Brown Bag Ugly Challenge

I was beginning to worry that my Brown Bag Ugly Challenge fabric was lost in the mail but the postman delivered it the other day. If some of you have been wondering what that Brown Bag button on my left sidebar was about I would be not only happy to explain but I'll show you now that I have the fabric. The point of the challenge was to go into your stash and choose a selection of fabric, no more than 2yds. total, that you thought was ugly or that you knew you would never use. Send it to the person you were partnered with and she would do likewise. This was what I received from my partner Carolina. Holding my breath like a kid at Christmas I opened my parcel. The inside wrapper was taped with lovely "tulips" and this was what the wrapper unveiled.

I was completely surprised. It was love at first sight. Thank you, very much Carolina. Who could not love this fabric? It is Paula Nadelstern's Luminosity line and the instant I saw it I knew it would fit very well into my plans. I can't reveal to you at the moment what that plan is because the project isn't due until next year but suffice to say that the yellow fits very nicely into my pattern. This fabric will become a quilt of my own design. Back to Carolina. Not only did I receive this fabric but she also made a lovely bag for me as a gift and included a pretty card.

All in all I was glad I signed up for this challenge and am looking forward to seeing all the finished projects next year on the Flickr site. Remember to click on the images if you want a closer look. Sew-long till next post.

Hexagon Wednesday

As you can see a new button has been added to my left sidebar. I've joined the Hexagon Wednesday crowd. Just click on the logo and you'll be connected their website. Since I am new to the Blogosphere I find this very exciting; to be able to connect with people right around the world in a blink of an eye and see what they are working on. I've shown you a photo of 2 possible "flavours" of my hexagons.  I can't seem to decide which way to go probably because I haven't decided how the quilt will look. I like to design my own patterns (in a loose way) but in this case I think I will let the hexagons "speak" as to how they would like to be placed. The other reason I have joined the group is that I just realized how I've missed handpiecing. I had forgotten how relaxing it was and how very portable it was as well. So, do you think I should use the vintage scrap look or the modern fabrics for my hexagons? What do you think?
September is a month I find myself putting away my layback summer mode until next year and getting back to business at hand. I start thinking about setting new goals or have thoughts about what new road to travel next. At the present time I have decided, besides making the hexagons, to also include making small 9 patches measuring around 3", and a small bay leaf also known as the pumpkin seed. One tiny problem right now is the weather. It is so hot here I have trouble concentrating on my "new" road. I have always thought of fall and winter as a time to do quilting when the weather is cooler. One of my quilts in the family room is calling out to me and reminding me it's time to start. It hangs across from where I sit in the room so I have a constant reminder.

It's the handquilting in the quilt that reminds me to get back to business. I have several waiting for me to quilt. The border of the quilt was quilted without a hoop or frame. I did not want the bother of having to sew an extra piece of fabric on to be able to get it to fit the hoop so i basted the border area to death. It really did not take much more time and the benefit to me outweighed the sewing on an extra piece of fabric. Remarkably the border laid very flat and straight while I was handquilting and was very easy to manoeuvre. The whole idea of more basting giving me the freedom to work without a hoop or frame is very much on my mind for the next quilt. I was pleased with the outcome of this quilt.

Stack-n-Whack Quilt

I have owned this piece of fabric for quite some time but never seemed to find the appropriate pattern that would bring out its beauty. I find working with black somewhat difficult because it is so intense in value. A close friend, Lynn, had just learned the Stack-n-Whack technique and asked if I wanted to learn it as well. Since this quilt had been on my "bucket list" I said "yes". One of the requirements was a fabric with a large "repeat". To my surprise this black floral fabric was perfect because of its 22" repeat. That's right. The repeat was 22" which meant a lot of fabric was needed to make anything. I was very lucky to have 3 yards of it so a lap size quilt was possible. Excitement was rising as we measured and cut because in the Stack-n-Whack technique you have no idea what your blocks will look like. It's like opening your presents at Christmas. Surprise!

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 In no time our first blocks went up on the design wall. We were thrilled at what we saw. I couldn't believe how much my fabric not only changed but how different each block was and it all came from one piece of fabric. At the time Lynn offered to teach me the Stack-n-Whack technique I wasn't sure if I would like it but I definitely became a lover after that day. The bonus was that it didn't take long to sew the blocks together. I now wonder if there is anything I should add to this quilt to make it "pop" some more.  I appreciate you leaving me a comment after this post. Thank you!

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