Hexagon Challenges & Decisions

Day 5

Sitting with my foot up

I am feeling very  excited about this project.

As I rummaged through my stash of fabrics I  had forgot about just how many  fat quarters of fabric I had with sewing themes on them. 

Now that I have cut my hexagons and  I even fussy cut a few…. .the go cutter makes this process so easy….

ahhh I do love my Accuquilt GO

I need to decided about a design that will also suit my situation of sitting.

Design Brief…. make something fun to show my love of sewing using my sewing themed fabrics.

Limitations: Must be able to complete sitting  and with  hand stitching, with limited access to my gadgets & supplies in my sewing room. ( I do not want to risk sending DH into my girl cave to many times)

What can you do with a hexagon??????

After  doing some researching on the net…(yes laptop is close at hand), I found several designs.

1. Tiled Hexagon arrangement – where hexagons are just stitched in rows  to create a pattern.
• this design is very achievable with fabrics I have, I can just mix them up & sew, row after row. and would give a scrappy look.
2. A Charm hexagon quilt – where every hexagon is a different fabric  stitched in rows.
• this design I could achieve with the amount of different fabrics I have  however, I will only using one hexagon of fabric and I want to display more of each fabric in the quilt
3. A grandmothers flower garden- where the hexagons are arranged into a flower shape then join together to create a second pattern. The flowers can be 2 rows big or 3 rows  or 4 rows  depending on final design.
• this design shape is still my favourite but I think I will add a Kimzeee twist to it.

And the Winner is......

A  flower design  with  Kimzeee twist, it is to be.

Fabrics have been sorted into  light & dark backgrounds

Most of my hexagons I have cut at least 6 hexagons of each fabric and i can cut more  if needed.

so let the party & fun  begin

I need to mark my hexagons seam allowance….

Oh dear

I need some  more gadgets from my sewing room….

 Lucky son is home today I can send him to fetch…

 this could be fun

 as I  describe what he is looking for & where I left it last.

1. 2 Marking pen – Pilot Frixion Pen, disappears with heat, a purple & a pink ( lucky they are my favourite colours)
2. 1/4” clear plastic ruler – this is so handy
3. sandpaper board-  this has fine sandpaper glued to a board that is perfect for marking as it grips the fabric

ok he found them … 

with a few yelling matches back & forward …

” try here or try here” ….

from me in the front of the house & him at the back of the house.

All gadgets found

Marking all the 1/4" seam allowances in before I stitch

with my Frixion pen.

  now comes the fun bits 

arranging fabrics to create a flower shape

I am creating the  flowers by using  a light coloured center & dark petals or a dark center and light petals.

I lay them out on my board to decide arrangement

PC is keeping me company

join together the hexagons,

using a  small running stitch, 

from intersection of each corner to corner,

joining each piece to center piece until you have a completed flower

Flower 1

Flower 2

Flower 3

Ok that's enough  fun for today

Have fun sewing

Kim

Hexagon Sewing Theme Quilt Project

4 days ago I had a foot operation,  3 days on pain pills & sitting  with foot elevated has lead  me to a new project, so I don't go completely nutty over the next 2 weeks, with  sitting & healing,  I needed a new project !!!!!!!

Now what can I do ?

I  have nothing prepared for hand stitching, every project I have is machine stitching.
I have my Accuquilt Go cutter… now can I use this sitting in a chair with my foot elevated….????
I think I can if I just get DH to bring out my portable sewing table I got when I was 12.
This is very Dangerous sending DH into my girl cave, he might see all the stuff I really have…

Now what Accuquilt cutting die do I want…..???

&

What fabric do I want to use?????

I have been collecting fabric with a sewing theme for the past 6 years & I would love to do something with them.

Oh NOOOOOOOOOO

I have to send DH into my stash cupboard to get my container of sewing theme fabrics…

 

Do I dare send him to my stash cupboard…..
There is no other way  to get it…. 
He returns with my very full container of fabrics…. with a smile…..pheeeeeeeeew


ok  Go cutter organised, fabric selected…
Now what pattern can I do or want to do….

When I first started quilting and patchwork in my 20’s I made hundreds of 2” hexagons, cutting each shape individually, cutting all the paper templates & then stitching them into flower shapes   but  somewhere along the line when we moved houses they were thrown out as rubbish..grrrrrrrr and I haven't made one since.

