HAND JIVE

Little Hexettes (sewed to the tune of "Little Coquette") work is done....now to applique it to a background...perhaps a leafy green garden?
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I've Begun quilting the side triangles on Pomegranates in the Rain.....

This is a really long term project....so....

"Hand, hand, fingers, thumb, dum-ditty-dum-ditty-dum-dum-dum": this is pertinent to my
hand problems and hand working these days--it keeps running through my head--Dr. Seuss reminding me to put my work down frequently and to rest....;))) (Ah yes, my 2nd childhood...)

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My "Hot Summer's Day" wall hanging has gone up....

(Crooked photo--not hanging...;000) I truly enjoyed making this one a few years back--
Some piecing....on little telephone book squares of paper.....
with remnants of some favorite fabrics...
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AND above.....
The start of my 3rd liberated basket quilt....
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AND.. is this not the saddest picture...???;000 Absent friend................

                                               HELGA---where oh where have you gone?

Hugs, Julierose, La Blageuse (missing my machine-euse!!)

EDITED on June 30th--Dropping out of the temp project as the hexagon templates were not only difficult (if not impossible) to remove and  tore when I tried to remove them,
and totally distorted the edges of the little hexagons and left
so much glue residue that the project is unsalvagable...Live and learn...I couldn't even try to iron them
as the threads on the raw edges raveled too....aaarrrggghhh...not good....

And so it goes.....

JUNE MINUS 4 DAYS, ET AL

                                     Our month of June minus the last four days...
                                  (Greens being 50's, gold's 60's and oranges 70's)
I am linking up with sarah did it for her weekly group of temp quilters....

So four more days to be added to this line up....I must say that I am not really
enamored with the Paper Pieces' card that they use for the shapes--too heavy -- and
I really am not fond of the glue basting--I am finding it difficult to stitch into the edges....

I will make my own elongated hexies out of my usual freezer paper
(using the PP ones as templates) and go back to hand basting for July....SLOWER
BUT EASIER ON MY HANDS AND MUCH MORE RELAXING.....
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FYI:
STAY TUNED hexagon lovers if you like PP templates........

I will be having a little Hexagonia Giveaway soon of all my various sizes of hexagons from
Paper Pieces--(only reserving one of each so that I can trace my own on freezer papers.)
Let me know in the comments below if any of you would be interested....

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Tomorrow Helga is going on a rejuvenation SPA visit to be tuned up; it's been 7 years'
worth of sewing and quilting and her teeth are chattering (;{{{{) very loudly and she's
just needing to be massaged back into working order....Sooo, I am machine-less for a bit as
my repair guy is on vacation this week....

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In other news, I am trying out various watercolor pencils and Inktense pencils in my
various coloring books....very relaxing and joyous...
though I am making mostly a big mess!! But that is part of the learning
process....

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Here is the reverse of my 1st Christmas Baskets wall hanging ready to be quilted..
I  really love this Reindeer material (makes my heart jump for joy when I
look at it! )........................  ;)))
and I even have enough for the 2nd basket piece's  revers side...
One of these two will be gifted...to whom, you may ask, welllll
that is a S E C R E T for now.....

I put this one together "envelope style" (see the pinned area turned in on the bottom
where I turned it after pulling it right side out?). So this piece  is waiting for
Helga's vacation to be over so I can  quilt it;  meanwhile I am trying to decide
 how I want to quilt it....
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Today our weather is just perfect--cooling breezes and a blue and gold day like I recall
from my childhood ............

(don't we all remember those long ago lazy
Summertime days so free of worry and stress?
 I know I think back on them often--
seeing myself stretched out on a little hillside ,,,,,,
just watching the big puffy white clouds shape shifting
and just "BEING").

