This was a post from November 2012. I have since put the blocks into a quilt top (with the help of my friend Rhoda) and it is going to my guild friend Jeannie to machine quilt for a charity giveaway.
Here's a recap with updates from this week.
I must confess: I am not a big fan of the muddy colors of reproduction fabrics. But when I saw this new collection from Windham Fabrics, New Colonies, I was immediately taken by them. Why? Who asks "why" when you have new fabric? You pull out your rotary cutter and start playing.
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| Aren't they beautiful?!! |
I am in my current streak "Turning 60" and my favorite shape, the HEXAGON, was beckoning. I had a set of 3" English Paper Piecing papers from years ago and started cutting out rectangles. Oh, you don't cut rectangles when you EPP? It sure is easier than skimpy hexagons and a lot quicker to cut.
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| Block #1 (fits on a 12-1/2" square). Notice the messy folds. |
You don't think I'm going to leave the backs of the hexagons looking like this, do you? It is faster to whip stitch around the corners (but not through the papers). Then I forgot about the hand stitching all together. I used my iron to press the folds, took out the cardstock paper and then (you won't believe this, but I am telling the truth): I butted the ends up together and used a teeny, tiny zigzag stitch with invisible poly thread in top, white in bobbin, and stitched the 6 hexagons together. Click the pic and see it up close!
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| Block #1 front. You can't see the top stitches in real life, either! |
Now I was on a roll. But, then I thought I should at least cut out the hexagons. I did and then sewed the 6 outer hexagons into a ring (just like I did in my September post "Owls Are the Bomb."
Now, where do you think I'm going with my hexagons made with New Colonies? Here are a few other modified/simplified EPP blocks:
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| Compare Block #2 and its back below with Block #1 |
Another block:
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| Block #3 |
I soon realized that it would be smarter to cut hexagons for my work. This is where
my 60 degree ruler comes into play. This info has been shared several times in the past with a variety of my quilts. A folded strip cut as seen below will create a perfect hexagon shape.
Open it up and this is what you get!
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| Perfect hexagon! |
I stitched until I had 16 blocks.
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| 16 Blocks pieced on 3" papers |
Then I played around with an assembly. (Bad lighting, I know, but you get the picture!)
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| Assembly #1 |
And then just straight up!
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| Assembly #2 |
I finally appliquéd them to background squares. A quilting friend (Rhoda) put the blocks together and I added the borders yesterday. It goes to the longarm quilter tomorrow and will be designated another charity quilt. Notice how Rhoda arranged the blocks - not all with the hexagon at the top; some have the "v's" at the top.
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| Large Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt |
I must have given away all the leftover fabrics from New Colonies. Sigh! I am itching to play with these amazing colors again. I just dug out my
Jamestown fabrics (also by Windham). They have that poison green, the fugitive purple and chrome yellow so you may see some more blocks like this.
Check out my
multi-sized 60 degree triangle ruler at my Etsy shop. I bet you probably have one similar to it (Creative Grids, Fons and Porter). But I bet you didn't know you can cut whole and half hexagons with it!
I am with you on muddy colors in general. But sometimes they surprise me like these ones.
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