But I did buy the hexagon die when I purchased my Accuquilt go cutter.
Looking at my stash of themed sewing fabrics  I think the  largest hexagon in the Accuquilt dies  would be perfect  for my project as it would show off the different fabrics designs.

I have used a black sharpie to outline die

Ok now can I cut these out sitting with my foot elevated..???

First I need to make strips wide enough to go over the 5”hexagon shape

Now normally I would cut  the strips using a rotary cutter & mat but that isn't possible in this position so I roughly measure  the fabric across shape and did the old fashion rip along the grain line.

While this is using  more fabric  this is all about achieving the end results and I have stacks of fabric

now this strip, allows me to fold it over 3 times, but I can cut up to 6 layers at once

I then placed my well used protective mat over fabric & position the die to go threw the cutter.

Winding the handle until it is all threw the Go cutter..easy sitting in the chair

Removing the cutting matt of fabric  you can see the hexagon shape cut out.

Removing the outside excess fabric and stash in plastic bag for other projects…

and

I have 3 perfect hexagons, cut in 10 seconds that  it took me to roll it threw the machine

and best of all, my  foot is elevated  & healing. 

Now too roll, cut, roll, cut, the day away

I have sorted the hexagons  into  lights (creams, beiges and white) backgrounds

  and dark backgrounds.

that's enough for one day

am feeling a little tired

but excited about this project.

stay tuned to see what I create with these hexagons over the next two weeks

have fun sewing

Kim

Vintage Valentine Quilt

As  I  work my way through the blocks of this quilt,
 I am thinking there is an easier way to do this !!!!

the flower petals are driving me nuts they are so fiddley.

I think I bought something a few years ago at a fair that makes this easier…… 

(I am always buying some gadget at these fairs)

so off searching

I go through the drawers, cupboards..

mmmm  its a brown thingy I'm looking for….

yep found it..

an

Applique Mat

Now I  can remember being very impressed when I first seen this,
but instructions on the back of it are very basic.

So lets give it a go with the next block.

this will tested it out with all those little flower petals…..

Fabrics selected

block  instructions

1.  Flip the pattern  over & trace  the other side of the pattern with a dark marking pen,  ready to trace out shapes onto the applique fusing

2.  Select one fabric, then trace all the pieces that are using that fabric, onto the fusing webbing. E.g all the pieces using the  green check fabric.

Continue doing that for each fabric piece until all pieces have been traced onto the fusible webbing.

3. Iron fusible pieces onto the back of each fabric they correspond to.

All pieces fused ;-

I also mark the pattern shapes with its number and with a line on the side that will be underneath another piece of fabric on the block.

4. Trim around each piece  leaving  a narrow seam allowance that will slip under the connecting piece.

At this stage the paper backing is still attached to the pattern piece.

Next: I would then normally transfer the pattern to the fabric block  using a marker or lead pencil
 but
 using the applique mat there is no need to …( this saves time)

Examining the block, there are several components that make this block complete;
 several flower shapes as well as the hearts.

Create each flower separately  before putting them all together.

5. Select one flower component , find all the fabric pieces needed to make that flower.

I place the pattern right side up underneath the applique matt.
( you can see through the applique mat)

  then cut each piece out checking shape against  pattern and adjusting if necessary.

I use  my handing Clover Iron to iron the pieces into place.

To get pieces in correct order, the pattern has the sequence of numbers on each piece to tell you which piece to start with 
(always start with lowest number & build flower up finishing at highest number)

This step doesn't change whether you are hand appliqueing  or machine appliqueing.

6. Peel the paper off each  fabric piece  & in sequential order,  iron fabric down directly onto the applique matt,
with the fusible webbing going directly onto the mat
 &
 aligning each piece up with the pattern underneath.

now what makes this mat brilliant is:
  it doesn't melt
&
fusible webbing doesn't stick to it.
When it cools down
 the fabric peels off leaving the webbing intact
ready to fuse to your final fabric base.
The fusing only sticks to other fabric edges.

It is just brilliant.
Why haven't I used this before…

I forgot I had it!!!!!!!!

When the flower is created  & cooled  peel it off the mat
 

put aside and continue making all the components of the block in the same way.

then put the components together

Now ready to go on the block.

Completed fused block…. ready for machine blanket stitching.

Blocks done so far

8 blocks to go plus centre block

I  think I might fuse them all  down before stitching anymore…..

just so I can use that applique mat again.

So my review of the applique mat,

if you do fusible applique
&
you don't have one ,
go get one..

it is brilliant.

Kim