Thursday, April 28, 2011

Another Day in Coloma

Another Spring Day in Coloma.........

I was able to capture numerous photos of wildflowers in this beautiful California Sierra Nevada historical location often visited by our family.















My 2 youngest goof balls....







Peering into a historical home from the days of the Gold Rush....





 Another historical home from that period.....I absolultely love the way the inside is furnished....






The town school house.....


 A couple original wagons from the late 1850s.
Ahhhh, what a beautiful day it was. I think we might have Jared's birthday here. Coloma is always a winner, even in the heat of summer.

Lukey's Quilt, Jared's Quilt Nearly Done & More Hexis

Lately, I have been having fun with quilting, obviously, and I just recently finished the front and back of Jared's new quilt. Last year, I made my first quilt ever for Jared's 5th birthday. Since that point my youngest has inherited that one, being that it fits perfectly on his toddler bed. As he gets bigger, I will replace it with a quilt that fits him better. Recently, I finished my oldest son's quilt, the second finished quilt I have ever made. Additionally, I have made more hexagons....this will be a long drawn out process, though.

Here is a shot of Luke's quilt, unfortunately after some use, which is why it is so wrinkled. It was an experimental brick pattern with blues and greens I happened to already have in my stash. Not too bad for a beginning quilter. Actually, no one ever taught me about quilting, let alone sewing. It is so much fun, though...and having access to the internet helps a bit.

 I made a label on the back of the quilt this time.....

 Lukey snuggling in his new blanket.... it is pretty cozy.

 More Hexis......

 These hexagons were too unique to show off in a big pile. I really love the vintage beach fabric...in fact, I didn't even know I had this until I was digging through the stash.

 I love the array of strawberries, too......

 Here's Jared quilt top....

 And the back of his quilt..

Here's the fabric close up.


So, now I will just continue to finish Jared's quilt, make more hexis, and conjure up new ideas.....

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Hexagons in the Making....

I am currently experimenting with creating a hexagon quilt. I chose to join in on the piece-along started by Texas Freckles. She has created templates and ideas on how to create a hexagon quilt. I chose to utilize one-inch hexagons, so I will need to prepare 1, 173 of them. This project is certainly addicting, to say the least. I have made upwards of 200 so far by pulling from my fabric stash. I printed hexagons on file folders, instead of on cardstock or buying them premade, cut them out, and then cut out 2.5" squares of varying fabric. I really like the idea of creating a colorful, random collage, so that is the route I will attempt to go. Here is a sample of hexis I have made thus far........

 I love the pink Dick and Jane style fabric below, which I found at a local thrift store a couple years ago.





You can keep track of my progress by looking at the progress bars on the right and by keeping updated in future posts.