Hello From Chattanooga!

I'm too tired to upload photos tonight, but I'm having a great time! I've taught Painterly Little Art Quilts (6 hour class) and Wonky and Wonderful (3 hour class). I've given a lecture: "Let's Hexie!" I also participated in the All Star Review in which several of the teachers did a 10 minute demo in front of an audience. Afterward the attendees can buy our products - for me, that's the book, Quick and Easy Hexie Quilts that I wrote with Peggy Rhodes.

Dozens (it seems) of my Birmingham Quilt Guild friends are here - so nice to see old friends! In fact, two of them were in my class today.

Tomorrow I'll be teaching HexieMania (6 hour class). Then I'll participate in an Author's Roundtable for quilters who think they have a book idea.

Saturday I'll have the morning free. I plan to visit some of the bigger vendors to give them information about advertising in HexieLove. In the afternoon I'll be doing a circle-to-hexie demo for AQS. And if it's not too late, I'll load up the car and head home!

Sew-vivor Hexies!

Are you familiar with the Sew-vivor Competition? The contestants are competing in a variety of competitions for BIG prizes. The current challenge is HEXIES!

Go here to see the hexie works of art and vote if you like.

Hexie love,
Julia

HexieLove COVER!

I worked on the magazine cover design over the weekend - this makes it seem real!

Yes, Geta Grama is the featured artist in the first issue! How about that for booking a hexie celebrity?! Her quilt makes the cover POP!

As you may know, most magazines have a large staff: an editor-in-chief, managing editors, photographers, stylists, accountants, ad sales persons, copy editors, layout specialists, subscription managers, the list goes on and on! So how many are on my staff, you ask?

I'm the entire staff! So yes, this is a lot of work, but it's fun work!

Better run - need to finish packing for Chattanooga…

Hexie love,
Julia

Hexie Blessings

My heart is overflowing. In the last two days since I announced my big news of HexieLove - the magazine, my inbox has been filled with good wishes and offers to contribute to the magazine. When I hit the PUBLISH button on that blog entry, it was with trepidation. How will this be received? I wasn't sure. But I am now! I'm beyond thrilled!

Yesterday I took the day off - yes, it was game day! Luckily it was a night game so we enjoyed much cooler temperatures than the previous week. And we enjoyed a SPECTACULAR sunset during the first half.

Today I'm busy packing for Chattanooga. I'm gathering everything on my dining room table. Whew - glad I can drive there! I'm rooming with Catherine Redford - we met in Cleveland while we were filming for Quilting Arts TV last year. What fun we will have!

Look what is coming along with me - the final proofs for MORE Quick and Easy Hexie quilts. I received them on Friday. I have a week to review them, so guess what I'll be doing during my Chattanooga time off?

And Cooper is taking everything in stride. Loving his naps...

My EXCITING News: A Hexie Magazine!!!!!!!!!

I'm SO excited to announce that my "secret project" as of late is developing a new quilt magazine, one that caters to all of us HEXIE lovers!

It's been so much fun bringing HexieLove to life! Here are some things about HexieLove you might want to know:

HexieLove is NOT about hexies made from circles. It's about ALL KINDS of hexies, whether they are EPP, Hickory Nuts, Inklingo, Lucy Boston, stamped, pieced with Y-seams - any kind of hexagon is fair game!

HexieLove will be digital only. You'll be able to read it on your computer, iPad, E-reader, phone, etc.

HexieLove's first issue will be out in January, 2015.

HexieLove will be available for subscriptions in a matter of weeks.

HexieLove will have 6 issues per years.

HexieLove will include:

Featured Artists
The Modern Hexie
Technique Tips
Hexie Products
Put a Hexie on it! (Small projects such as pillows, bags, etc.)
Talk Hexie to me…(Tell me what you think of each issue."
On the Border (Ideas for hexie borders on non-hexie quilts.)
Book Reviews
Special on-going pattern (an amazing hexie quilt - there will be a pattern for a section of the quilt in    
each issue.)
Hexie Inspiration (from fabrics to tile floors)
And PATTERNS! Lots of hexie patterns!

Want to be a contributor? Send me an e-mail! I'm looking for all kinds of articles and patterns. Contributors will be paid!

IMPORTANT INFO!
Website: Hexielove.com
My hexie e-mail: julia@hexielove.com

I'll let you know when I'm ready to accept subscriptions! Hope you are all as excited about this as I am!

Designing with Hexagons in EQ7

I've gotten questions! How do you design with hexagons in EQ7? How about a little tutorial!

I'm very new to EQ, so I'm still on a learning curve. But here's what I've figured out so far….

1. Open EQ7 and create a new project/name.

2. Click the Layout tab (at bottom of screen).

3. Click (at top of screen) Quilt ---New Quilt---One Patch Quilt

4. A small window will pop up:
    Under Patch Style, select either Hexagon (H) or Hexagon (V).  The H and V orient the hexagon      
    with either an edge or a point aligned upward.
    Now you can adjust the edge length of the hexagon and the layout size.

5. Click Layer 1 (at bottom of screen).

6. Use the paintbrush tool (on right side of screen) to color in hexagons.

I really hope this helps! It took me days to get to this point, and now it seems so easy.

2014 Hexie BOM: September!

Put a bird on it! 

Looky, looky - I've figured out enough of EQ7 to do this!

Why a bird for September? Because it's back-to-school time around here. My favorite saying for raising kids is "Give them wings and let them fly." Raise your kids to be independent adults! So we're sending our little birdies off to school - well, many of us are. Yes, I still have one in school, but she's 24 and lives on her own.

Here's my version. I placed him at a bit of an angle. If you have any trouble fitting him on the background you could always leave off the legs and angle him a bit more.

Have fun with that eye! I fussy cut a flower for mine - can't wait to see what you all do!

And the beak: I pieced an orange triangle with some white (background color) to make mine. Again, be creative!

Hexie love,
Julia