WIP wed: Garden and Biochemistry

"Don't Call Me Betsy" is hosting this week's WIP Wed!  Come join us over there.

Last Wednesday on WIP Wed over at Freshly Pieced's blog, I once again admired all of the lovely hexagon quilts there.  I made my first one last week, my "Caffeine molecule hexie".  This set in motion a whole new quilt idea using hexies and biochemicals.  In college, Organic Chemistry was one of my hardest, least favorite subjects, but in the lab, it was incredibly important.  In practice, in the lab, it was much different than in theory, so it's been a long, long time since I thought about bonds and elements, rings and chains.  I must admit that researching these for a potential quilt has been much more fun than years ago studying for classwork.

I'm hoping to get all of the fabric picked out and the hexie part of the blocks done before an upcoming road trip.  After struggling to get my machine to do the bonds and letters of the elements in the right places for my caffeine molecule, I decided I'm going to try to hand embroider (!) these in my quilt!  Any ideas on how to do it, or what stitches or floss to use would be much appreciated!!  I have the usual DMC floss, a hoop, and needles... I'm hoping to do the embroidery during the time in the truck on the road.

I also got my fabric and packet in the mail from the Sisters Quilt Show Quilt Block Contest for Sisters Oregon Quilt Show.  I already have an idea for that too, but am not quite ready to share.

We spent the long week-end getting our garden all ready, a major WIP (hmmm maybe I should make a garden quilt next LOL).  My husband has outdone himself this year!  He likes to create with wood, and cut and made a bunch of trellises and supports for our tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, and squash. 

He also set up a new method of growing potatoes... each bin has them planted in the bottom, and as they grow, the idea is to keep covering them up with mulch and straw (and soil?) so they grow up to the top.  When they're ready to harvest, you just open up the bin and there they are (or so we hope).  I helped plant seeds and set up the irrigation, and also spent a great deal of time removing "rockscaping" in our yard to make planting beds.  Backbreaking work! 

I actually haven't touched my sewing machine in almost a week, so I'm hoping to get back at it today!  I can't wait to see what everyone else is working on over at Don't Call Me Betsy!