I didn’t think I’d get so much done over these three weeks as I knew I wanted to concentrate on finishing my garden embroidery, however when we went away for a couple of nights the light in the evening wasn’t good enough for that so I stitched the simpler Owl and Hare Hollow blocks instead. This is a quilt designed by Natalie Bird of Birdhouse Quilts in Australia, it’s being released in the Homespun magasine over six issues. The fourth magasine dropped through my letterbox yesterday so I’m about halfway, I say ‘about’ as I’ve not quite finished the ones in the last magasine, I’m getting there though.

Three weeks ago I’d finished the Queen Bee embroidery and just started the next one. I’d made seemingly lots of hexagons to go round them…

Each embroidered block takes nineteen hexagons, it’s meant to be twenty but I can’t fit twenty in the seven inch circle, I gave up trying on block two! I tack them round first then sew the outer edges, then the inner edges, I find this much quicker and easier then sewing one hexagon at a time. I’m trying to do all the blocks in pretty much the same fabrics to get some continuity, it also saves me having to think every time about how the colours and patterns work together. It took long enough to decide which fabric to use for the inner circle!

I cracked on and stitched the next embroidery too. This one has a lovely circle of foliage round the outside which I did in a variegated green. It then has a colourful flower barrow. I enjoyed stitching this one. Last night I finally finished the circle of hexagons.

The next embroidered block was the first one I really wasn’t so keen on. It has a lovely border of leafy branches again but it then had a pair of dressed foxes which somehow looked a little sinister to me!! I decided to change it and found this delightful embroidery pattern from The Embroidery Place on Etsy. One great feature was that you could print it to fit different sized hoops, I think it went from 3″ to 7″. I used the 4″ size and nestled the deer down in the leafy glade. I love this one and think it fits in well with the other embroideries. I just need to stitch the circle of hexagons on.

My pile of hexagons is going down fast, I think I need another mass production line again! I’ve been making even smaller ones over the last couple of days, each side measures 3/8″. I’ve to make six hexie flowers for each block, two blocks in total. I worked out that means I need to make 84 little hexies!! Another block uses the slightly larger hexies to make a single flower. These are the half inch ones, so only 1/8″ bigger on each side so it amazes me how much bigger the final flower comes out…

I’m making three forget-me-not flowers, I haven’t decided yet whether the other three will be the same three blue prints, some lighter blue prints or pink ones.

I’ve also made an applique owl. I’ve used bondaweb rather then needleturn applique and then just back-stitched round. The eyes are meant to be satin stitched but I’m quite tempted to use these tiny buttons which are the perfect size. He’ll have an appliqued circle of arcs round him like the hare I made earlier.

I’ve prepped a load of 2″ squares too for four blocks which take twenty five each, so they are ready to be stitched into a chequerboard once I get a couple of hours free on my sewing machine. Hopefully over the next three weeks I’ll finish all the blocks in the third magazine so I’ll officially be half way.

Hand Quilt Along Links

This Hand Quilt Along is an opportunity for hand quilters and piecers to share and motivate one another. We post every three weeks, to show our progress and encourage one another.  If you have a hand quilting project and would like to join our group contact Kathy at the link below.

Kathy, Margaret, Deb, Nanette, Sharon, Karrin, Daisy, and Connie

I’ll also be linking up with Kathy’s Quilts for Slow Stitching Sunday, please follow the links to see what everyone has been stitching.