Helper and some new hexies

I have received several wonderful scrap bags lately (from quilty friends, customers, etc.).  This was a big one, and I really wanted to get it organized and neatened up a bit after I had been digging through it.  It wasn't long and I had a whole lotta help from Miss CC!

She's always got to be in the middle of whatever I am doing - can you see the lint roller on the right side of the picture?  That is in constant use!

I may have mentioned that Mom and I were going to Mason City last weekend to visit my Aunt Nancy - they mainly live in northern Minnesota, but occasionally spend time on their farm in Mason City. I took several quilting projects along - my wool "Summertime" block, hexies, a quilt I've had started FOREVER but haven't made hardly any progress on, etc., etc.  I always take projects on a trip but rarely ever end up touching them.  Well...I actually made lots of progress!  I worked a lot on my Summertime block - it's not finished, but it's well on the way (can't let that over-achiever, Becky, get ahead of me, you know!).  And... the quilt was a group effort.  My brain was not working well - so Aunt Nancy took over sewing for awhile.  Mom, Aunt Nancy and I all took turns tearing paper off the blocks that were paper pieced.  We finished all of the blocks that I took with me - I think it was a total of 25!  I just wish that I would have taken all of the fabric - we could have finished it.  I never dreamed that I would even work on it, let alone get that far.  Amazing what you can accomplish with a little team work!

We did some other fun stuff while visiting too - but I don't have any pictures to share.  Wouldn't you think that one of these days I would start taking more pictures?  My camera was in my purse the whole time...does that count for anything?  We toured the newly renovated Frank Lloyd Wright hotel in Mason City.  It is amazing!  Mom took a bunch of pictures there, but do I have any of them??  We also went to a "Shop Hop" in Clear Lake - it was at a hotel and all of the vendors/shops were there under one roof.  So much fun!  Then we visited The Quilted Forest which is a large, very nice shop.  And of course, you can't be in that area and not visit Country Threads!  We didn't get there until 3:45, thinking that they closed at 5:00.  Unfortunately they have changed their hours and close at 4:00 on Saturday.  Of course, we still found a few things to buy in that short amount of time!

To back up a little - Friday, on the way to MC - we stopped at a new quilt shop, Hen & Chicks, in Conrad, IA.  What a great shop!  It is in an amazing, old building and they have lots to offer.  Not only do they have fabric and all the quilty things, she also carries some scrapbooking supplies and some very nice gifty items (my jewelry included!).  They have made a great retreat center upstairs as well.  If you are ever in the area, make sure you stop and visit them.

On the way home, we made a stop at Cornerstone Quilts in Grinnell, IA.  I hadn't been there since they first opened the shop, and now Lee has closed her shop in Newton, and moved it all to Grinnell.  The shop is packed with all kinds of awesomeness.  They have a great variety of fabrics, repros, batiks, and everything in between. They will soon be moving to a bigger location, around the corner - can't wait to see it!  She also has a new supply of jewelry now. 

I also wanted to share another picture of some of my hexagons that I HAVE worked on - the jewelry kind!  When I introduced them a few weeks ago, they sold out almost immediately.  Here is a new batch  - some are already sold, but some of them are now on my website.

That's all for now - hope you have a great day!!