I have never been more excited to share with you a quilt than I am today!! My hexie flower quilt is done. Finally! No more basting hexies or sewing flowers together. When I initially started back in the summer of 2015, I never thought it would take me this long. In fact it was going so slow tha
No idea of the total now; I've added almost two more whole rows around. Nice picture taken in the sun, instead of a dark hotel room. :)
You can create any number of shapes with this technique, but there's a reason that the humble hexagon is so popular - hexagons fit together...
Hi friends, Today I am sharing some photos of the Kona hexie quilt I made last month as my entry into the Quiltcon Quilt Show for next year. I have shared many progress pictures on Instagram and a few over here on the blog so I am so excited to share the final quilt with you all! The method I use for the application and the quilting can be found in my Hexie Pillow pattern. I would say this is more of an art quilt due to the delicate nature of the hexagons, but would look lovely draped at the end of your bed, or like I intend to use it, as a wall hanging in my house. Here are a few images from this earlier post showing the full range of Robert Kaufman's Kona solid collection. This includes the entire collection of 303 Kona cotton solid colors in hexagon form. These took a little while to create and were mostly made on the airplane when I had some time here and there to make a few. These have become my favorite traveling project just because of the small amount of materials that you need and how easy they are to sew up a few here and there while I am out of town. This was the first time I had tried this method of modern hexies on such a large quilt - this is a throw sized quilt and the previous quilts are all mini's. Thankfully it came together much easier than I expected. I layered my solid white fabric with my cotton batting and then hung it up in my dining room with a few thumbtacks stretching it out flat. Using the crease I made with my iron I just glued in no particular order onto the solid fabric. Once you make a few of these you can just eye ball the pattern and since I had my stack of hexies in color order I tried to keep the flow nice by having the darker solids in the middle getting lighter as I reached the edges. Here are some final shots of the quilt, I so enjoyed sewing this one up and am looking forward to making a new one in a different style. The quilt rack shown in some of these images is actually a fantastic towel stand that was only $20 that I found at Ikea. I have tested it out with over 5 throw quilts and it is so sturdy and quite nice to look at! I discovered when folding up in different ways and placing on the quilt rack that it takes on a whole new look with the different sections of color. You can make it match just about any room in your house if folded correctly! A huge thank you to Robert Kaufman for supplying me with the Kona 303 collection for this project. It has been a dream item on my list to create and am so very thankful to the ladies who assisted me with this! If you would like to make a project using the Modern Hexie method I used - you can find instructions in the Hexie Pillow pattern, the pattern includes a link to download your own hexie templates and video links on how to start your project. Thanks for stopping by today friends! -Nicole
Since my last post was about churn dash blocks I thought I would share a picture of the first miniature quilt that I made because it was made with churn dash blocks. I call it Persian Tiles and it was made in 1998. The six larger churn dash blocks measure 3" and the two small blocks are 1 1/2". All were pieced on the sewing machine - these blocks were not foundation paper pieced! Persian Tiles by Karen H 1998 I used the method I described here to make the blocks. The pieces for the smaller blocks started a little larger. I made the HSTs and I trimmed them down to size. I just love these little churn dash blocks because they are a terrific way to use small scraps. One thing I've learned over the years is that even the ugliest of fabrics become beautiful if you cut them small! Time to get back to my Birds in the Loft hexagon quilt. I've selected seven red fabrics that I will use to make 34 stars for the border of the quilt and I've made seven sample hexagon star rosettes. I've done other tutorials on making them but thought I would do a refresher today. I start with a sheet of hexagons. I draw a line from the upper left corner of a hexagon and extend it to the lower right corner of the hexagon below. I repeat by drawing a line from the upper right corner of a hexagon and extend it to the lower left corner of the hexagon below. I cut the hexagons out. I trace around a triangle star point and add a 1/4" seam allowance all around. I cut out the paper template. From my fabric I cut a 2 1/2" strip of fabric. I lay the paper template on the strip of fabric and start cutting the star points. I use my rotary cutter to do this - it is a short cut so I don't use a ruler. If I accidentally cut the paper template I just make myself a new one! I need six star points for each rosette. Place a tiny dab of glue on the wrong side of the hexagon in the area that will form the star point. I place the hexagon on the star point (Fig. 1). The lines of the star points are the sewing lines; I make sure that there is a narrow seam allowance (slightly less than 