It's a Party -- A Hexie Party

Oh and we had a great time complete with cupcakes and sparkling white grape juice (which is simply awesome by-the-way). Last Saturday, was our mid-year mark and to celebrate we had a party. Those that had completed each of the last 7 blocks were eligible to win prizes. The grand prize was a hexie project carry-along and the second prize was a quilted wine holder complete with a bottle of Sparkling Cider. I wish I could have given a prize to everyone because in my book, everyone was a winner. All of the blocks were stunning!

If you missed out on the classes, you have a couple of options. I will repeat the class next year for those who are local and want to attend class and join in with others. It's amazing how much creativity is spurred in a classroom environment each month. I think it really helps to get ideas and see others creations in progress.

For those who are not local or cannot attend the classes, I will have the pattern for all 12 blocks available for purchase at the end of this year once all of this year's classes have completed. And, whether you attend actual classes or buy online, online videos will be available to help you get off to a great start. It's like having me by your side whenever you need me.

Stay tuned for more information!

Here's our party in progress! I added a video at the end for those who haven't thread basted before and want to see how I do it.

Another photo album by Smilebox

Our BOM Fun Continues

Life is getting nearly back to normal. We are heading down the home stretch with the remodel and it is definitely a GREAT THING! The refrigerator is in the kitchen as of yesterday. Can I hear a BIG WooHoo.... Now, if I would just stop going in the living room looking for the fridge!

Last Saturday was my block of the month class and honestly that one day a month has really helped me get through the remodel by making me take time to focus on next month's block that will be unveiled.

Of course, I have to share some bragging pictures of my student's blocks. I love all of them!

Another free picture slideshow by Smilebox

The complete pattern for all of the blocks will be available for purchase after this mystery block of the month has ended so stay tuned for more information later in the year.

I hope to also do a repeat of the class next year; although, it will not be a mystery because the completed quilt will be finished for everyone to see before signing up for the classes.

Woop...Woop - It's EPP BOM Class Day!!!

Check out the rhododendrons in bloom in my neighborhood!!! Who doesn't love the color RED.

I LOVE the last Saturday of each month because I get to unveil the new block of the month, see all of my awesome students, and ooh and awe over the wonderful blocks from the previous months. 

This month is our third month of classes. I love seeing all of the fabrics chosen for the blocks. I fall in love with each and every one of them. It's funny because I love my students fabric selections better than my own! Now that's doing one better than the teacher I think.
I am so mad at myself because I was having such a great time that I almost didn't get any pictures. There were some that I completely missed...dang it! But hopefully, I will catch up and do better next month.

Without further ado, see for yourself how beautiful they are...

Create your own free photo slideshow

Camera, Action, Shoot!

Famous for a day! LOL. Sorry for the blurry picture. The board is digital and backlit and my phone couldn't seem to focus correctly. I sure had a fabulous day sharing my love of hexagons with some 60 ladies that were kind enough to interrupt their enjoyment of looking at all of the wonderful quilts on display at the Milwaukie Quilt Show. The show continues through tomorrow and really shouldn't be missed. I hope you will check it out for yourself.

And I had to pinch myself because I came face to face with Bill Volckening. I've followed his blog for years but this was the first time we've met in person. He was as nice in person as he is in print! Bill has an amazing display of some of his prized collections so there is another reason to not miss this year's show.

This beautiful hexie top below belongs to Wendy Sternberg, one of my BOM students, who graciously allowed me to display it during the demonstration. The 3/8 inch hexies are like droplets of rain...each more wonderful than the next. If I remember correctly, she has been working on it for two years. It is about 45 inches wide so far. Isn't it beautiful.

Great news!!! We will soon be welcoming new hexie aficionados because several ladies attending the demo decided to join the Hexie Block of The Month class and the Hexie 101 class that I teach at Pioneer Quilts. Woohoo. This is a cause for celebration! 

And speaking of block of the month, I'll be cutting fabric tomorrow for the May block. Next Saturday, March 28, everyone will get the March block and get to see April's block so they can start picking out fabrics. I need to stay a month ahead and am hoping to get a few months ahead.

