30 Years - Hundreds of Hexagons

Thirty years ago we moved from a four bedroom house to a one bedroom apartment.
I sorted through my fabric scraps - cutting hexagons to make a
Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt with the English Paper Piecing method.

I ended up with fewer scraps.  And a lot of work.

But this week, I finished sewing all the hexagons together.

The DEFINITION: "Scrap Quilt"

is seen in this quilt. 

I used all kinds of fabrics - because they held so many memories

and, well, that was what was in my scrap bag!

This green flower is The First of the flowers that I sewed. 

You can see the tiny stitches - and double thread on the solid green.

By the time I was stitching the last of the calicos on this flower,

 I realized I did not need to double the thread.

(I was riding in a 70's VW bus with my In-Laws, 

on the way to meet my husband's Grandmother)

(What a great memory!)

I have decided that the most important thing to me about my hobby of quilting is

THE JOURNEY 

THE PROCESS

THE 'DOING'

I even enjoying THINKING about what I might make in the future.  And I like to touch fabric and look at pretty colors.

And that is what I did with this quilt for 30 years.

I left the last row with the paper still basted in.

I had always said that I would never let a machine touch this quilt - after all the handwork I've invested.

But, now that I have finished, I mused out-loud to my daughters about quilting some of this with my machine, and some by hand.

They both immediately protested.  And I agree.  It deserves to be hand quilted.

 

After I had finished all the flowers, I did not like the top and bottom and I did not want to put half-flowers there.  So I created the green 'leaves' to kind of even those edges.  Then I decided a dark green frame would be a sweet accent.  When I went to sew on the last row of light green - the hexagons were missing.  You can read about THAT fiasco here.

But now I am done withe the English Paper Piecing.
I am done with Hexagons. . . at least done with THESE hexagons!
And Now I just have to hand quilt this baby.

My goal: finish hand quilting it by July 4, 2013.  

(This picture is too big for the blog-post, but it just makes me happy!)

CathyH