I will be back posting after a small break while Helga is on her rejuvenation  trip....
hugs, Julierose (La Blageuse--resting-euse)

WARMING UP

                      June 13 - 18:Temperatures a.m.---  60-71-61-68-59-70

On the whole, we are warming up; although this morning was cooler than yesterday 
(the last little hexette on the right--so back to yellows--I am running out of prepared ones 
and will have to make up some more...).
I am linking to Sarah Did It stop over to see everyone's latest temps--looks like Sarah is hotter than we are here for sure.  Our humidity is up there, though, so it FEELS
hot hot hot!! 
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Otherwise, it's getting those 2"   two-& four-sies together by machine...I am determined to
rid my room of them all ;000.
....I am ironing all the seams open (ok, as I love ironing;}}} )--
to try to keep them flat as possible as they vary in sizes...
I still am debating what to do withthem; 
as a lot are the same but many aren't. 
So I have tried to use color families as much as possible....

Hugs to all
Julierose, La Blageuse (vacationing in Hexagonia-euse) 

POMEGRANATE PROGRESS

I've finally finished hand quilting the batik squares; this is a S L O W 
project, but a satisfying one....I feel this has an old-timey flavor which I like...

                               this Pomegranate flower has my favorite center fabric...

Now for the side triangles.......................

To continue,  I will quilt more "Raindrops" on the outer triangles stopping about 1/2" or so
from the edges....

This is my longterm Summer project for those lovely deck days....

I really love those leafy batiks....Now to decide on threads...should I continue with the
ecru or use other colors that coordinate with the leaves......

For the Pomegranate "flowers" I used my Go!Baby accuquilt die, cutting the shapes
out of freezer papers; ironing them onto the fabrics, and turning the edges for a prepared
applique process... I do not do well with needleturn--so this is my method of choice...

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Today is yet another gray day...lawnmowers whining in the distance and chilly temps...
so I will most likely be at my machine sewing my 2-sies and 4-sies...
Hugs,
Julierose, La blageuse (in Pom Land-euse)

2ND WEEK TEMPS

                                And here is Week Two of my "Morning Has broken" temp
                                     hexagons....I am loving working with these little
                                            elongated pieces--just a few stitches and
                                                     they are together....

I will be hooking up with sarahdidit who posts every Wednesday on our progress...
                                        June 7 - 12th: degrees farenheit: 51-61-61-62-52-64...
I am so excited about this project--am loving it...;)))Thanks Sarah!!

My temperatures are every 10 degree changes this time ...50's = bright green
and 60's = this golden yellow print...

Here was Week One:

So you can see that things are warming up little by little.....
Hugs, Julierose, La Blageuse (hexagonia-euse)

MORNING HAS BROKEN

                                                              EARLY SUNRISE

                       The first week of June: Temperature hexagons for June 1-6
                                                  62-64-57-51-52-56 degrees F
I will be calling this piece "Morning Has Broken" as I always record the temps when I get up in
the morning in my written journal.
(I know I said I would not start this project until the Solstice, but I couldn't wait to begin--
so June 1st it is!;}}} )

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And see what I found awaiting me in my front garden....

                                                                  MY FIRST PEONY
The fragrance is totally amazing...and she is sitting here in our living room..........

On my extra hexagon table topper... in that perfect -sized- for -one peony bloom  vase...
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TODAY
I will be sitting out on our deck today working on this little piece
(since it is just too beautiful to be sitting inside machine sewing 4-patches)

                            Adding a few more hexettes to the ends and then adding borders....
                              it is so much easier to stitch these little
                                      baby hexettes during daylight hours in the outside bright light....

I wish you all a wonderful weekend...
P.S.  Joining in to slow sunday stitching working on making long rows to border my hexettes

hugs, Julierose La Blageuse (Exploring Hexagonia-euse)

HEXAGONIA SOLSTICE

                            I have chosen my fabrics for my Summer Solstice Hexagon
                            Temperature work....
I am using Sarah's list of colors with a few changes....Go on over to her site to see what is going on in the world of hexagons....;}}}

I am committing to a start on June 21st (Solstice ) to the Autumnal Equinox--I will see how that
goes for a start before I try for a whole year's worth...(my past record shows me as a "drop out on every day projects;{{{ ).
And, starting on the 21st gives me a chance to finish up my 2" squares (a-ga-zillion of these!)
and my baskets.....

