What's Next

 Quilting for other people definitely cuts into my time in the sewing room, but luckily it's not a full time job anymore.  We only quilt for a few longtime friends and clients, my health just won't allow for more. But those few clients are prolific piecers, so they bring three and four quilts at time, usually on the small side thank heavens. On days when I run the Statler I often just veg out when I get home, too tired to sew. I'm missing my quilt projects, and my organising has come to a standstill.

One more day should see me close to finishing one friend's quilts, and then I'll take a break and recover. And my enthusiasm is building. I want to see progress! I have been tinkering with EQ8, and I've drawn up several plans for things that are already started. I always work better when I have a plan to follow, and it's been shown to me time and again that I need to leave a printed or written plan of action, stored in with the blocks and pieces that I pack away.

And just to demonstrate how easy it is to start something new: I went through a container of small 2.5" strips that was waiting to be filed in the strips drawer. I really need to get rid of the small leftover strips, but I didn't want to cut these into squares or triangles. Then I remembered a Westalee half hexagon ruler designed for 2.5" strips.

Those half hexagons are surprisingly large, letting the pattern of the fabric show nicely.

If the strip is folded wrong sides together there's a right and left half hexagon to use at the end of each row.

This took a minute or so to cut, and it looks like it will be fun and I love the hexagon shapes that result. The hexagon is 5.25" wide, so quite small strips are useable. 

 I made a batik quilt of these shapes, and it was very easy to piece and I really enjoyed it.

Finished in November 2014. Quilted and sold a few years later. It took more than 1 jellyroll of my batiks, and helped prompt me to start my batik collection. Like I needed encouragement.

Looks like I have another project to find a box for, but most importantly I now have a use  for those tag end of strips that clog up the drawers.  It only needs a 5,25" strip, even less for those quarter hexagons needed for the start and end of rows. I won't start sewing this for a while, but it will be good to cut up little ends of strips as I find them.