Can I get some ideas?
 

I'm about to go out on a limb here, and hope someone can help. Along with all the other quilts I am planning on starting, I'm now getting Charm Squares every month. I already have a plan on using them, calling a version of the Grandmother's Flower Garden the "Smoking Charms Quilt". There is a reason for this name. I'm planning on turning the charm squares into 1 inch hexagons (using the EPP die from AccuQuilt), but need some more ideas. I'm going to use these hexagons as a replacement for smoking.

What I can't decide is should I just use the fabric as is, or maybe do some embroidery for the center of the flowers to represent the fact that I'm quitting? The hand sewing part is what I want to do to replace that cigarette in my hands. Help me with a decision, please?

I'm not a hand quilter so please forgive my lack of expertise but anything that keeps your hands busy and away from the habit you're trying to break seems like a good idea to me!! Good luck!! :)

I would use the 4" or 6" hexagons, maybe embroider the center or plain areas, then embroider the lines inbetween the hexagons. Date each one, embroider a word of encouragement to yourself, "You go, Girl!" or something to that effect. That way it will not take forever as I have used the 1/2" hex to make a flag and it took 3 years. Go to Pinterest and look at some that are embroidered. Lots to see. Have fun.

As a smoker myself, I'd first concentrate on getting your flowers and paths done and then concentrate on the embroidery. You may find that a) your habit is broken by the time you have completed your top; b) with the fabrics you've chosen that it may not need the addition of embroidery.

You always have the option of adding embroidery once you have your flowers/paths completed and/or the top. Your hands/brain will tell you where you need to go.

No suggestions but just wanted to congratulate you on your efforts to quit smoking an addiction that is hard to break.

Thanks Heavens I never started smoking. However, I understand addiction....mine is Dr. Pepper!

Favorite book with Hexies is: Quilts from Grandmother's Garden by Jaynette Huff.

I just want to wish you success in quitting. It is an extremely difficult habit to break but if you are determined and get past that first week, you can be home free. Remember that smoking is a two part addiction, the nicotine physical addiction and the actual physical habit of just lighting up and associating a cigarette with various activities. When I quit 10 years ago, I took up knitting socks to keep my hands busy especially in the evenings. I had to focus on what I was doing, learning the process, etc and while it helped to keep my hands busy, I had to stop at some point and that is when I wanted a cigarette. All I am saying is be prepared. I used to call my sister and tell her I was taking a "cigarette break" just to break the pattern and habit, this worked for me as I was totally determined to quit.
I am so glad that I finally quit and there is NOTHING in the world that would make me take one more puff. Wishing you much success.
Now if I could develop such determination in breaking my sugar addiction!!! I am working on it though.

I admire your determination! I would also agree with NJ Quilter. I would do the flowers first, then add embellishments.

Congratulations on your decision to quit! I smoked a straw for 6 months after I quit. Like Murphy, I would never take another puff. Quitting was so hard I would not want to do it again. You have a plan to keep yourself busy, that is a good first step. You might consider asking your physician about any therapies he can recommend to help you on your journey. Good luck, you can do this!!!

I am in my 7th year of not smoking, after 48 years of smoking. It was and is still hard. I hope and pray that this was the last time I have to quit. Still have trouble on the phone, but coloring books and crayons help with that. Will say a prayer that you are successful.

Thank you all for the encouragement. I am working with my doctor and will have meds that will help with the nicotine part. I'm hoping that working on this quilt will help with breaking the physical part of the addiction. I'll go with doing the flowers and the path first, then see if I want to add something else when it's done. At this point, if it takes me either 3 years or 20 years to get this quilt done, I will be able to look back on it and remember how long I have quit smoking.

I quit for the third time about 20 years ago. I took the pills, I chewed the gum and stayed busy. I chewed the gum for several months. Then, I switched to sugarless gum for another couple of years. The one thing I had to finally get is that you can never have just one cigarette. If you do, you're hooked again. It might take a few weeks to start smoking again, but once you have one, you'll have another. Then, you'll have another.

That's a lesson I learned the hard way. Good luck.

bkay

If you are turning charms into hexagons, you do not have to precut your precuts. A square that is 1.5 inches bigger can make the hexie.

