexagon to piece. I did mention in the last post that I think the triangles to hook these together probably shouldn’t be white if I want them to look like the hexagons they are – with white the blocks look more like X’s or something, not hexagons – I’m not sure what color the triangles will be. I have a batik that has faint blue and yellow markings in it but it might not stand out enough and also a pink batik – again it is very light and might not stand out enough. I will need to play with that but as I have about 32 more of these to make I should be able to figure out something—I hope 
So it looks like we are back to cooler weather again – might be below freezing again for awhile at night so I do believe the porch plants are coming back in the house tonight!
I have mentioned I have been watching the series Grays Anatomy on Netflix – I started season 6 last night and the first show was just as depressing as the second half of season 5 – and I sure hope it turns a little more cheerful – my god the second half of the season 5 was so depressing – tear jerker from about show #16 to the end of #24 – one thing after another, cancer for one, a main character dies for another, one doctor has lost one patient too many and goes into depression, – I couldn’t take my eyes off of it though and went through so many Kleenex’s it wasn’t funny! Season 6 better pick up and be happier!
I just found out last night that I won another give away! This one is from Moda…the Cutting Table – (Moda fabric newsletter) I am getting a couple tote bag patterns and hooks for one of the bags – I’m not sure what fabric I will use to make them, but I’m sure I will be looking through the fabric when the patterns arrive.
Trying to come up with a new name for this quilt that has the center medallion of Common Bride but from there it is not the same. “Starry Bride”? star in the middle, a feathered star, star corners and then hexagons that kind of look like stars and have a little star in the middle – something with stars for sure but not sure on that name.
I laid it out on the floor the other day and laid the pieced hexagons out that I had completed at that time and this is what is going on with it right now.
Seeing as there will be white triangles hooking all of these together I thought I would add a piece of white fabric behind them to see a little better what is going on with it. But of course it is a little bigger than it will be so it still doesn’t give an accurate photo. When I place 9 hexagons on the border it will be a little too large so I will need to add another sashing all around – 2 inches I believe. I might do that in a white also – not sure at this point – I will wait for that sashing until I have all 36 pieced hexagons finished. I will remeasure of course when I get done with 9 of the hexies to make sure that my count was right or if I need more — from looking at the photo I really can’t tell right now – I might not need any more sashing.
Then I moved them to a corner so I could see what it would look like there too. actually I’m beginning to think that white triangles to hook them together might not be a good choice – you loose the hexagon that way and just see the color – but that might not be bad either – for sure wait and see when I get them done. I have a light color batik that might work out well for this border hooking all of these hexies together – that might work out. I think I will be able to fit this up on my design wall then and will be able to step back and get a better look at it.
Next step after this is up in the air – I haven’t a clue what the next border will be.
I did finish the big hexie from the weekend - can’t say as my binding turned out all that well 
don’t think I will be doing a big one like this! I looked at a couple tutorials for binding on hexies and still had trouble with it. The big hexie just fit on this shelf – the pottery vase is one I got at a factory outlet in Pennsylvania – they had all the rejects sitting on a shelf for like a dollar or something (this was about 12 years ago) this one had collapsed when it was fired but I thought it was kind of cool! So twisted and funky looking!
I really don’t know what I will name this quilt now that I have decided to totally not go with the pattern anymore! I added another narrow sashing around what I had and now it will be a new quilt from here on out of my own making. This well be a “round robin” type of quilt or do you call them “medallion quilts”? I will add a border to this and then another and another until it is as big as I want it to be.
This wide border of about 5 inches or so will make a nice area to either have some nice quilting in it or to add some applique later on as I decide what I am doing with it. Design as you go is what it will be.
I am thinking the next border will be fancy hexagons – using the same color scheme as I have been doing – lots of batiks with a little bit of others thrown in as well. I won’t show another photo for awhile most likely as I have to get started making a few hexagons first to see what I come up with – well they all be the same for this border or a variety – that is the question – we will see.
It got up to about 64 or so yesterday maybe a little higher, I wasn’t really paying attention and today it is to get up into the 70’s that will really feel nice!
Well that was fast. Both of them are now done. Small – but done 
I started these on March 2 and done on March 13th. I did not really work much on any other quilts during that time.
This is the larger of the two – 38 x50 inches after washed and dried. Machine pieced and hand quilting with Perle cotton #12 – I had read that #8 can be hard to pull through all three layers and that #12 worked good for it – I had not trouble with it other than a little difficulty getting the needle threaded.
A close up, I do admit to having a difficult time making big stitches, mine might be smaller than what a lot do but after concentrating on small stitches for so many years it was hard to do big stitches on purpose.
This one is smaller – 38 x 40 inches and done all by machine.
Very simple quilting just straight lines (or mostly) up and down.
I did drag out the Common Bride quilt top to look it over and start to figure out what I want to do next because it isn’t what is on the pattern. I just lost interest in the pattern. I am adding a sashing around it next and then will be a pieced border. By time I get done with it the only thing that will look somewhat like the original pattern is the center block with the feathered star and the applique and even that looks a little different because of the white background I chose to use. Now this quilt on the other hand I started back in July or August of 2012 – and it has not grown all that much! Any one interested in the Common Bride pattern barely used! let me know.
Finally I got back to work on the Bow Tie Medallion, a little progress made – this one is taking much longer to quilt than I had planned. I think the thing is – is that I quilted two queen size quilts last year and 2 or 3 couch or baby size – I kind of burnt myself out on hand quilting and I’m just kind of taking my time with it now – at this rate I will be lucky to get this quilt done by the end of summer! I got done with this much Monday night while watching Doc Martin.
Yesterday before and after the dentist appointment I got these borders hand pieced on the Common Bride quilt.
Other than that I was on the computer way too much! All week the temps are to be in the low 60’s I believe – I do believe I need to get some yard work done today – haven’t a clue if I will get done with much in the line of sewing/quilting – we will see – I always have to work into yard work slowly or I tend to ache too much from using muscles that I haven’t used in the winter.
