lesmel in 2018

Placeholder for my project ideas!

I've started my first project of the year...January's wall hanging. My plan is to finish up the wall hanging projects in Jan/Feb before I tackle anything else.

This is where I started:


Yes, Princess Cinnamon Boots required a lap sit session while I was trying to draft a block. In fact, she's pretty much been velcro since I sprung her from the kennel on the 27th.

Unfortunately, I have no paper piecing experience...so, I got stuck.



Rather than get totally frustrated, I decided to set aside the block for now (yay, new learning project for 2018!!) and move to a secondary design:



I'm not thrilled with the layout. I'm going to play with the colors some more. Also, I have three other colors I can add to the wall hanging.

I am in love with Princess Cinnamon Boots. She's beautiful!

Nice projects to start off the year. How are you putting together the second one? Are you doing English paper piecing? Or "Y" seams?

>4 dudes22: Dreaded Y-seams. There's actually a technique that is supposed to not make the Y-seams so awful. I have to hunt the youtube video down to review the technique.

More layout futzing:



I cut 3.5" strips from my three other colors last night. I'll be cutting hexies all evening tonight!

That looks like fun. I have never tried paper piecing, but I believe that once you master it, you never go back :O)

>7 judylou: - I'm not so sure. I've done it and I guess it has some advantages but, maybe because I really like to press as I go, the seams always seem so bulky. And even after I take the paper off, the way some of the seams are joined still leave some bulk.

Finally have the layout for the January wall hanging!



I'll start sewing on it this week. In the meantime, I have reading for book club and my piecing project to try out!

Wow! What a difference the yellow and green make. That's a great wall hanging. I love this new layout. I was also thinking of making one every month this year (inspired by you), but decided I needed to concentrate on some of the quilts I have started or already planned.

>5 lesmel: - If you find that video, could you please post the link here. I was thinking of starting a project that's elongated hexies and was going to try hand piecing. (I decided I didn't like the idea of English paper piecing). I was thinking that way I could take them as a small project when we travel. But, in my testing of one block, I'm not sure that's really what I want to do. For one thing, I can't figure out how to press. And the book I bought doesn't do a good job of explaining it. My favorite local quilt store does do an open sew night where you can bring whatever you are working on for help and I may go and see if the teacher can help. But I also thought that I might try machine sewing them together. Which wouldn't make it portable, I know. I may try to check youtube to see if I can find some hints too.

The thing I started in >2 lesmel: is sort of finished...



I need to test the design again using paper piecing. I have a feeling it will come out cleaner if it is paper pieced. It works without paper piecing; but I have some cuts wrong. Once I test the pattern again, I may release it in the wild (with instructions) for testing. Anyone interested in being a guinea pig? If all goes well, I'll probably release it with a creative commons license.

This would never have been possible without help from some users on the quilting subreddit. I'm always in awe of the kindness of strangers.

So, are your wall hangings just one set of 12 monthly hangings or is your January one the beginning of a 2018 set?

>7 judylou: Judy, paper-piecing is very useful, I find, when a pattern calls for a lot of small triangles.

>12 avaland: Yes, I keep looking at some of those beautifully intricate designs. Perhaps one day I might try it.

>12 avaland: It is part of last year's project. I have four to finish up before I can/should tackle any 2018 projects. Although, we all know how well THAT works.

My crafting year is not starting well. I'm actively ignoring the wall hanging on my dining room table. I guess it's time to buckle down and actually finish it. Guess I should use my Rule of 15 on sewing as well as exercise.

Worked on the Jan wall hanging. I think I know why it has been sitting on my table three months. I realized today (after sewing 11 rows of 13 hexagons) that it's too big for the series I've been working on. All the other quilts are very close to 25 x 36 (the size of my cutting mat). This wall hanging is four rows too long and at least two hexagons too wide.

Option A (too big!!):


Option B (closer to the correct size):


I already want to start work on the wall hanging again now that I noticed and corrected the sizing.

I've had lots of "help" this weekend...

You are so very lucky to have such help. That's an excellent use of a quilt. :-}

Such a gorgeous helper! I just want to reach out and rub that belly.

