More Marvelous Hexagon Blocks

I love to sew. I don't always have a goal in mind. If  I can piece and sew random blocks or paper pieced units, it doesn't bother me at all if they don't become a quilt right away. I've been known to let 5, 10 and even 15 years pass between when I started a quilt and when I finished it.

Today I want to share a few random, disconnected blocks that I've been working on. Just to show you that we designers don't always work with deadlines!

First, a few blocks made using Katja Marek's Hexagon Calendar as my inspiration. All of the blocks are designed for English Paper Piecing. I have made many using EPP, but some of them can be rotary cut and I go with that, too!

(You can see my Pinterest Board with many of the blocks I've made so far using Katja's book, The New Hexagon.)

Take a visit to Katja's Quilt Shop in Canada (well, visit it online!) She is a very talented lady with so many wonderful samples from her books and calendar.

The New Hexagon Perpetual Calendar

I have been busy with Festive Season by Jackie Robinson for Benartex. I have a blog post next week for Benartex (Technique Tuesday) featuring these fabrics, but these are just a few things I've made in the meantime.

November 25 in the calendar was easy to rotary cut. Diamonds, jewels and triangles. My project next week features this in a fabulous project. That's all I'm saying right now!

November 25 Block

Jackie's fabrics have these awesome cardinals that begged me to fussy cut them to feature in the center of a block. I call this Twisted Hexagon.

Twisted Hexagon (with two borders)

Let's see how I fussy cut another cardinal for a different block. Cut out a piece of freezer paper the size of needed patch; cut out paper center (leaving 1/2" of paper). Centered the motif and ironed freezer paper to fabric (so it adheres). Peel off freezer paper (can be reused multiple times).Cut out hexagon shape and ready to stitch.

Fussy Cutting a special motif: Cardinal

I loved the November 19 block. I gave it a name: Christmas Star and Hexagons. All shapes were easily rotary cut. And there are no y-seams.

Christmas Star and Hexagons (my name for this block)

And one more from November: the 27th. I shared this on Monday. I got to showcase those awesome ornate ornaments in that center hexagon. Again - no y-seams and all rotary cut.

November 27 block from The New Hexagon Perpetual Calendar

Last year I worked with a Benartex collection called My Little Chickadee. Let me show you a few blocks - using Katja's calendar and book - and the little birdies. These are from Katja's book, The New Hexagon.

Judy: Block #23

Block # 13: Judy (super sized, but English Paper Pieced using 1-3/4" hexagons and diamonds)

 Debbie, Block #30 (notice the "wrong" spelling!)

Debby block with a fussy cut chickadee in the center diamond

 These delightful little birdies begged me to fussy cut them. I used freezer paper as shown below. Unfortunately, he got a bit of his tail whacked off.

Fussy cutting one of the little chickadees

 Fussy cutting another little birdie. This was used in the Judy block above.

Fussy cutting for a 1-3/4" hexagon

 And one more . . .

Fussy cutting the little birdie with the berries

This is the July 1 block from the perpetual calendar:

July 1 block from Katja's perpetual calendar

The folks in the warehouse who cut the Benartex fabrics for me, didn't pay much attention to where their scissors sliced. They chopped off the heads of several birdies at the top and sliced their bodies off at the bottom. But, look how I pieced this one little birdie back together. Yes, there is a seam right through his throat. (I got these skills from garment sewing in the 1960s!)

Little chickadee pieced back together after encountering a guillotine in the Benartex cutting warehouse

 And I used this precious little guy in the center of my Twisted Hexagon block (finished to a small mug rug.)

Take a visit to Katja's author page at the Martingale web site: Katja Marek. You will see her book The New Hexagon - 52 Blocks to English Paper Piece (which I also own).

You can see my Pinterest Board with many of the blocks I've made so far using Katja's book, The New Hexagon. I've finished several of them and they are mug rugs and table mats. Go take a look!

The New Hexagon: 52 Blocks to English Paper Piece

And her new Coloring Book and Dresden Plate book (also for English Paper Piecing).

Hope you enjoyed seeing some beautiful fabric and some distinctively different quilt blocks. I love all things hexagon, and being able to rotary cut some gives me some quick ways to get to where I want to go.

I will be back next Tuesday with a wonderful reveal of more blocks made into a terrific project.