Update: This post was originally posted in October. The date on this post was changed to November 13 to allow it to post with part 2 of the Hexagon Table Topper Tutorial.

This post is specifically for those 9 ladies that plan on taking the Hexagon Table Topper Quilt “class” at Dot’s on Tuesday, November 7.

In order to maximize our evening and to allow you to go home with a completed flimsy, please bring your two stratas to class that evening. You will also need your sewing machines.

You will need to purchase:

6 different fabrics for the strips on the front or top- Many of the ladies are making this a Christmas project so if that is your plan, choose 6 Christmas fabrics. You will need sufficient yardage to get two 3 inch strips from each fabric. Please do not purchase fat quarters. This is not a fat quarter friendly project.

1 fabric for the backing – this can be one of the fabrics from the front of the project or choose something different. This project is reversible when complete so consider something nice for the back that you may want to display before or after Christmas like a winter-like fabric that is not necessarily Christmas. This way when Christmas is over, you can flip your table topper over and get use out of it for the rest of the winter.

Step #1 – Cut your 6 fabrics for the top of the quilt 3″ wide (these strips will finish 2 1/2″ wide) by the WOF (width of the fabric). Your strips should be 40+ inches long by 3″ wide. You will have 12 strips on your table when you are done cutting.

Step #2 – Arrange your strips in the order that pleases you.

Step #3 – Sew your strips together in pairs in the order that they will appear in the strata.

Step #4 – Press your strips as you sew. Remember to press, do not iron. Pressing is an up and down motion. You do not want to stretch or distort your strips. You want nice straight strips.

Step #5 – Sew two pairs of strips together. Then sew the 4 strip unit to the last pair of strips.

Step #6 – Remember to press all strips in the same direction–either all towards strip #1 or all towards strip #6. It doesn’t matter which direction you press as long as all strips are pressed to the same direction. Be sure to press the second strata exactly as you have pressed this strata.

Step #7 – You should now have two stratas – each 6 strips wide, all pressed to the same direction.

We will cut our stratas into our triangles in class together. If you bring your two stratas on November 7 we should be able to get your table topper completed to the flimsy stage.

Yesterday was a day to have fun in the studio. With Christmas fast approaching, I was tempted to dip into my stash of Christmas fabrics. I was looking for a quick project that would not add to my never ending UFO list.

This was the perfect project. It measures just 12 1/2″ x 24 1/2″ and can be finished to the binding stage within a day. (The white in the picture is not a border, but is the batting before it has been trimmed away.)

The letters are fused to the background and then attached with a machine blanket stitch. Quilting is simple–an X across each square in the border and then outline stitching around each letter. After binding and the addition of a sleeve, this project is ready to give away as a gift.

I have finished quilting BQ Pumpkin Quilt #1! I ordered some new Circle Lord templates for my long arm and used two of them on this quilt.

This quilt will eventually belong to my parents so I chose to do a lot of straight line quilting on this one. My dad is always impressed with the perfectly straight lines that my machine can accomplish so that is what is on this quilt. I used the square spiral template in the large pumpkin squares and in the small pumpkin squares on the border. I used the cross hatch template to do the 45 degree angles and my channel locks to do the horizontal lines.

I will save putting the binding on this quilt for another day. I am anxious to load the next quilt and try some different templates!

The next two pictures are taken at an angle to show the quilting design more. Ideally, I would take pictures of this quilt outside but the heavy rains we are currently experiencing means that outside pictures are out of the question.

This is a picture of the back–sometimes quilting is easier to see from the back.

These are the Japanese Maple Trees in our yard. I just love these trees at this time of year! These pictures were taken yesterday during a break in the rain showers. We are currently in the middle of a “pineapple express” storm and it seems like the rain will never stop!