It looks like your sizing correction was fairly straightforward. Thank goodness you didn't have to start all over again!

love your cute feline!

Nice Job. I'm not sure I would have know how to adjust it.

I was superdupes excited about my progress from yesterday....



Can we see why I'm no longer excited?!?

Oh NO! I would be super upset. Like - put it in a box for years upset.

>21 lesmel: Uh-oh. So close, and yet so far away. :-{

>22 dudes22: I'm only going to be that level of upset if my plan (seam rip rows 2 and 3, resew, and then fix the edge offset with my spare black hexagons) doesn't work.

>24 lesmel: - I guess I'm not as patient as you are.

>25 dudes22: Each seam is 18-19 stitches. It took about 1/4 the time to seam rip as it took to sew two rows together. I am now nearly done sewing row 2 & 3 back together. I will have to sew the offset black hexies tomorrow. I look at it as a mini project instead of huge mistake that has to be fixed. Plus, I promised myself all I had to do tonight was seam rip...and that made me want to overacheive. Does reverse psychology work when you do it to yourself? lol

Actually got the offset error totally corrected!
On my phone at the moment, will post the image tomorrow. In the meantime: https://flic.kr/p/FGFG1D

>27 lesmel: Oh my, you are truly amazing! It's going to be beautiful, when finished. Congratulations!

>27 lesmel: wow, good for you! I infer from the timestamp on your post, that you couldn't call it a day until you'd sorted this out. In addition to being a talented quilter, you are both patient and persistent!

I'm not sure if you said earlier or not, but are you hand sewing this? The reason I ask is that I've become fascinated with the Lucy Boston Patchwork of the Crosses block. It's also done with hexagons. I bought the template rather than the papers you can use and I've tried to stitch a few sections together, but I've never done hand stitching before (except for my bindings) so it's slow going. I also bought a book which shows a way to partially machine stitch and partially hand sew which I might also try. I took one cut-out block when we went to visit friends in Jan and, of course, never picked it up while I was there.

>30 dudes22: No hand sewing. I don't have the dexterity for it...or the hand strength. I sometimes wish I did. I'd like to be able to sit at conference this year with a pile of EPP hexies and DO something other than listen to a presentation. Crochet takes too much of my attention b/c I still count out loud. lol

Here's the photo from >27 lesmel:



>29 lauralkeet: Yes! I was too stubborn to give up at just getting the seams ripped or just getting rows 2 & 3 back together.

Kudos for not giving up! That is some seriously tough sewing....

Well, it's April. Still working on the Jan wall hanging. Nearly done!



The fabric under it is another project. FMQ on a planets panel.

So. I have jury duty next week. What are the chances I get picked? Especially with my purple hair?

I feel so silly - somehow I clicked on the "ignore". No wonder I couldn't see your thread, but I've fixed it now. I like your wall hanging and am impressed you do your own designs.

>35 lesmel: I like to think the hair will have nothing to do with the choice. I am usually not picked because I used to work in the law enforcement field (and I assume the defendant's lawyer thinks I'll be biased, even though I am sometimes asked that very question and I say, of course not). Massachusetts was jury duty every 3 years like clockwork; now that I'm back in NH I don't expect to be called at all -- was never called in the first 17-year stint. I did get called up by California several weeks after I had moved back east.

All sewing projects have come to a screeching halt. Mostly because I was out of town for a week. Then family was in town for a week. Then I had a week of no one around. And now I have family in town again.

>37 avaland: As for jury duty and my hair, the only issue I had was some jackass who seemed compelled to make everything I did into some sort of watching game. I thought boys outgrew that at some age before 60. Jury duty itself was 45 minutes of sitting in a courtroom before being dismissed for the week. Easy peasy.

And now my hair is red..dish

>38 lesmel: I love the red hair. Truly. You should keep it for a while.

great. I am the mother of two orangey-redheads (the color has changed some as they have grown older, a bit less orangey) We have very, very similar glasses....

I'd somehow missed marking your thread this year! Gorgeous projects, and I really love >11 lesmel: