It's Wednesday!

That means it is time for the Hexagonquilt “La Passion” Facebook group to post updates on the progress of their La Passion quilts.  For me, most Wednesdays are usually a bit of a let down.  Everyone else is making such fast progress, and here I am, still plodding along, more than two years after starting.  I don’t know how some of them do it – if I manage to baste and attach 100 hexies in a week, it is a great week.  They seem to whip out thousands.  It isn’t a race, but I sure hate losing.
Anyway, this Wednesday is different.  This week (this morning, actually) I have completed round 9, and I am ready to get started on round 10.  I thought this meant I was in the home stretch, but thanks to Turid, I know that I am still less than half done.  (You can see Turid’s La Passion in greens here.)  She has done some counting or math, I’m not sure which, and keeps track of how many hexies she has done.  I’m a little behind her, but only by about 400 hexies or so.  I think I am around 8,000, and rumor has it there are 17,000 or so in the finished top.  (I’ve asked my kids to count the hexies for me.  I get the eye roll, a polite “no thank you” and then they disappear.  I have trouble counting past 10 without losing track, so it is a lost cause.)
La Passion started out almost as a joke for me.  I was finishing off a 10+ year 1″ hexie project, which ended up crib sized.  I loved the design, and I was not put off by the little hexies.  These are 1/2″ per side, which makes growth really slow.  I assumed I would do a little, maybe a round or two, then give up.  Not so.  As the quilt gets bigger, each step takes me a lot longer.  I get a little put off, but the Wednesday updates are critical.  Seeing everyone making progress inspires me to keep up, and it gets more beautiful with each piece I add.  You can see Grit’s original La Passion, which she has so generously shared with us all here.
Now, it is time for me to pick out a new purple for the background.  I was planning on using the darkest purple I have been using, but I can’t find it anymore.  This is the danger of working with batiks and not buying the entire bolt.  I’ve purchased a few different options online, but nothing is exactly right.  I have a few more rounds now that are just stripes of one color, so I am okay, but the panic is starting.  Once I settle down on the next color, it will all go together perfectly, I am sure.
These are the fabrics I have selected to use in my La Passion.  Only two purples have enough yardage to complete the top, but the others will get worked into diamonds and flowers.
I also have this luscious orange purple swirly thing that I’ve been hoarding for more then ten years.  I have a little over a yard left from my original ten yard purchase.  I think this will be put in as the orange round in step 10.
One thing I did notice as I was looking at the photos, is that the colors are terrible.  I took the fabrics outside for a better comparison.  Lighting is important.  One of the pieces I thought was purple is totally blue outside.  Interesting, and now my selection process has gotten easier.
Now, here is a little tip for anyone just starting EPP, or experienced quilters who are frustrated with their stitches showing.  These are the stitches in the middle of my quilt, from when I thought I had experience, but really I was a novice.  I was using white thread with my dark hexies.  I try to avoid doing that now.
These are the stitches on my dark hexies now.  This is two years and thousands of hexies later.  I have three or four colors of thread I use – light, medium and dark grey, and also I try to have something orange or pinky to go with the oranges.  If my stitches show, it is definitely harder to see them.
Finally, here is Oscar.  He is a fantastic companion on my La Passion journey.  He is very supportive, and not heavy enough to damage the quilt.
Okay, enough show and tell.  I have to quickly do the minimum allowable level of housework and get back to stitching.  Maybe this month I can catch up with Turid and her gorgeous greens.