Monday Morning Star Count 2014/43

Wow!  I had the busiest week ever, but so every free moment I worked on EPP.  So excited that I finished 5 flowers.  I only have 9 more to go!  I am going to try to complete the last 9 before Thanksgiving :)  then on to the background hexagons!  And I have to start thinking about backing and whether I should hand quilt....so much left to do!  Any suggestions...machine quilt or hand quilt?

Linking up with Jessica at Life Under Quilts for Monday Morning Star Count!  Hope you all have a wonderful week!

Monday Morning Star Count 2014/40

Feeling pretty good that I at least managed to stitch up two flowers this week!  I tried timing myself and it takes me nearly an hour to stitch one full flower.  These are 1 1/2" hexies.  I don't know if that is slow or fast, but I guess it is what it is :)  I don't want to rush and I actually enjoy taking my time stitching.  The rest of my life is so much of a rush that I look forward to stitching and I don't want to ruin it!  EPP is the best stress therapy ever!

So here are my flowers for this week:

This week I want to measure the quilt, figure out how many more flowers and background hexagons I need to complete the queen size quilt.  I would also love to get three flowers done :)

Feeling fortunate to be linking up with Jessica at Life Under Quilts.  What a wonderful group and so inspiring to see all your projects!

Monday Morning Star Count 2014/39

I so wish I had more time to stitch!  Even though I was distracted by other obligations, I still managed to complete one flower :)  I have been working on this project since July 2013.  

I absolutely love the project, the fabrics, and the peacefulness that EPP brings to my chaotic life.  I swore I would not start another EPP project until I finished this one, but I don't think I can hold back!  I have picked a pattern out of Jessica's EPP book, Quilting on the Go.  I am on a search for just the perfect fabric...or maybe I should use scraps...hmmm..so many choices!  As soon as I decide on fabric, I will post, but I am not going to reveal the project :) let's see if you can guess!

Here is the flower of the week:

Feeling very lucky to be part of such a wonderful group of fellow EPP'ers that bring a boatload of inspiration each week!  Thank you Jessica at Life Under Quilts for hosting the Monday Morning Star Count!

Monday Morning Star Count 2014/27

I really think that this has been my most productive week to date and it is so rewarding!  I stitched several flowers into a section and then began to join two sections together.  It is really starting to look like a quilt :)  It currently measures 52" at its widest point and has convinced me that I can do this!

Because I keep going between our summer place and home, I decided to keep large piece and all the flower sections  at our summer place.  I seem to have more time there to focus and design.  And I find the ocean so inspiring!  In the picture below, the flower sections that still need to be attached are stacked and sorted by color value.  I have 39 to join at this point.

Also in the picture below is a Ziploc bag of my remaining hexagons that need to be stitched into flowers and have background hexies attached.  I will keep this baggie at home where my time is more constrained.

I am linking up with Jessica at Life Under Quilts for Monday Morning Star Count.  Stop by and check out the wonderful progress or join us and get your own dose of inspiration and encouragement!

Monday Morning Star Count 2014/26

Wow!  Are we really half-way through the 2014 MMSC?  Time does fly!  Two of my grandchildren spent the week with us at the beach so I didn't get as much stitching in as I would have liked, but really enjoyed the time with them :)  Although Gracie was a little upset I forgot her EPP kit, she did help me with mine by going through my hexie box and arranging flowers and threading my needle.  Here they are on the beach.

So here is what I was able to get done.  I completed this full section:

I have about 26 more sections to create and here is my stack of 41 sections ready to be stitched:

This is the first section I created along with this one:

At this point I am thinking I may have too many sections, but only time will tell.  I am at my 1 year anniversary of starting this quilt this weekend.  This is my very first project and although I am anxious to see it completed, I am so enjoying the process.  So thankful to Jessica for her knowledge, book, blog, and Monday Morning Star Count.  Come visit her at Life Under Quilts and join the MMSC!  It is a great group of people and if it weren't for the encouragement, I don't know if I would be making so much progress!

Monday Morning Star Count 2014/25

Another successful week...and I call any week I am able to get some EPP in, a successful week!  Since we split our time each week between our camper and our home, I set up two kits; one for each place. This seemed like a good idea, because then I don't have to carry everything back and forth.  I am still working out the logistics, but so far it is working pretty well.

While at home this week, I basted 30 background hexagons.  Traveling between places I completed one flower.  While camping, I was able to stitch two sections together.

I have finally settled on my favorite thimble - the Clover Natural Leather thimble.  I have one in each kit now and and could not imagine stitching without it!  Thank you to everyone who made suggestions!  I swear I must own 20 different thimbles!

My latest favorite gadget is the Sewline Needle Threader.  It works great with the smaller size needles and finer threads.  I use a size 10 needle and 50 weight thread.  It works every single time.  I love it and just ordered a second one so I don't have to carry it back and forth.

I have 25 flowers left to complete and lots of stitching to get it all put together! I will hit one year working on this project next week.  This is my very first project and I am so thankful for everyone who has helped me along the way.  I have learned so much from everyone! 

I am  linking up with Jessica at Life Under Quilts.   Check it out  and  you  may just want to join us!   Also, check out Jessica's book -- Quilting On The Go - it is awesome - full of tips and projects and great for everyone from beginner to experienced!

Monday Morning Star Count 2014/21

Another busy week and lots of family time, which is always awesome!  I played around with placement for my Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt.  So many choices!  One part of me just wants to plan as I go and the oh so very analytical side of me wants to plan it out!  Decisons, decisions, decisions :)

Had my Mother's Day Gift setup.  Here is my new HandiQuilter Avante (gosh I have a wonderful husband!).  I am calling her Lady A; My Grandmother's name was Alma and she sure was a wonderful grandmother :)  I figure "Lady A" could stand for Alma, Allison, or Avante :)

And my daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren spent the weekend with us camping in Maine.  Although it was hectic I still managed to stitch 4 new hexagon flowers for the GFG quilt.

I am linking up with Jessica at Life Under Quilts for the Monday Morning Star Count!

Monday Morning Star Count 2014/20

The weather finally has turned beautiful and everything is starting to bloom.  It certainly had me full of energy and anxious to make more progress on my Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt.

I was able to add the border hexies to 9 sections and basted 30 ivory border hexies.  I have enough color variation to really start playing with additional layout options.  Here are the 9 sections for this week.

This week I will focus on stitching a section together and possibly connecting to the first section I completed (below):

So grateful for the enthusiasm and support of the wonderful people who are linking up with Jessica at Life Under Quilts.  You are a talented bunch :) and every week I learn something new!  Thank you Jessica for bringing all of us together and sharing your passion with us!