Author Archives: alisonshirley

About alisonshirley

My true love is cross stitch, but I also dabble in a few other needlearts and love to quilt and craft in general.

Hand Sewn Hexagons

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I started this quilt top in the fall of 2015.  In my first post describing this project on November 5, 2015, I had already completed 15 “diamonds”.  In that post, I had hopes of using only “stash” fabric. Little did I know at the time, I would have to make a few trips to the store to buy more fabric.  Mainly because I realized my “stash” fabric was all pretty similar and lacked variety.

This is some fabric I bought in the summer of 2016 to make more hexagons.

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I am getting close to having the top finished!  So Excited!!  I will have to sew a few more white sashing hexies to fill in the edges, but after that this top will be DONE!  This has been a slow but satisfying process.  

This quilt will be entirely hand sewn and hand quilted! 

I have yet to purchase the backing fabric for this quilt. I am considering a light to medium grey. When it comes time to actually quilt this thing, I am still throwing around some ideas. I think I want to use a DMC Pearl Cotton for a thicker quilting line. I want all that hard work to be seen! I’m not sure on the color yet. I’m definitely not sure on the quilting pattern. I don’t know if I want to just do outline stitching of the “diamonds” or maybe a flower or feather design that fills in the “diamond” shape. Ugh. Too many options! But, I have a little time to figure it out.

In the meantime, Happy Quilting! -Alison

Mini HST Quilt

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My second start of the year is a Mini Quilt. My first mini quilt ever! I have had these little HSTs leftover from a quilt I finished years ago and gave away as a Christmas present. I don’t remember exactly what fabric line I used, but I believe it was Moda.

I didn’t want to waste fabric and throw out the scraps, so I sewed the little leftovers into HSTs and stored them away thinking I could do something with them in the future. The future is now here, it is time to make something! I have always wanted to do a mini quilt and I thought these little pieces would be perfect!

I picked some of my favorites from the pile and started trimming them each to 1 1/2 inches.

I am not sure what size this Mini Quilt will end up, but I’m thinking it may be around 16″ by 12″. It may well depend on how many of these little HSTs I want to end up trimming!

Happy Quilting! – Alison

HST Quilt

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I have cut all the squares and matched up the fabrics. I tried to draw a diagonal line across the giant 21 inch square, but my ruler was not long enough to reach from corner to corner, so after fumbling around trying to draw a line with a too-short ruler, I decided to iron the square in half diagonally and use that line. Whew! What an easier way of doing it! I was pretty proud of myself for coming up with that little trick! *Hold on a sec while I pat myself on the back!* For a wider variety of finished HSTs, I decided to cut a lot of the squares in half in order to mix up the fabrics a bit. But since I would be sewing on bias cut edge, I left one square whole and then laid two different cut squares on top to prevent stretching during stitching.

Then it was time for sewing! That didn’t take long as there are only 16 HSTs in the quilt top. Once that was done, it was time for cutting and ironing.

The next step will be arranging on the design wall! Yay!

Happy Quilting! -Alison

First Start of 2019 – HST Quilt

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My first start of 2019 is a quilt of large half-square triangles using Loft 1800 fabric by Erin Michael for Moda.  I bought one yard of each of these fabrics years ago and, sadly, it is now out of production so I am unable to order more.  I would like to have had some yardage of the small purple print for the backing, but I am going to make do with my scraps and have a super-scrappy pieced backing!  A first for me!  
I also picked up a couple coordinating pinks by Andover and Windham Fabrics at my LQS. 

The inspiration for my quilt came from a gorgeous quilt I came across on Pinterest —  Anna Graham’s Vast Quilt who, in her blog post, pays tribute to pattern-creator Jeni Baker and her book Patchwork Essentials: The Half-Square Triangle. Although my fabric could not be more different than Anna’s, I loved her quilting and will probably do the same for my quilt.

I am cutting my initial squares 21 inches to make the most of my fabric and will trim the finished HSTs down to 20 inches or so. My plan for the quilt layout is 4 HSTs by 4 HSTs for a total of 16, which, if my math and piecing are accurate, should make my finished quilt around 79 inches by 79 inches.

Happy Quilting! – Alison

2019 – New Year, New Goals

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As usual, everyone is talking about their big New Year’s Resolutions – lose weight, stitch more, run a marathon, etc., etc., etc.

I try not to make resolutions because I know myself, and myself usually doesn’t stick to them.  And then I feel like a big fat failure!

So, in order to keep from feeling like a big fat failure, I avoid “New Year’s Resolutions” like the plague.

That being said, I have set some “goals” for this year.  I find this usually helps keep me motivated.  And honestly, I really, really like to make lists.  I know, it’s weird.

Here is my To Do List for 2019!

Some items on the list were started years ago and now need to be turned into the final product.  Some items are halfway finished and some others haven’t even been started yet.  Some of them are cross stitch projects, but most of them are quilty pleasures.

And, most importantly, I want to start blogging again to chart my progress and keep me motivated.

I look forward to a very crafty year!