Dissecting the blue jeans!

One of the things about sewing with junk jeans and recycled denim is that the fabric had to start somewhere. For the most part, my junk denim comes from my husband's old jeans. They get one hole too many or aren't presentable for work, and so they become placemats, hot pads, mug mats, strips for quilts, and all told projects that I can think of, including clothing.

Tonight, I was gifted with three pair of worn out jeans! He was doing laundry and gave me the three that were ready to retire after their wash and dry. Yahoo! Fresh denim. I got out my "I can use these to cut anything" scissors and set to cuttin'. Each pair gives me two large pieces from the front of each leg, a long piece from the back of one leg, a three-quarter length piece from the back of one leg, and a pocket from the back of one leg. If I were truly a recycler, I'd keep the zippers and side seams, but I don't. I used to keep the side seams and did some weaving with them, but man, they are a mess! I tried. I don't want to try again

For now, I have to think of what's next. I will make a three-knotted leg of denim for the dog to play with, I need backing for some hexagon faced mug mats, and it's about time to make some more Smurf hot pads. Hmmmm.....

Oh no! Hexies. And oh my! Buttons.

First the "oh my!"

Look at this beautiful exhibit at the Kyneton Museum in Australia: http://thehouseonthesideofthehill.blogspot.com/2011/02/buttons-buttons-and-more-buttons.html I am so jealous. I would love to see this! I wonder if it's coming to the US someday or if it's even a traveling exhibit? It is truly a coincidence that I read a short piece about a woman's mother's button "box" (really a round tin) filled with buttons. My mother had the same type of button box and I would play with them for hours. Later, my children played with them and the buttons from my own button box - sorting games with color, size, number of holes, with a post or not, etc. Buttons have shown up in a few places in my life today. I also found this piece I made several years ago using buttons from my own button box, recycled denim, and a recycled wooden frame. Buttons - amazing.

Now the "oh no!"

I just may have been making hexagons the wrong way for 30ish years. I am doing a hex swap and love it. Today, a post was made about a method for making the flowers that we swap. I noticed in the instructions that the threads do not show on the right side of the flower. Mine does. I learned how to make these at a quilt guild meeting when I was in my early 20s and made my daughter's quilt "my" way, my nephew's baby's quilt (shown - denim and strawberries) "my" way, and several hexagon projects in between "my" way. Jeepers! What if I have to learn a new way? I guess I could, huh? Or maybe, everyone can make them the way they've always done it. We'll see!

Today found me putting a row of hexagons onto my own quilt and I realized I had one too many petals at the end of a row. Snip, snip, snip - off came the extra one. Oh, I so don't like taking out stitching! Reminds me of (and I paraphrase) "As we sew, so shall we rip." Sew on!

Zen and the art of hexagons

I took some time today to finish my hexagons to send to Iceland as part of the hexagon swap. I turned off the television, turned on the lamp, sat by the window for extra light, and picked up the needle. The dog was at my feet and a cup of coffee was by my side on the end table. I sewed until the second hexagon flower was done. In the quiet. With no interruption. And the time passed too quickly.

The center is yellow (it scanned orangish) and is from the Michael Miller Krystal collection. I've used the fabric for rainbow projects and have several colors on hand.

It was a wonderful afternoon and a nice interruption of a normally hectic day.