2.5 inch square makes a one inch hexie, fold fabric around 1" hexie paper, sew each corner, trim
3" square makes a 1.5" hexie - to make a 1.5" hexie start with a 3 " square
3.5" square makes a 2" hexie - 2 3.5
4 " square makes a 2.5" hexie - 2.5 4
5" square (charm) makes a 3.5 " hexie - 3.5 5
etc, etc

My suggestion is to do all of these things - whatever you want to do at that moment. If you feel like cutting - cut some hexies. If you want to feel like you want to 'make' something - sew some hexies together. If you really feel the need to focus tightly on something - do some embroidery. The point is, do whatever it is that will take your focus off wanting to smoke. Congrats on trying to kick the habit and good luck! Another motivator might be the idea that all the money you will be saving can be used to buy more fabric!!!!!

This is a great quilt idea! I think the 1" hexies will be enough work - you won't need to add embroidery to make the project keep your hands busy. Of course, that depends on how much you smoke and how big you want the quilt to be. The biggest hexie project I've completed was pillow-sized, and it took ages. I'm part of an English paper piecing group on Facebook, and I would guess that a queen-sized quilt would take you a good year to complete, if you sew whenever you would have smoked (plus in the evening to keep you occupied).

Do you enjoy hand embroidery? If you decide you want to add embroidery, you can always do so after you have the flowers pieced; I would just be cautious about deciding to do it up front, and having it turn into something you don't have time for or don't really care about. This could make you feel like you have "failed" at the quilt, when it should feel like part of your success.

As an aside, I don't cut the fabric into hexagon shapes for 1" hexies; I just use 2.5" squares. The bit of extra fabric in the seam allowance doesn't hurt anything, and it means I get 4 pieces out of a charm square.

My last cigarette cost me $300. Threw it out the window after having been ill. Town marshall pulled me over. That was more than 30 years ago. The hubs has not lit since 2010 this month. He keeps the large Snyder's Pretzel rods handy. They're about the size of a cigar. He always has them around. He used to buy a carton every 10 days and at the last carton at $55 times 3 that's a lot of money. It may have been more but he always had a coupon. Marlboro reds was his choice. I don't miss it at all. I know longer smell like smoke and neither does our home. So if you need a break from the busy hands you may want to reach for a pretzel cigar instead. I grab one once in awhile myself. Yes I often still want one but feeling great with the alternative pretzel.

I applaud your determination to quit smoking. You can do it!

If it were me I'd "smoke" on the seam ripper!

Praying for success. My parents both smoked and Dad only quit when he had to have a heart valve replacement and was in ICU longer than normal because his lungs didn't respond. Mom quit when Dad did. Thank goodness. Dad is no longer with us as his pig valve lived its life of 10 yrs. and he opted for no more. Mom is 92 1/2. I never did take up the habit or use alcohol. My addiction was sugar & diet soda, but on chemo it no longer calls my name. Hope that side effect never changes.

Good for you! Choosing to quit is a life saver. I look forward to you posting your progress on the forum. You can do this and have a beautiful quilt.

I, too, applaud you. Another thing to look into are hickory nuts. You can embroider the centers and whipstitch the nuts together. There is a lot of info posted here on them. Best of luck!

:shock: Just the thought of EPP 1" hexies makes me want to smoke, (I'm horrible w/hand sewing) lol! Wishing you the best of luck in kicking the habit. Keeping your hands busy is a must! You can do it! :thumbup:

Thank you all for the encouragement!!! Makes me feel better already. Wanted to clarify why I chose the 1" hexies. Because I can't cut a straight line (even with a ruler) is why I'm getting the die from Accuquilt. And it even has the added bonus of being able to cut the papers at the same time is a big bonus for me. Plus its the biggest EPP die they had. The other reason is that I am planning on taking these to work so I have something to keep my hands busy during breaks and lunch, where I'm smoking during them now. Habits at home are already changing.

I think I might wait to do any embroidery on them until I get one plain flower done (all white) so I can either paint or embroider my quit date on it.

My actual quit date is in the middle of April, so trying to get everything together before hand.
Again, thank you all for the encouragement. It means a lot to me.

i've made 4 epp quilts, 2 3/4" and 2 1". i cut some ladybug into mine. i think it will be cute to do that. i enjoyed looking for fabrics that had different types of bugs on them. Good luck with it. 2 yrs ago, I started one that was a 1". I did it June July and August. I finished it them. it was a bit bigger than a 60 x 80. My fingers are still hurting everytime i think of it. I'm now doing a 2" star EPP. This one is aqua and white. when i'm done with that, i'll finihs the purple, pink and yellow one. it's addicting, so it's a good replacement for the ciagaretes. good luck.

Good luck on quitting. You can do it.

