In trying to redeem my botched effort at Pam Buda's Tucker SAL, I made my first attempt at 1/4" hexies. Remind me to make it the last.
Just those 7 little hexie pieces to go in the center had me ready to scream. DD#1 has made some incredible things with this size. I'll leave it to her. I probably could have gone with a 3/8" size and maintained a bit more of my sanity in the process, while still having something that would fit in that center.
While we are on the subject of hexies, Karen's finish of her Stars in the Garden top has inspired me to pull mine out. There has actually been some progress here, though it is difficult for the untrained eye to detect.
There are 5 of these finished stars in the pattern, along with multiple partial stars, lots of hexie flowers, partial flowers, and connecting paths. You can see I have a long way to go.
DH and I took a quick birthday jaunt yesterday. Among other things we ended up at the little quilt shop over the mountains. I picked up some wool and Valdani floss, and then a couple of other fun finds--the mini quilt holder on the left, and the ruler boxes on the right. A sweet blog friend had sent me a Temecula box last year and I love it! 
So one of the ruler boxes, with a few other items (herbal soap, ornament, and mini charm pack), will go to one lucky blog reader. Tell me how you think you would use the little box in your comment, and I will choose a winner on Saturday. If you aren't the winner, check out Me and My Stitches. They have just started carrying their own ruler boxes and have some very clever designs!
Most of my sewing time lately has been taken up with this project. Not the most fun type of quilt to make, right?
But it does mean that child #4 has graduated from college, and that is a good thing. I have just begun to put the coping strips around the blocks to bring them to the same size. Then I will sash it with a blue plaid (fussy-cut, of course) and hopefully it will end up looking something like this...
This was the quilt I made when child #3 graduated a few years ago. I will actually be using the very same blue plaid on the second quilt. I couldn't find a blue plaid locally that looked good without being too distracting, and I wanted a plaid. I knew this was an old South Seas Import fabric, but that is all I knew. Thank goodness for the internet. Within minutes I had found it in an etsy shop and was able to order plenty.
To my US friends, have a happy Thanksgiving, and no matter where you live, take time to give thanks for the good things in your life. One of the things I am grateful for is the view from my sewing room window!
Until next time,
Janet O.
Drawing now closed.
