Hexagon's

Have you ever made a hexagon quilt? Grandma's flower garden is the most popular design people make with hexagon's. Last year I made a large hexagon quilt called Jacks Chain. Here is a link to the pattern that I used:

http://www.quilterscache.com/J/JacksChainBlock.html


Mine was very colorful and a lot of fun to make. It really gives you practice on those Y seams!

Recently I started using some smaller hexagon's in a water color quilt. I found this fabulous pattern in a book by Jean and Valorie Wells. It's called " Everything flowers: quilts from the garden". These are more like the traditional Grandma's flower garden pattern, but the pattern is in a watercolor format. All my flower hexagons I made, I used fabric from the Quilt and Needles Spring Flower Swap. The picture is of 3 of my flowers I've been making. They are larger than the traditional hexagon flowers. Each petal is about 5" in from tip to opposite tip.

I guess my next step in hexagon's is doing a traditional sized Grandma's flower garden. We are talking about doing a swap with 4" squares, so that we can all make these beautiful little flowers. Many of the Ladies on the Q&N like to keep some hexagon's and sewing tools in a bag and take them on long trips in the car. They sew while their spouses drive. Or they take them to the Drs office, so they have something to keep their hands busy while waiting. Or to their childs musical concert or soccer game, etc. They are quick and fun to make.

Come join us on thequiltandneedle.com and join in the fun!

Have a lovely, quilty day (as my good friend Pat likes to say).

Dorian

Our Round Robin

If you haven't been to the Quiltandneedle.com and see our albums of the ongoing Round Robin, you're missing some beautiful beginnings. Rounds robins are so much fun to do. You get to see your friends work, you stretch your imagination in finding just the right material and patterns, and sometimes you have to step outside your box and buy fabrics for a medallion, that you wouldn't of thought of buying before. But that's part of the fun.

Here is a link to the albums:

This is for group #1.

http://www.thequiltandneedle.com/forums/photos/photo-thumbnails.asp?albumid=48

Here is for group #2

http://www.thequiltandneedle.com/forums/photos/photo-thumbnails.asp?albumid=47

And group #3

http://www.thequiltandneedle.com/forums/photos/photo-thumbnails.asp?albumid=49

For some people, they love to look at the albums and see what border the next person on her list has added to her medallion. For me, the anticipation of seeing my Round Robin complete, without seeing it in it's different stages, is part of the fun of these. So I am NOT going to peek...it's going to be hard though... As we all discuss this project here:

http://www.thequiltandneedle.com/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=749&posts=706&start=1

And when your friends are oohing and aahhing over a new border (while still keeping it secret), it gets really hard not to look.

They are many different ways you can do Round Robins. You can make them in all sizes too. I have chosen to make ours a nice wall hanging size. That is why there are three groups. So that our quilts don't get too big. We started off with a medallion that was between 10.5 inches and 12.5 inches. Then send it to the next person on our list, and they put a border on it that is between 3.5 inches and 4.5 inches.

We are all having so much fun doing these, that I'm sure it's going to be an ongoing project. This one will be completed in late Summer. And then I'll be taking sign-ups for another one.

I, too, am a fabric lover...and proud of it! If it wasn't because of all the friendly, loving woman I've meet online ( and a few in person) I don't know if I ever would of discovered all the beautiful fabrics out there. Jess has many fabric lines in her store, and they are all gorgeous. I love the feel of quality material.

So pop over and join us thequiltandneedle.com make some new friends, discover some new fabrics, and have a good time!

Dorian

Dorian

"Swappers' Choice" Summer Fabric Swap Coming Soon!

A new fabric swap is starting soon on the Q&N Forum!

I am Pat and I love fabric.

This is the second fabric swap I have run on the Q&N. Nola is my co-hostess. Jess is our fearless leader, who lets me collect and send the fabric. Thanks, Nola and Jess!

We just completed the Spring Flower Fabric Swap. To see a sampling of the fabrics in this swap wander through the fabric garden here in our album here:
http://www.thequiltandneedle.com/forums/photos/photo-thumbnails.asp?albumid=45
We are now just starting our quilts and are still swapping pattern ideas here in the Spring Swap Thread:
http://www.thequiltandneedle.com/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=799&posts=442&start=1
There are a lot of pages here, and the patterns are scattered throughout, but this will give you an idea of how our fabric swaps run if you have never done one before.

For the summer swap I opened a thread for suggestions and we discussed themes and different sizes of cuts to swap.

For the next two weeks, until April 7th, there will be two polls open to decide the Summer Swap.

