Some Tutu-ing around

The last couple of days have been a bit of a non-event.  I bought a pile of American magazines from my local quilt guilds sale table for $7 - so spent quite a few afternoons doing random flicking and reading.  The weather has been beautiful, so lounging reading in the sun was pure bliss.  I also tried to draft the hexagon block (that looks like flowers from one of my previous posts) in EQ6 and discovered that it just doesn't do it.  So I photocopied the templates and carefully cut them out... only to find that the pieces are not symetrical, perhaps a fault of the copying process.  So back to EQ6 and after reading through numerous help screens, ended up altering a different hexagon design and at least getting the three pieces I needed to complete the petal  component. 

Now, the instructions for the quilt are for machine piecing - but me and Y seams just don't go together, and I can't really admit to being the best hand piecer (well, have never really tried it) - so off I went and had a bit of a go.  So far so good - i don't know that it's perfect (but honestly, what is?), and I'm sure I'll pick up a few tips and tricks as I go.  At the moment it feels a bit awkward... but I think I'm getting there...


I'm using the same fabrics as the applique block, only because
they're out and accessible.

 I've also had a little play with the bag kit I bought from The Country Yard.  The deal is, you buy precut strips all rolled up in a little bundle, with instructions and a little tag, then make a reuseable bag that if you remember to take in with you when you shop, you go into a monthly draw.  So saving the environment and the possibility of winning something, all in one go.  To make it even more enticing, the little kit was only $5 - a bargain!

So far I have ummed and ahhed, scratched my head, measured, sewed a few things together, gone back to the umming and ahhing... and came up with this.

Wasn't quite what I was going for, but it has a nice proportion.  Only problem is that I didn't add the red strip to the rectangle construction because I couldn't decide what order to sew it in... it didn't really go with any of the other ones... so decided to use it as the handle.  The problem then became that I don't have enough to sew two of them.  Oh, well, back to the drawing board.



A close up of the little tag - very cute!

 Have you been up to anything exciting?