"Home Sweet Chalet"

Yeah...I don't have a chalet, but if I did it would have this color scheme in it.  I love the vintage feel of the hexagons and cute little prints.  The colors are soft but also pop really well...I am in LOVE!!!

I asked my mom for all but one of the fabrics I used to make the hexies back on my last birthday (most are from the "Hideaway" line by Lauren & Jessi Jung).  I had NO clue what to do with them though (and I still have a bunch left), but the prints were just the right size for some English Paper Piecing Hexagons I had lying around.

I had seen gorgeous EPP on nanaCompany.  I am a HUGE fan of her blog, and she really got me into the idea of hand work overall.  So many inspiring ideas over there.  And Amy is the reason I felt inspired to buy the Hexagon papers in the first place.  :)  Thanks, Amy!!!

Fast forward many months...as the hexagon papers sat untouched in a drawer for a while.  (I was still intimidated by the hand work and also with the daunting task of making something sizable.)  And then I went to my first OKC Modern Quilt Guild meeting where I met Elizabeth...the queen of the mini-quilt!  :)  While Amy's work was often small and fun little projects that I loved, I just felt like I didn't have any place for that in my house.  Silly me!!!  I have been missing out!!!!!  After I saw two of Elizabeth's mini quilts I was sold on that concept as well.

That's when I finally decided to give it a go.  This mini that I have named "Home Sweet Chalet" is pieced by hand and appliqued by hand onto that super soft and luxurious white handkerchief linen.  I then hand quilted it with some creamy pearl cotton.  

The backing is a simple dulled down teal with cream pin dots from American Jane.  And then to help with the vintage feel I chose a lovely bubblegum solid (I believe it's a Moda Bella Solid) for the binding.  The binding is the only part of this project that is partially done by machine, although I did hand-stitch it to the backing.  The layout is just random.  I thought about flowers, but really in the end, I just wanted it to look a smidge scrappy.

Let me tell you.  This was sooo rewarding on so many levels!  I enjoyed the (and still am) rewarding feeling of doing most everything with my own two hands.  I just never thought it possible before I tried it.  I loved that I had a project that I could sit on the couch with my family and work on.  My kids felt like they were a part of the project as they helped me organize and lay out my hexagons, and my son loves to say, "Oh, Mommy.  It's so pretty!"  :)  But, in the end I think it really made me feel a connection to those ladies of long ago who made every quilt by hand.  Such an amazing connection to feel.

I'm loving it above my pie safe where I intend to store the many quilts I hope to make year after year.

Sew long for now!
-Amanda-