Hexagons

I love Pinterest.  I know a lot of you probably feel the same way.  There is so much to see and so many neat ideas.  I love looking at all the quilts on Pinterest.  It amazes me how many patterns there are and how they can all look so different from the next.  Some are made to look old and some look modern.  

Ever since I was a little girl, I have always been fascinated with hexagon quilts.  My mom has one that belonged to my Grandma and it hung on a quilt rack in "the pink room".  Anyone that knew my Grandparents knows what that means.  There are so many ways to put together a hexagon quilt but hers was put together in a very popular way called "Grandmother's Flower Garden".  The pieces are very small and all done by hand.  I have a great appreciation for this as I learned how to piece blocks by hand before I ever learned how to use a sewing machine.  When I look at it I can only imagine where the fabrics came from and what they were used for before they became scraps.  Maybe scraps left from an apron she made herself or a top...or maybe a skirt.  I don't ever remember her wearing pants until my mom bought her a pair when she was in the nursing home and always talked about how cold her legs were.  Once she put them on she couldn't believe she had gone that long without wearing them!  She saved every piece of scraps because she could always use it to make something.  She wasn't wasteful at all.  I guess most people of that generation weren't wasteful as they were very appreciative to have anything, as small as it may be.

After lots of blog reading and researching the best way to do hexagon blocks, I have finally started one.  Will I ever finish it or will it be added to the WIP pile?  I don't know.  But so far, I am enjoying having something to do while catching up on Downton Abbey or watching Dukes of Hazard with Bryson.  I ordered the pre cut hexagons from Etsy as I didn't want to waste time cutting them by hand and they only cost $5 for 66.  They are die cut so they are all exactly the same which means the corners will go together smoothly.  Unmatched corners are not good! I ordered the 1 1/2" hexagons thinking that would be the size across but I was wrong.  Hexagons are measured by the length of the side.  So my scraps are too small but don't worry!  I have plenty of fabric to cut into to make them.  Then I went back and ordered the smaller size for the smaller scraps.  I will be able to make 2 quilts now, different sizes and I can lay them out differently to look totally different.  Here is a picture of some of them after basting.  I will try to get a picture of some of the finished ones soon!  I took this picture on my footstool and the lighting isn't great.  Hopefully the next one will be better, but you get the idea.

Have any of you ever made a hexagon quilt?  I would love to see pictures if you have.  Feel free to leave a link in the comments!

Sara

Gift Card Holders

This past week was my MIL's birthday. She is a hard person to buy for! Me and my husband were discussing what to get her and it always ends up with a "We've already done that" or "I don't think she would like that". She is a school teacher and spends much of her summer reading. Her and the ladies she works with trade books a lot so she always has a lot of reading to do for the summer. But we got to thinking that maybe there was something she might want to read that she hasn't been able to borrow. We decided to get her a gift card to Books-A-Million. I always hate giving gift cards (although I love to get them!) because I am always afraid the receiver will think that is a cop out for getting them something. But in my opinion, they are the right size and color, and you can get exactly what you want!

So to make it a little more personable, cute and not so "all I got you was a gift card", I made a gift card holder out of my scrap stash.

I was pretty happy about the way it turned out. I love the bright colors! And it is something that she can reuse! I think I may tackle some more of my scraps and have a few on hand for last minute gifts. Wanna make one? Here is where I found it! Love that blog.

Today I am linking up to Made By You Monday over at Skip to My Lou. Go take a peek at all the fun stuff people are making and get some ideas!

Also linking up on Tuesday at Funky Polka Dot Giraffe, 20 Minute Tuesday and Fabric Tuesday at Quilt Story! Lots of fun stuff!

Sara