1/4") beyond the sewing lines. If I place the hexagon closer to the bottom the seam allowance will be larger and if I move it to the top it will be narrower. I clip the point of the star fabric so that it is 1/4" beyond the paper (Fig. 2). I shorten the stitch length on my sewing machine. I place my hexagon with the star point fabric on the background fabric as indicated in Fig. 3 and I sew from the top to the bottom. It is important that the first seam start at the star point because it will make sewing the next piece of fabric easier. In Fig. 4 I've folded back the paper and I'll trim the seam allowance with scissors to tidy it up. I then fold the paper back, the background fabric is pressed away from the star point (Fig. 5) and I trim the excess fabric away (Fig. 6) leaving a generous seam allowance of about 3/8". This will make the basting much easier. I repeat these steps with the fabric on the other side of the star point. I use a knitting needle, crochet hook or orange stick and slide it between the paper and the star fabric to break the glue bond. The final step is to baste the star point. I find it easier to fold fabric over the paper so that I don't have bulky corners. Notice in the hexagon on the left that the bottom edge of the star is folded up and the sides are folder over. This makes for nice flat corner with minimal bulk. I like to use Elmer's School Glue to tack the paper to my fabric because it is washable, fabric safe and does not create a strong bond (that makes breaking the bond between the fabric and paper very easy). I only need to tack the fabric temporarily to hold it in place. Once I've made six star points I'll stitch them together to make an open donut and then I'll set in the centre hexagon. Once the star is completely surrounded by other hexagons I can remove the papers. I may need a pair of tweezers to grab the smaller pieces on the sides however they tend to come out very easily provided that I shorten my stitch length on the sewing machine. I've also made some more hexagon rosettes for the quilt. Don't forget to drop by The Needle and Thread Network for WIP Wednesday. It's where Canadian quilters share what they are working on! Time for me to get sewing. Sure hope you enjoyed what I shared with you today. Until I post again happy sewing! Karen H
How To Hexi / English Paper Pieced (EEP) Hexies Tutorial and Pattern
Looking for a quick and easy project, that makes the perfect gift for a book lover and is an ideal scrap busting project? Look no further! This hand quilted ...
I finished two hexie half-stars this week. Last weekend I pushed all of the furniture out of the way, and vacuumed and mopped, whic...
I love making EPP hexies. It's mindless work for when I want to occupy my hands but don't want to think about what I'm doing. They are a great portable project for on the road work. But, honestly, I get kinda bored with the standard layouts I see. Yeah, yeah, yeah .. seen that, seen that, seen that. BUT THEN .. this layout just showed up on my FB feed. It's *stunning*. Absolutely amazingly incredible. I think to get the color distribution right, you'd almost need to have a design wall and put the hexies up as you make them or graph it all out before you even start. Either way, I really, really, really love this layout.
My projects fall into one of two categories. There are the ones whose inception I labor over. I plot the design, the palette, the fabric pull—sometimes for months. Then there are these other projects that come out of nowhere and I bang out with little thought. This is the story of one of those latter projects. When I learned that a friend was leaving the area to tackle new adventures, I remembered this project I had seen posted on Instagram and decided to make her a rainbow of modern hexies. A few hours later, I was happily cutting some Alison Glass charm squares into smaller chunks and basting them, English paper-piecing style, into hexagon form. This technique was developed by Nicole Daksiewicz, of Modern Handcraft. She has made oodles of projects by hand basting and machine appliqueing hexagons to quilts, pillows, and pin cushions. (For real. Check out her hexie projects here.) I probably could have figured out how to make this pillow on my own, but I was happy to pay the $10 to support Nicole’s work. I’m not sure why it took me so long to tackle a modern hexie project. First of all, basting the 1-inch hexagons proved to be a lot of fun. I have two little boys who are hell-bent on depriving me of any daytime quilting time this summer, and by the time they’re in bed, I’m too tired to do much of anything. But the hexies I baste on the couch, TV on, the husband and 65-pound “lap dog” next to me. Fun! Plus, the appliqueing was easier than I would have thought. After pressing the basted hexagons and arranging them in a pleasing configuration, I followed Nicole’s instructions and glued them to the background fabric. The subsequent quilting design, which depends on careful placement of the hexies, was somewhat forgiving. Granted, I made an 18-inch pillow, not a quilt, so the threshold for success was rather low. But it’s a triumph nonetheless! The moral of this story? If you haven’t tried Nicole’s modern hexie technique, you should. I already have a second pillow in the works as well as another Noodlehead Market Bag that I plan on adorning with hexagons. Linking up to Needle and Thread Thursday and Finish It Up Friday ...
