Colour me up!

Guess who's over at Live A Colorful Life today!

After yesterday's 'colourful' post, quite apt don't you think? 

Please go and take a look.  If you are not familiar with Cindy's blog, please have a look around whilst you are there, it's lots of fun, and I was obviously chuffed to bits to be asked to join in - thank you Cindy.  If you have popped over here from there, 'Hello to you'!

Well just a couple of pics to prove I have actually been doing a little bit of sewing, and not just talking lately...

Yesterday I put together some little hexies, I'll tell you more about those soon...

I've also started trying to catch up with my Mystery blocks...

Two down, a tonne of paper-piecing to go, so wish me luck with those!

Then when it got late and dark, I also did a little more playing with the Mosaic Maker...

... this one is pre-empting the up-coming Mug Rug and Goodie Swap over with the other Cindy in my life at Fluffy Sheep Quilting, there's still time to sign up folks - you know you want to!

Food, family and fabric...

We had our first, and probably only BBQ of the summer today - Mum and Dad came down and we did the whole shebang, including grabbing the plates and heading indoors after a couple of mouthfuls when it began to rain.

Immediately we were re-seated it stopped, obviously, then the sun came out and we ended up with water fights and snoozing in the shade. 

'Chillaxing', as our four year olds like to exclaim, I decided to try some hand stitching embellishment on my hexies, but it didn't look good, so I have binned off that idea.

Even the breakfast cereal is in on the hexie-fun!

I can go no further now until my anticipated lining arrives from the US; I will search out my stash for anything else that may look good; what if I wait, and then what I am thinking of looks pants?  I don't want to be back to square (hexie) one eh!

I have also been playing with the fabrics I have in mind for my Across The Seas QAL and my Bee month - they are a little interchangeable, so I need to make the decision soon.  Water-fights and sunglasses made this a short-lived attempt, so I will be back to it, after this.

Finally the missing pic from yesterday, more goodness from Lizzie...

Hope you've had a happy Saturday too x

I see Hexies...

My holiday sewing of, not only choice, but necessity, was the beginnings of my Hexie sewing bag.  Armed with my pre-cut papers, and a small bundle of fabric, I spent about an hour each evening on this project.

My romantic dreams of sewing by the pool were dashed by the need for us to constantly watch the 3 little monsters doing their best impressions of drowning (and waving), and not allowing us a second of 'looking away'.  So between their bedtime and dark, I managed this...

...then yesterday this...

One side complete, and the other should be easy-peasy quick now we are home.   Then for the actual 'bag' bit.  I want to get some grey or cream perle cotton for some hand stitching, making this a real 'first' for me.  I am waiting on some fabric from the US that I am hoping will be great for the lining, and I'll be off 'pinning' any handle-attaching options I can see!

I've got to admit, hexies are so cool!

Dodgy Old Bag...

I mentioned the bag, well more specifically the wooden handles, that crystallised my hexi-thoughts, well I had to go back and get it didn't I?

I decided that if there was a parking space outside the Antique Shop the next time I passed, I would stop, there was; and if the bag was still there, I would buy it...

I had minor palpitations when it wasn't where I'd left it last week, but to my relief I found it behind a new haul of goodies... that'll be fate then, phew.

The wonky handles measure 12" wide; the entirely hand sewn bag has seen way better days, but that's not the bit of 'charm' that I want to preserve.  I am going to have those handles attached to my 'new bag' as soon as my hexing will allow!

If anyone thinks this is worth way more than the meagre £7 I paid, then please shout; I don't want to be the one sobbing in the corner of Antiques Roadshow when I unpick some Medieval original, reducing its 6 figure value to £0!

Bag of Tricks...

Now in case you haven't noticed, I like to be efficient.  So wanting a sewing bag, for those trips to the beach or more likely just to haul about looking cool, (hey, that's me all over!), longing to get started on a creation for the hexie frenzy created by Lynne and Gayle, and needing a portable project for my sewing machine-free times, guess what...

A hexagon sewing bag!!

I have gathered together my fabrics (including some of the lovely remnants from Sarah's Bee Blocks, thanks lovey), cut about 150 2" hexagons templates using printed sheets from Incomptech, and got myself all sorted for when the time comes...

I'm thinking that I would like to make one with wooden handles; I saw an old one in the local antique shop last week and it got me pondering...

Source: etsy.com via Hadley on Pinterest

Source: womansday.com via Hadley on Pinterest

So what are you hexing today?

"...lots of old things we don't know."

Just in case you have been in hibernation during this glorious 'summer' and have not noticed the emergence of a 'new craze in town', then you need to get yourself over to Lily's Quilts and check out the Hexalong!

Now, I had a foray into hexagons pentagons (happy now Angela!) with my 'ball-making' back in March...

... and I decided then that I would try again, properly, another day.  Maybe that day has come!

Lynne and Gayle are rallying the troops for a paper-piecing revolution.  OK I exagerate, but it looks like bloody good fun!

In pondering my approach, I remembered that a while ago my Mum had given me a bag of all the old bits she had gathered in a failed attempt to make a 'patchwork something' back in the 1970s - so imagine my joy, when a quick forage uncovered these...

How fantastic, original 1977 patterns for 2 blocks,  'Fish' and 'Corn & Beans'!  I think I might have to have a play with these and see if I can get some groovy '70s style fabric to complete the project.

"There is nothing new under the sun but there are lots of old things we don't know,"  Ambrose Bierce, the old quilter.

Thank you for all your comments and kind blogiversary congratulations; I am loving hearing all your favourite colour combos.  If you missed yesterday's post, there's still plenty of time to enter my Blind Faith Giveaway, and I will keep nagging until you do!