So far in preparation,
I have cut a strip of each color and placed them in their own temp range baggies...
I still want to cut the pieces to size  and prep the hexies before I begin, so that I can just grab one to sew (or glue--haven't decided on that as yet) and join them week by week.

My temps from Weather Underground do not really match my actual temperatures here; so,
I am taking our temp at Noon each day...we are usually found watching the local news at that time...

some of my fabrics are batik, some not--just what I  had on hand...and another small stash work
is born....

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And here are some of the 4-patches I've finished
and here

and here are the ones to be finished...lots of seams to be ironed open ;ooo

I pin each intersection to try to get matching seams--these are the leftovers (STILL) from my postage swap....also I had cut many more than I needed for the swap so there are duple-and triple-etc of many squares, like all those turquoise ones!!  I have no idea what they will become, but they will be in my parts drawer ....ready to go....

hugs to all
Julierose, La Blageuse (Hexagonia , here I come-euse)

A TISKET A TASKET # 4

                                The beginning of my 4th basket quilt--
                                    in my "use it up" basket series

I used the leftover handle fabric from #3 for the baskets on this one
and the background is pieces leftover from the flower cutouts of #3.

The handles are from older stash and the Poinsettias from a relatively new Christmas
 print.  

                              I will have a lot of that Poinsettia fabric left...
SOooo............................................
maybe they would make nice baskets for a 5th one...

I am going basket CRAZEE.... it seems....

Funny how some blocks just "grab you" and you can't make
enough of them....I have been sewing squares and strips for SO LONG now this
is a wonderful change for me....
AND
These are such fun blocks to make..... 
and........ I am getting better at sewing those pesky bias strip handles....
using a lot of
sharp little pins....ouch!!
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The sun has deigned to come out this morning here, though we still have
a really chilly wind whipping around....and showers
predicted for this afternoon.:(((
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Dinner will be Chili con Carne with garlic bread; our house smells so good...
hugs, Julierose, La Blageuse (handbasketing-euse) 

HEXA-LETTES

                                      I found this little project from about 14 years ago--
                                               little 1/2" on a side hexa-lettes...

I used to take this with me when I was bringing my Mom
to all her doctor appointments when she got so sick...it was very calming working 
on them....

They are made from a set of fabric samples I had gotten all those years ago and before I
really had a stash with any variety.  So, I wanted to use them....

I will be working on finishing this up while tv watching....

Hope you are all enjoying the weekend
Hugs, Julieros, La Blageuse (Back in Hexagonia-euse)

BASKET FLIMSEY

                              "A-TISKET-A-TASKET # 3" has become a
                                                      CHRISTMAS piece..
.
Every year at Christmas I lament upon seeing all those lovely Christmas 
pieces all over our blog-o-sphere, because I don't have any that I have made for 
our home. :(())

SO, this morning I dug deep in my OLD STASH and found these lovely Holiday
border strips I had so neatly cut for parts of Christmas quilts for my children
when I first began quilting
...and thought 
                                                        !!!     SHAZAM     !!!..

These REALLY would play well together and
...I love mixing old and new....

I really do love these prints (I think Debbie Mum? Not sure); but I cannot find 
anything similar these days (I know this really dates me....;{{{ )   )
 so, now I will be able to  enjoy them for myself....

Adorable Santas and friends
(and not some weird looking
Santas like I see today--jes
sayin')

AND:                        Cute little decorated bird houses.....(be still my heart)....

The side borders and fussy cut flowers on my baskets are also from an older
fabric..

I machine zig-zaged the flowerets onto each basket (secret: in some places where those
free cut handles didn't quite get put in the right places, the flowers masked the
off-placements  really well).  What fun...

I had a lot of fun free cutting and sewing as it came on this piece.

AND..
I have another one to come using the background leftovers for baskets and the
border fabrics for backgrounds... a real "twofer".....

AND I will be using up all but a few little "scrappy orts" that will go into my "strange
pieces leftovers" box....

Hugs from fogbound , damp CT
 Julierose, La Blageuse (free-cutting like crazee-euse)