Morris Hexathon

Back in July this year, I started stitching pieced hexies as part of Barbara Brackman’s weekly Morris Hexathon. I started late and had several months to catch up, but thanks to some regular sewing at Leeds MQG, I have managed to finish all the hexies (and some extras needed for my layout) only a few weeks after the last pattern was published.
 

All these were stitched using EPP and I have decided to join these using elongated hexagons. Sunday morning was spent staring at the hexies on the sashing fabric and swapping them around until I was happy with layout.
 

Next up is 125 long hexies to cut and stitch!

Liberty Leftovers

Due to a calculation error on my part when making my Liberty Baby Bionic Gear Bag, a couple of largish pieces had to be trimmed off from the outer piece. As I struggle to throw away any Liberty fabric, there was no way these were going to end up in the bin. They were already padded with fusible fleece and so all it took was a zip and a few seams for these leftovers to become a case for my sewing glasses.

A bargain and a bag

Sewing-related bargains have been a bit thin on the ground lately, but a recent trip to Derbyshire put an end to that. These scissors were found in an antiques shop and were just £1. I tried them surreptitiously in the shop and they managed to cut the string on a price tag, but there was no suitable fabric to try, so at that price I thought it worthwhile taking a risk. I’m pleased to report that they coped well with a double layer of quilting cotton, cutting right to the tips with a reassuring “snipping” noise. They are a good weight, not too big (~8") and sit well in my hand. Unfortunately there is no maker’s mark or any other indication of their origin.

In other news, I have finally used some of my Liberty stash! I bought the Baby Bionic Gear Bag pattern a while ago and thought it would make an ideal make up bag for when I’m away. I decided to use upholstery weight Ianthe for the outer, Tana lawn in Arden for the lining (safely protected by the vinyl), and a double layer of Tana lawn in Carolyn Jane for the binding.

The Baby Bionic Gear Bag is supposed to be ~6” wide, but I made mine an inch or so wider to use the full length of the lace zip. As on my previous Bionic Gear Bags, I hand stitched the side bindings, but this time I machine stitched the zip binding.

With only a single pocket, this was quick to make and would be ideal if you wanted a gentle introduction to the BGB pattern. Using vinyl for the pockets and a lace zip also makes it a quick project and I am already thinking of making another but with a sewing theme for EPP bits and pieces.

Festival Finishes

At this year’s Festival of Quilts, I took two of the hour workshops which are designed as a “taster” to a technique. As expected given the time allocated, I did not finish the blocks in the workshops, but I was determined that these blocks should not be put away with all the unfinished block/projects from previous Festival of Quilts workshops.
 

After a couple of hours of sewing on a Sunday morning, I now have coaster for my mug at work and a slightly larger mug rug (or micro quilt) which has yet to find its home.