And lastly, here I am with my Dilly dog. I love this picture of him. If that isn't a big smile, I don't know what is!

Grow Your Blog

Hello and welcome to my blog. This is my first year of being a participant at 2 Bags Full's Grow Your Blog. Vicki is the owner of 2 Bags Full and is the coordinator of this wonderful event.

Thank you Vicki for doing all this work. I look forward to meeting new people and their blogs during this event.

My blog name is my actual name -- jojo hall. I adore all things fiber related and my hands are always in motion. I own a commercial embroidery business and teach digitizing, back-office production, and quilting. There is more about me on my About page above.

I started blogging on blogger after losing many, many years of my blog that was on a different site. It was heartbreaking to lose all of that history because it was sort of like a diary to me. I know they are working on recapturing what was lost, but I decided to start blogging on my own so I have more control of the blog.

Every Monday, I post a recipe of some of my favorite things. Other days are more hit and miss and are open to whatever I'm working on at the time (embroidery, sewing, quilting or in the summer -- gardening!). My goal is to post three times a week.

I hope to always have something entertaining for you to read whenever you decide to visit me again.

Friday Finishes

My quilted tablecloth is finished, and it is my first 2015 finish. I'm so pleased with how it turned out. I must admit to be wonderfully surprised and thrilled at how soft became after washing. It was pretty stiff feeling before but the bamboo batting really softened after the soak to remove my markings and a run through the washer.

Vintage linen collectors or hand-quilting purists may not be pleased with my finished project and that's okay. We all must do what brings us the most joy. I hand quilted using the big stitch method with Aurifil 12 weight thread in areas that were visible. The thicker thread really stands out perfectly, which is what I was going after. I also practiced my free motion stitching and machine stitched in areas that are not visible from the front but needed more quilting to hold the quilt together and keep the batting from shifting/separating from repeated use. I'm planning on loving/using this tablecloth for many, many years. It will become a December tradition to pull it out and grace the table with it. I may just have to extend that length of use through out January because it looks so pretty on the table.

I hope that seeing this project from the beginning to the end has encouraged you to breathe new life into one of your own favorite linens or rescue one from a antique shop. They are not difficult to find.

Additional photos are included below. Click on the photo to see a larger version.

In this first photo, you can see the border area I mentioned when I first started (bottom left corner). The manufacturer stamped the cloth just a bit off which made the cream border not as wide on that one end. To fix this, I would have had to cut down the border all the way around. I decided against doing that because I wanted to keep as much of the cream border as possible. I'm so glad I did because I stitched funky trees in it, and I just love how it looks.

Happy New Year!

Only two more days before we all embark into a brand new year. A new year is just like a brand new journal...exciting, fresh, and so full of wonderful possibilities.

One of my goals for 2015 already has a fixed date.  Beginning Saturday, January 31, I will be teaching an English Paper Piecing Mystery Block of the Month class. After all, who doesn't love a good mystery!

Designing the first two months has been exciting. Initially, my goal was to have the class use the hexagon shape only, but during the designing, I couldn't help but experiment with other shapes as well. After many hours of designing and redesigning, I settled on three shapes we will be using for the year: hexagon, diamond, and triangle. I chose a 3/4 inch size which I think is perfect....not too big and not too small.

The unfinished blocks measure 11 inches, and the class fee includes a choice of either a light or dark monthly background fabric. My first dilemma was that I could not decide on just one design for January. I liked both of them so much that I decided to include them both and allow the student to choose which they prefer. One block has fewer pieces and is lovely. The second choice looks more complicated but it is not. It just has more pieces. Both designs utilize all three shapes so no matter which you choose, you will start getting comfortable with the shapes right away.

The class will be at Pioneer Quilts which is located at 3101 S.E. Courtney Road, Portland, Oregon. This is near the Oak Grove/Milwaukie Area. You can call and sign up for the class if that is more convenient. The phone number is 503.654.1555. The class is scheduled to be the last Saturday of each month and will cost $10 each month. Class fee includes the design/designs for the month, choice of dark or light background fabric, and 'me.' We will go over last month's block, uncover the new block, and I will provide instructions for how I approached the block.  As the year progresses, it will be wonderful to see all of the variations during show 'n tell. I'm so excited for this year-long journey!