Good luck with your hexi's. I want to try them, just have not gotten to it yet. Congrats on your decision to quit smoking. I quit 1-1/2 yrs ago. for the 2nd time. I wasn't sure if I could(husband smokes) so purchased patches, lozenges & got Chantix. Didn't like the lozenges & didn't use the patches or pills. Don't really know why, maybe just being a stubborn 'Dutchman'. So far, so good. I'm sure since you have made the decision you'll be able to do it. Just keep trying & 1 day you'll have a new habit. :thumbup:

You will feel so much better once you kick the habit. Stay strong!

As for the hexies - there are blogs and groups online for what to do with EPP (English Paper Piecing). Check there too. I am not a fan so I can't offer advice. I think if I had to do EPP, I'd start smoking again. lol

Quitting this habit is HARD! Can you do it? YES!!!!!!! I quit 32 years ago last Nov. I am writing you because I too, used handwork to help me have something to do with my hands. I began x-stitching then. I am sure I didn't do my very best work . . . so my advice is not to be too hard on yourself . . . but also DON'T let it make you so nervous that it creates other problems for you. I remember this as one of the hardest things I ever did, but my doctor told me not to quit until I knew I was ready and not to allow myself ANY options afterward. He said if you "start playing around with it" it will never work . . . COLD TURKEY is best". I found that to be true and after hearing so many stories from others, I really believe it was the best advice. After a few days, your mind will be the battleground . . . and I personally depended on prayer. I am sending you my best thoughts and prayers for your success. KNOW that success is only days away!

I've been a heavy smoker for almost 60 years and have tried to quit numerous times, using all the methods out there. I finally tried lozenges for the 2nd or 3rd time and it's been working for 2 months now. I find myself getting much more done because I try to keep myself busy doing anything rather than smoking. I am probably spending as much money on the lozenges as I did on cigarettes, but I keep telling myself the lozenges are healthier for me than smoking. I have RA and can no longer do anything that requires me to use a needle. I have knee and back issues, but I try to walk when the weather is decent. The walking helps keep the weight off since I find myself eating more--the hand and mouth connection. I really feel that this time I'll make it. My good thoughts and wishes are with you and anyone else trying to quit. It is the hardest thing I've done in my life!

Bravo to you for taking this very important step, you can do it, truly. You CAN!

I quit and my daughter said then why don't you throw out your cigarettes mom? So I took my 2 fresh packs and broke them all & put them in the trash. Then she said are there anymore you have? I said no. She said, Liar! I can see a pack sticking out of your purse :shock: So then she had me break those up.

Remember the benefits. You aren't going to *automatically* gain weight...it's not a sentence!
Your breath, your car, everything will be sweeter, your skin will glow, your tastes will sharpen, you save $$. You won't pollute. You will breathe so much better.
You will also think about having a cigarette, and that's okay. Thinking about it is fine, just not doing it.

True story. One day after I quit I was out for a walk and I was feeling very low and thought, I wish I had a cigarette now. (As if that will EVER change anything for the better...) I hadn't taken 2 steps when I looked down and there was a whole cigarette on the sidewalk, not damp, all fresh, someone must have dropped it a few minutes before. Such luck! And I started laughing at this comical universe which is so ready to test my resolve at every turn: I stepped over it and walked on, very much happier because I could resist.

You are doing the right thing, replacing a negative with a positive. At times you will want to smoke, but you will have power. And more power after that, & more power to you!

Congratulations! I quit after 30+ years. I was interviewing and I carried a insulated cup with a straw, water, tea or whatever in it. The main thing was the straw! It satisfied the urge to "light up" and pull on a cigarette. it was acceptable in every situation! And it really helped so my recommendation is always have a bottle of water (or your choice but water is best!) handy for that moment you put down the handiwork... Best of luck!

I started a quilt with 1" hexagons well over 25 years ago. I finished 3 years ago. I agree with Ragamuffin that larger hexies would be better and you would still have "the bang for your buck" in keeping your hands busy. Also, there is the added bonus of rythmic hand motion is proven to lower blood pressure and stress level. Your project would be bigger but you would have moe sufac to embellish or embroider.

Believe it or not my sister quit and used a baby pacifer when she wanted one! True story and it worked for her! LOL

Thank you all for the suggestions. Hairquilt, I would get very funny looks at work if I used a pacifier at work. I finally came to some decisions. Embroider (or maybe paint) after it's done, also going to do the suggestion of the larger hexagons. Just got the papers for 2" side hexagons, so going to do that. Still debating on actual flowers or just be random (kind of like an I Spy quilt). I think for that, I'll let the charm squares speak to me as I baste them onto the paper hexagons on how to lay them out.