Project Update: 29.08.2023

Hello Friends and Welcome Back!

August was a difficult time for me and the blog, not so much because there were any problems, but more due to my work on unsharable projects. I wasn't really sure how to go about writing posts when the things I was working on were not ready to be shared yet.

So thank you all for being patient with me during that time! I'm excited to finally be back!

I thought a good way to return would be with a project update to let you all know what I have been working on and to give you a little sneak peak at the BoM pattern I'll be releasing next month!

Hexie Harvest BoM

Unsharable projects aside, it really is well past time for an update on an ongoing block of the month project I'm participating in; Hexie Harvest!

In my last July update, I had finished my Winter Jasmine blocks and was starting to piece the Juniper ones.

These were really fast and easy to piece and I had a lot of fun with them! I love that by separating the coloured pieces with background, each of the seven blocks ended up looking totally unique!

And with my July blocks finished, I was able to start on August!

Unlike the months so far, August brings three block patterns rather than two; Macadamia, Cinnamon, and Sandalwood. These blocks were grouped together because they are much simpler and use far fewer pieces than in previous months, so even though there are more blocks, it didn't feel like more work!

I chose to start with Macadamia!

This block uses three large crown shapes, so I made all seven of them with black background fabric. As individual blocks, some of them look really beautifully coordinated and well balanced, but others look a little muddled. Once mixed into the quilt with all the other blocks, I'm sure this won't stand out as much, but I will keep this in mind!

The next block I worked on was Cinnamon, which may be the most unique block in this quilt!

Since Cinnamon has only six pieces and they're laid out in a radial pattern, I decided to use only my rainbow fabric! This is the only block in my Hexie Harvest quilt that won't have any black in it, so these may turn out to be focal points within the finished quilt. I can't wait to see the effect!

I'm still putting together the last Cinnamon block, but it should be finished soon!

As for the last of the August blocks, Sandalwood, I haven't even cut the pieces yet.

This block is a lot like Macadamia, featuring three large pieces rather than many smaller ones, and will also be made entirely from black background fabric. And since I haven't cut any pieces yet, I'll be able to take what I learned about my print preferences from Macadamia into consideration when choosing fabrics!

But since it's getting really close to the end of the month, I'm not expecting to have my Sandalwood blocks finished in August. This is totally fine by me though, since September is meant to be a catch up month anyway!

I can't wait to see how my Hexie Harvest quilt will turn out!

The Hexie Harvest pattern was designed by Jodi Godfrey of Tales of Cloth. The quilt along has been running since February 2023 and is scheduled to wrap up in October 2023.

BoM Sample Quilt

Now back to the secret project, this year's block of the month pattern!

I've finished the piecing and have made good progress on the quilting! of course, I decided to do this by hand, so it's not the fastest process, but I enjoy it and really love the texture the hand stitching adds!

I doubt I'll have this sample quilt finished by the time the pattern launches in September, but I'll do my best and am loving how it's turning out so far! I can't wait to share the pattern with you!

This quilt is my own original design. The pattern will be released on this blog as a block of the month style quilt along starting in September 2023 and running until Spring 2024.

A Birthday Surprise

There was one other secret project I worked on while away from the blog, a birthday gift for my Grandma.

Grandma and I share some amount of disappointment for the declining quality of retail clothing, both in fit and material. Over her life, Grandma has collected garments that she loves to wear and is able to feel comfortably herself in. But as time passes, many of those pieces are wearing out and she's finding it increasingly more difficult to replace them.

While visiting her last Spring, I confiscated a much loved and fairly worn out button up shirt, which I used to make a custom pattern for my Grandma!

For her birthday, I gave Grandma a new shirt made from that pattern to replace the one I had taken. I even reused the buttons, so she was able to keep a little piece of the original garment!

Though I don't have any pictures of the finished shirt, I know that Grandma is very happy with the fit and I'm sure she'll be able to get lots of wear from it. And if she finds she needs another one, I'll always have the pattern and can help her make more!

Friends, I have missed all of you so much while I've been gone! I'm so happy to be back and am anxiously anticipating the arrival of September when I can finally share the pattern I've been working on in full! And while I wish I hadn't been gone for so long, that time away has been worth all the work I put in!

I hope all of you were able to spend that time working on your own projects as well! I've done my best to keep up with your work on social media but would love to hear from you here too! Feel free to share stories and projects in the comments below!

Until Next Time Friends, Keep Creating!

~VA