This morning, I'm being a bit lazy and doing the hand stitching of the binding on finish #8 for my #quilt21in2021 effort. It's my hexie mashup quilt that is the result of merging two UFO's.
I machine quilted it with a simple and straight forward plan for two reasons -- to get it done and to not "ruin" it with sloppy fancy quilting.
By using a simple grid of equilateral triangles, I could use the piecing as a guide so no marking was necessary and minimal thinking was involved (which too much of that can shut me down).
The large central motif halted me for a few days while I pondered an "awesome" feathered treatment for the quilting . . . . . . .
. . . . . . but once I listened to my practical brain, I settled for a simpler solution that outlined the large six-pointed star motif with a few primitive feathers around the outer edges -- truer to my style.
(Sorry about the photo tilt - I don't spend enough time taking my pictures -- just point and shot.)
Combining two UFO's has resulted in a very acceptable quilt! About half of the blocks were pieced in 2016 as I stitched along with Barbara Brackman in her Morris Hexathon. It was intended to be a hand-pieced project but I was showing-off my y-seams simplified skills and all the posts I wrote while doing these blocks are gathered up under the MORRIS HEXATHON tab on the blog -- see it up there in the banner? While I was doing research for today's post, I came across an old post from early 2017 where I was (unsuccessfully) contemplating settings for that group of blocks -- glad I aborted that mission.
You might find it an encouraging post to read -- click HERE!?!
All of the (awesome) fussy cut hexagon motifs were pieced (again by machine instead of EPP) during an Instagram #fussycuttingsewalong during 2018 hosted by @naomialicec. She continues to host EPP sewalongs annually with a difference focus each year and I learned a lot playing with her ideas.
It was fun to be nose-down with some of these blocks during the quilting process.
Every one of these blocks is the result of exploring fabrics with a hexie shape window and a pair of mirrors auditioning for patterns hidden in the fabric.
Merging UFO's is one of my favorite strategies for eliminating UFO's as it always leads to such creative quilts. One of the keys to a successful merger is "similar fabric style". Both of these sets of blocks drew heavily from my traditional reproduction prints so they blended together easily.
Color can be another unifying factor and it was true serendipity that these two sets of blocks were the same size! A match made in heaven.
The approach that aggravated me the most was the one that generated some of my favorite blocks once I figured out the easiest way to set up the cutting. This one inspired the large center star motif. Happily I shared a post about it (so I don't forget how to do it) which you can revisit HERE.
The outcome of the past couple weeks of stitching hasn't just yielded another finished quilt. Now I have the itch to play with hexies and fussy cutting again.
We'll see if I give in to the itch!
So here's a wobbly picture of the finished quilt.
(Please note, I'm stood on the coffee table and it's sideways because it's too drizzly here today for outdoor pictures.)
The quilt is soft and cozy as a result of the simple quilting.
It finished at 66" by 80" and will be a lovely piece to hang in the living room or snuggle under for a couch nap.
I merged two sets of blocks into one quilt plus I used up about 6 yards of stash fabric for the borders, backing, and binding --
win, win, win, in my book!!
Are you testing out "normal" these days?
I've been fully vaccinated since the end of March but uncertain about moving back out into a more normal routine. First of all, I'm quite content puttering around at home and having almost no responsibilities so re-entry doesn't feel urgent.
But yesterday, I had a birding date with my long time buddies and as chance would have it, it was an good migration fall-out morning at the location we chose over a week ago.
That meant, the area was throbbing with birders and there we all were, cheery and excited, helping one another find "the bird", sharing tips, having a spontaneous picnic lunch together.
It was awesome!!
So I hope all of you can have those uplifting experiences very soon!!
Encourage folks you love to vaccinate if they are able and help us all get back to a full life!
Mary