If you like patchwork like me then here's something that might save you some time! I LOVE vintage fabric and I have an extensive collection and these days whenever I make something I turn the leftover pieces into patchwork hexies. SO I have Hexie pieces are ready for you to start sewing together ! See photos for cushion examples - last two made by customer Chloe - thanks for letting me share your fabulous creations! What do you get: Six Hexie packs - each pack is a set of 10 hexies Each set of ten is either all of one design OR a mix of toning designs/colours That's is 60 Hexies in all Each Hexie is 7 cm measured from point to point Enough for approximately a 40cm square piece ( for a cushion front) These are generally all vintage fabrics. Handsewn onto paper and ready to sew together A paper template from which to make more hexies if required. The 2nd and 3rd photos show 56 of my hexie 'odds' sewn together into a square in preparation to be sewn into a 40cm by 40cm cushion to confirm that 60 is enough for a cushion of that size - but of course you don't have to use them for a cushion ! I do not make them to order so it's a selection of what I have in stock - it is a bit of a lucky dip ! the photos show a range of fabrics but the mix varies overtime BUT let me know the colour range you'd like and I will make a selection and pop a photo off to you for your approval. Read more
With a ton of things to do before the end of the year I got distracted yet again! I saw the "Quilt as you go Hexagon" tutorial from Missouri Star Quilt Co. (here) and realized that this was my kind of hexie! Paper piecing and little hexies scare me - but this bigger, faster and easy version seemed like a whole lot of fun. You don't have to buy a template; there are lots of tutorials and videos that show you the same technique using cardboard and different sized units. I did get the one sold by MSQC on their daily deal and am loving it. I got a "Scrap Pack" of fabric from Hawthorne Supply Co. in Amy Butler fabric to expand my own Amy stash. This may not be the traditional way to do this but here is my process. Cut your larger hexie and then with a pencil trace the image of where the batting and smaller hexie will go. Position your batting on your pencil lines and stick the batting down with the help of a little glue stick. Pin the smaller hexie onto the batting. Put a little glue on the bottom edge of the larger hexie. Make the first fold and press. Then dab a little more glue onto the hexie, fold and press with the iron. Apply glue and press one side at a time. The MSQC tutorial shows Jenny using "Magic Pins" - pins that have a silicone tip that can be ironed and not melt. I don't have those and figured applique glue would work, which it does just fine. Lastly, straight stitch around the unit and that's it. Will experiment in the final joining of all the hexies with a thicker #28 weight Aurifil thread using a zig zag so that stitching shows up even more. This is a long term project but it's easy to pick up for a quick sewing fix when one gets tired of bigger projects and you 'just want to sew something!' So, for good instructions and lots of ideas of what to make with these hexies - check out the MSQC video here. Materials: Quilt As You Go Hexagon Template from Missouri Star Quilt Co. Amy Butler everything :) Hawthorne Supply Co. Aurifil Thread #50 weight (#2024-white) Warm & White batting scraps Roxanne Glue Baste Glue & Collins Fabric Glue Stick December 2019
Megan from Canoe Ridge Creations had an epiphany after finishing her x and + quilt. She figured out a creative way to use her leftover HSTs (half square triangles). Clever! Image credit: Canoe Ridg…
A larger piece of this crazy thing I'm doing. 1 inch honeycomb, and 1 inch squares, all EPP, and handsewn. Bottom pieces still to be stitched together.
