I like the way it looks, but there was a little problem. If you create a hexagon like this you end up actually with two and I did not want to repeat them in the quilt (these are quite large… unsewn like this one, it’s about 14 in from tip to tip). So what am I going to do with two of each? (why two of each – because to create each kite, you use two rectangles of the same color. when you slash the rectangles in two – you get two kites, two same kites).

Then I made this one:

Again, there are 6 colors – three yellow and three blue, but instead of cutting 2 rectangles from each color, you only cut one. then you sew one yellow and one blue together to get two-color kites). This one is a little busier, but does not create any leftovers. And… actually I like how it seems I cut 12 triangles to create this.

This is another hexagon I created. You can see what each 1/6 of the hexagon, or the “kite” looks like. To assemble this I will sew half hexagons first, and then when they are all arranged, I will add strips of white around every other row of half-hexagons, then sew together half-hexagons in rows and finally sew rows together. I am being very clear, I know…

I am getting out of my comfort zone here, creating such colorful blocks. I am much more comfortable with single color blocks or even single color quilts. I am a little afraid that it will be too busy, but hoping, of course, that it will all fall nicely together once all the blocks are finished.

This was the first arrangement (I like to do this as I go. I also don’t select all fabrics up front, I do it block by block.):

But I did not like it that much. So I changed it, and this is what is currently on my design wall (minus one more block I did after I took these pics):

I like this better. We’ll see how it goes. I am still not 100% sure, we’ll see.

Sometimes I like to take a pic out of focus. Helps me visualize what it might look after it’s done…

Ree was never really planned. It just sort of happened one day when I was trying (unsuccessfully) to sort my thrifted sheet stash. These particular patterns just fell together and I thought they would go lovely with linen. And I think they really do…

As with the flutters quilt, it was sitting unfinished for a few months and I finally got to it in September. And then it sat until two weeks ago when I took these pictures. But I think the pictures do not do it justice. It looks and feels so soft and cozy in person. Something I just cannot see in these pics. The linen gives it that special feel and touch. Maybe the light was not the best. I am not sure.

Initially I thought I would free motion quilt this one all over, but then I changed my mind for two reasons. First – the linen and a few other fabrics were a bit stretchy and that would not be so fun to quilt (and I did not want to try starch for the first time). Second – I thought maybe too many quilting lines would make it busier? So I quilted only the outline of the pieces…

For the backing I used another thrifted sheet, this time a flannel. This one was brand new – otherwise I would not buy a second hand flannel – I’ve seen a few second hand used ones, and they were terrible. But this makes this side a little warmer and cozier. You can see the backing in the pic below on the lower right.

If I had a shabby chick kind of house this would fit perfectly.

So this one… made entirely from vintage sheets. Well, almost entirely. I think one of the orange solids was from a stash.

I really liked making this one. I though about this particular pattern ever since I saw a Vera scarf at a thrift store, months ago (and I did NOT buy it for whatever reason). It did not have the solid squares, it was all stripes, and all in one color – black I believe.

I only wished I had more stripes to work with. I did not want to repeat any – it was repeat all or none. To repeat all – the quilt would have been too big – well, too big for my machine anyway. I am still afraid of that, but one day…

Quilting was a little challenging. First I wanted to do free motion – I thought it would look nice against such graphic design. But it just would not work. My thread kept breaking. I could not adjust the tension… But I tried… And then ended up having to rip one full square of quilting…  No fun.

I ended up doing straight line, but a spiral pattern, on a diagonal across 4 blocks. I am not sure if you can see it in the pics. I decided to do two different style of the spiral – one denser and the other less so. I wish I had only done one. I though there would be more of an effect – with different quilting lines. But not so much.

I used another thrifted striped sheet for the backing. As it usually works with these sheets, the colors match!

Overall I like it. A lot. I planned for the stripey squares to be a bit bigger, but then I had a problem with one of them – it had to be trimmed, so they all got trimmed a bit. That’s why I added a white border. It was not planned. And maybe I could have made the solid squares 1/2 in bigger? Less white? Maybe next time….

No triangles were cut for this one!

And arranged one way:

And then another:

Trimming wasn’t planned, but a few squares turned out smaller than the others. Reason? Well, this quilt is made of all repurposed vintage linens which are almost always a blend. In my experience, they do not always like ironing. I do have my iron set to a lower setting, but some squares get warped anyway.

Therefore, this quilt ended up smaller than designed, so I will probably add white border around it. I thought about adding a few more squares, but I have only one more color I have not used, and I did not want to repeat some – I think the way this quilt works is to either use all different colors or repeat all. But it will be a baby/throw size in the end and that’s OK.

Second… I have been planning sewing up a few more camisoles, using the vintage sheets that are lying everywhere in my studio. Remember the first two – Flo and Mo. I really liked Flo, but Mo…. I liked the way it turned out, but I did not care so much for the pattern. So there will be Mo 2.0 in the near future. And maybe a couple more. But I have realized I needed to learn more about pattern drafting, which is what I have been researching for the past week or so. So, today, right after I finish writing this, I will be making my first sloper. Wish me luck. I will be back soon to report on the progress…

The last time I wrote about it I had just finished all the blocks. It took some time to arrange them, a few different layouts and a couple of days “taking it in”…

It is the biggest quilt I have made and I knew quilting straight lines would not be fun on my machine – I have a Singer that was not made for quilting, so a big quilt just cannot fit… However, I was a little afraid of free motion quilting – I did it only one time before, on a pillow – much smaller and much more manageable. I didn’t know how it would go, how long it would take… But I had no other choice. And I had to say – it did take long, but it was not so bad. I had a bit of an issue with thread – it kept breaking. I changed it a few times, and finally settled on a cotton thread.

At the end – I was so happy how it turned out. It took a long time – there were a lot of strips, but the blocks were easy to make. I would like to make another one like this… some day.

And my favorite two blocks (for now):