Poll 1: The Fabric Cut ...
http://www.thequiltandneedle.com/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=939&posts=2&start=1
.. looks right now like we may be swapping homemade "Layer Cakes" of sets of 10 squares of 10" squares. :-)

and

Poll 2: The Theme ...
http://www.thequiltandneedle.com/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=940&posts=2&start=1
... this one looks a little closer. :-)

After the swappers decide what we are swapping, a thread will be opened for sign-ups. The hand-cut sets will be mailed to me by about the end of May and I will swap and send them back out in mid-June. Dates for the swap will be set when the sign-ups are opened.

To participate, you must be an active member of the Quilt and Needle Forum.

New members are always welcome to participate in swaps.

If you have questions, stop in the forum threads and ask.

As Jess will always say ... "Don't be a stranger."

Have a happy, quilty day, :-) Pat

March Happenings

Hello!

We are all back from the Q&N Retreat in Tomball, Texas, and feeling happy and quilty and ready for more sewing fun. For those of you who have never thought of attending a quilting retreat, I have to say I was once one of you. Last year when I had recently joined the Quilt and Needle forums, I thought ... "look at these crazy ladies going to Texas just to sew with each other." Now I am one of them. ;-) I had a "fabulous" time and am already looking forward to next year! I hope you will consider joining us. When Jess posts sign-ups for next year, be sure to get your deposit in early to save your place.

To get to know some of us better, just drop in my favorite thread on the forums .. the "Good Day to You" thread and start posting ... http://www.thequiltandneedle.com/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=908&start=211&posts=215 This thread is my favorite because I love the idea that these quilters take the time to stop and say hello and keep up with what is happening in each other's quilty corners of the world. New members are always welcome.

For March Happenings ...

This Saturday, March 21st, for National Quilting Day we are having our third monthly "Sew For Yourself Saturday" here ...
http://www.thequiltandneedle.com/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=929&posts=12&start=1
To join us just stop into the thread and say hello and tell us what you are currently working on. We love pictures, too!

A little about me ...

I have been quilting constantly for the last three plus years when the nesting instinct hit in reverse and I decided my baby had to have a quilt made by Mom to take with her to the dorm when she went off to college. I bought a "learn to quilt" magazine; she picked out enough fat quarters and fabric for two quilt tops and the rest is history. I am a self-taught quilter and I have found the Quilt and Needle a very valuable resource for sharing tips and tricks and patterns and just friendship.

I also love to share my stash.

I am Pat; I am a fabriholic and I admit it. ;-)

Most recently I organized a large Sweet 16s Swap of flower fabrics. To see the eye candy fabrics we swapped, visit this album ... http://www.thequiltandneedle.com/forums/photos/photo-thumbnails.asp?albumid=45 The last of the fabric is arriving at their new homes and soon I hope there will be quilt pictures added to this album.

For our next fabric swap I am taking suggestions and will be running a poll for the swappers choice. To get involved and to share your ideas, visit this thread ... http://www.thequiltandneedle.com/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=933&posts=2&start=1
You are most welcome to join us!

Keep checking the forum and this blog for new March Happenings soon to be announced!

Have a happy, quilty day ... :-) Pat

February is Off to a WONDERFUL Start!

Hi, y'all!! February's Snug Society projects have gotten off to a wonderful start for the month. January was simply amazing with so many pledging their talents by either making blocks, piecing the blocks together or quilting. The promised blocks are rolling in and soon pics of finished quilts will be posted. We did hear from the WNAM Reservation with some comments and pics of the recipients of some of the 2008 quilts. These lovely smiling faces can be viewed here: http://www.thequiltandneedle.com/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=364&start=61&posts=75 It really makes one feel so good to know you've helped someone stay warm and comforted with a quilt! The 2009 I Spy Quilts will be going to the WNAM Reservation. We will be making both child-size and adult-size I Spy quilts this year. The 2009 Sweet Child Quilts will continue to go to Harmony Home. The 2009 Snug UniBlock Quilts will go to Operation First Response, which sends lap-size quilts to veterans overseas and twin-size and larger quilts to veterans in hospitals here at home. This will be our first year working with Operation First Response and we are really looking forward to this venture!

Several of the Round Robin medallions have been posted on the forum albums. There are 3 Groups for this Round Robin. You can find the albums here: http://www.thequiltandneedle.com/forums/photos/photo-main.asp.

There is still time (until Saturday 2/7) to sign-up for Ms. Pat's Sweet 16 Flowers Fabric Swap. Here is the thread for this swap: http://www.thequiltandneedle.com/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=799&posts=245&start=1. Also, sign-ups for the Mother's Day Table Runner/Topper Swap will continue until Sunday 2/15: http://www.thequiltandneedle.com/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=825&posts=47&start=1.

Ok, that's all for now, y'all!! Hope everyone has a quilty day and don't forget to throw in a few tassels! ;) cindy