Last week I finished my Modern Hexies Rainbow. This table runner / wall hanging is made using a technique made popular by Nicole Daksiewicz of Modern Handcraft. You can find her tutorial here. I decided to made a rainbow wall hanging because I loved the thought of the bright hexies against the grey Heath fabric from Alexander Henry. I had some Heath left over from my Wheel of Fortune mini quilt. I recycled the 1" hexie papers I used to make Honeycomb Spin. They are called 1" hexies because each side is 1" long (that's how paper pieces are measured). And for my final thrifty step, I dug through my scraps and cut a hexie from each of the RPYGBIV fabrics I came across. So this quilt is made entirely from things I already had at home. Getting the hexies evenly spaced is the trickiest part of this design. I had already made a mini quilt just to try out this technique (see below), and I knew the hexies had to be straight so the quilting lines could run through them nicely. I like to use my long ruler to keep the rows evenly spaced. The hexies are all glued down with Roxanne's glue, and then machine quilted, so they are quite secure. I decided to quilt with a variegated Auriful thread I had on hand. I thought that white thread would highlight any crooked lines in the quilting, and dark colours might just disappear into the grey. So I decided to compromise and use a variegated thread. I marked lines with my hera marker, but they were difficult to see on the grey Heath fabric, so I resorted to using a chalk pencil too. When it came to the binding I was really stuck. Did I want black and white to let the hexies shine? Or did I want a bright colour? And if so, which colour? Mulitcolour just looked crazy. So I went to my local quilt shop, Nancy's Stitch Studio, and the owner Mary Self suggested black and white with pops of colour. I loved that idea, but was worried that a pop of colour might end up on the corner bend and be very bulky. Mary said that sometimes she just makes up the binding as she is sewing it onto the quilt! What a rebel!! Why hadn't I thought of that? Anyway, that's what I did. I started with a little bit of quilt maths, but then made it up as I went along. Thank you Mary! Unfortunatley the grey background is very hard to photograph. It looks dark in some photos and light in others. Trust me - it's really nice in real life. Finished size 40" x 20"
Are you Ready to get your Hexie on? 1. new bag!!! , 2. Pillow Talk { Swap }...??? , 3. a hexagon potholder , 4. hexagon pillow 2 , 5. STUD ...
Jenny Clouston had been making since a young child. Her reward is the process; in the actual doing, creating and stitching.
BLOGGED teaatweasels.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/a-jolly-crafty-update...
Hello, friends! This time of year I'm all about hand-work projects -- binding, embriodery, cross-stitch, knitting, & English Paper Piecing. Any little project that I can take with in the car or can work on from under the warmth of a quilt. That last one is most important, from under the warmth of a quilt. Have I mentioned to you how COLD it is in Minnesota?! If you've been following along on Facebook or Instagram you may have noticed I've been working on a fun new English Paper Piecing project. It all started with precut package of hexagons from Robert Kaufman in a wonderful rainbow of solids. I wanted to create a unique project using the hexagons and immediately decided upon English Paper Piecing. I really wanted to preserve the array of rainbow colors rather than mix them up, so this hexagon color wheel design was born. I love it! Each Hexagon was paper pieced & hand sewn together in to one complete hexagon ring. If you'd like to try English Paper Piecing, check out this post for more information & helpful tips! Once I had my completed hexagon ring I appliqued it onto White Kona cotton using a simple straight-stitch. I straight-line quilted this mini quilt rather than distract from the over all design with more intricate quilting -- plus, it's my favorite way to quilt! I used Aurifil thread (color 2024, 50 wt.) and my BERNINA walking foot to create these straight-line quilting lines about 1/2" apart. The resulting texture just makes me happy! :) The binding fabric is the black & white feather print from Alison Glass' Sunprints for Andover Fabrics. This print makes a fabulous binding, I can't wait to use it in more projects! Happy Sewing! Megan
It's a double whammy month - the new issue of Hexie Love is available HERE! Still only $5.99! I sent out issue to all previous subscribers yesterday - if by some odd chance you did not receive yours, please let me know! Email me: [email protected] And here's the September Hexie BOM - it's another fun one. I am not super thrilled over my fabric choices - should have, would have, could have added more contrast. Oh well. They say some blocks should sing and some should just be quiet - so this one will be shy... I hope you are all having a happy hexie week!!!
I have to share with you my new crafting project LOVE, hexies. I figured while I was in the car I would show you how to sew hexies on-the-go.
We're diving into purple territory now, plus yellow hexie #3 has been added. Until next time...please visit the Curlicue Creations Shop...and have a super day! Get Creative! Jennifer Schifano Thomas
I really love this pattern! You can have so much fun with colors, patterns, and fabrics. I used EIGHT different fabrics in mine. And yes, I used BROWN! Brown can play really well with lots of colors, so give it a shot sometime. AND, did you notice? Today I've released the March/April 2015 issue of Hexie Love - see the link above! I hope you enjoy and have a happy hexie day!
It's Friday. The kids have been back to school all week and I'm just finding a little time to work today. It's amazing how much there is to do keeping everyone organized, happy, and running a household. Until next time...please visit the Curlicue Creations Shop...and have a super day! Get Creative! Jennifer Schifano Thomas