I'm still working on the Christmas tablecloth. I'm so close to finishing the quilting that I almost can't stand it. I have incorporated a bit of machine free motion quilting on several areas that needed more quilting. These are areas where the quilting doesn't show up so it was a perfect opportunity to get some more practice improving my free motion. This is another goal for 2015 that must get more work because The Lady 'must' make her entrance.

I have a couple of new tools arriving soon that will enable me to post some short tutorials. In my last class a student mentioned how nice it would be to have handouts of some of the techniques we covered. Showing certain knots and such in paper form is not as easy as it sounds. What looks understandable to me because I know how to do it, looks undecipherable to someone just learning. However, posting a video showing the technique is much more doable and gives you the best of two worlds:

• You will always have access to the instructions (you don't have to worry about one more piece of paper to keep), 
• You get to watch my hands and hear me describe the process so it's like having me their right with you at home.

I hope that you will let me know what you think when the videos go live.

And remember to follow Dillan's advice: "dive into the wind face first for the most fun and adventure!"

Inspired Inspiration

Merry Christmas to All

in·spired  inˈspī(ə)rd/

adjective

1. 1.

   of extraordinary quality, as if arising from some external creative impulse.
2. 2.  (of air or another substance) that is breathed in.

in·spi·ra·tion  inspəˈrāSH(ə)n/

noun

1. 1.

   the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.

I spent some time working on a welcome gift for our new neighbors this weekend. It's a happy/sad moment for me. I will really miss our former neighbors. They loved their home and their yard. I will miss our yearly tomato contest which Tom always won! This past summer I finally gave in and forfeited. I think he felt pity on me and gifted me with several wonderful tomatoes from his garden...one of which weighed nearly 2 pounds. 

We are excited for our new neighbors and still remember how excited we were when we moved into our home 20 years ago last month.  Wow...how does the time fly by so quickly. I wish them many happy moments and lasting memories and thought it particularly good luck that the year they moved in and their house number are the same.  

My favorite week of the year is coming up. It is a tradition for my husband and I to take time off of work. It allows us to relax and rejuvenate. It also is nice to have some quiet time to slow down from the day-to-day happenings that life throws our way and savor the blessings received throughout the year. It is also a time to let go of anything that pulls me down emotionally or spiritually. I never grow tired of reading about Christ's birth and listening to Christ words while he was on earth. Some of my most amazing designs have come during this time of rest and revival, which brings me to the title of this post "Inspired Inspiration." 

Have you ever been in a creativity rut? This happens to me sometimes when I'm in the midst of creating a digitized file for a customer. Digitizing an actual file uses a lot of both sides of the brain. Left side for process and right side for creativity and how best to uses stitches. The artwork might have some challenging areas that do not translate well into thread or it may be a study on how best to walk through the logo in the most efficient and production friendly way for the fabric it will go on. Both of the preceding processes use the left side of the brain. During these times, it is easy to get caught up in it and sit and spin in circles with no clear answer in sight. When this happens, I stop working and go do something that uses the right side of my brain (time to draw, play with new Spirograph or even mundane things like vacuuming or folding clothes!). 

While I'm doing something different, my brain is still calculating and working on a solution or workaround...just in the background of my mind. I've never been stumped for long as long as I allow myself to get away from the issue at hand.

2015 is only 10 days away and I am inspired to follow Eleanor Roosevelt by "Do(ing) one thing every day that scares you(me)."  That should be inspiration enough to keep 2015 one of the most exciting year's yet!

I already have a list started for a few of those scary things that include:  

• Designing an English paper piecing mystery block of the month for Pioneer Quilts
• Submitting an original quilt to a national show
• Submitting a book idea to a publisher
• Submitting an original digitized file for judging

Whew...I'd better stop now or I will never enjoy my vacation week.