Intervention required!

I am happily hexing along, only a year or so late to finish with Lynne and lots of others in her #hex along.  Never mind better late than never and I'm enjoying it so much that it is the right time for me!

Not sure how big this quilt will end up as it is already about 60"x90" - could be a really big one then!   Already thinking how fun it will be to quilt so maybe I'll stop sometime but not yet....

Here are the latest batches of hexies...

More stars....

For balance I thought something different from stars was due ....and I used up more of that #kaffefasset flower fabric I bought for this project - works great as a focus fabric!

It even has some brown in it!   But I don't mind!

And just to show you how big it is growing...

If it gets bigger I will need to take my photo from outside through the window!   Well maybe not but thinking of sticking the rest on my other design wall - a quilt in two parts??  To be married before or after quilting...?

Hexed happiness!

Yesterday I showed you two hexagon blocks I had picked out from Jan Halgrimson's book Patching Things Up - Spinning star and Pinwheel!


After some positive comments I felt encouraged to have a go at making the Pinwheel block.  Thank you girls you do motivate me tremendously!


I have to say it was not without some diffficulty that I produced this block....
I had a go at using some templates I already had but when I drew them out on paper I realised they would not produce the correct size of block for my quilt. 


Like the story of Goldilocks and the 3 Bears this block was a bit too big.....

My next effort - I thought I had worked out the size it should be, but it turned out a little too small....

Never mind I have added a border and it will do for now.  Here is the group shot!

I will have to get serious about drafting this pattern properly and get me some of that hexy graph paper - it will be like going back to school, graph paper, compass, ruler and pencils and don't forget the eraser, I'm bound to need that!


No easy or lazy way out that I can see - just maths!




I also made three more of the bright Kaleidoscope Hexagon blocks by machine (so quick after piecing all the others by hand) and added all 49 blocks together to make seven rows of seven blocks as you can see here....

My next job is to zigzag from point to point of these blocks so I can join up the rows and complete this quilt top!  Yeah!  Saffy seems to like it!  But what should I do about those centre circles?


The options


1  All one colour throughout the quilt - more cohesion through quilt but may dominate
2  A fabric from each individual hexagon - continues scrappiness but each hexagon will read as one piece
3  A contrast fabric from the quilt but not in that specific hexagon  - more scrappiness but could draw different hexagons together


Ooh choices!  Any advice?

Hexing Along....

I have three hexy projects on the go at the moment.

Furthest along is the Kaleidoscope Hexagon quilt, which I am still quilting but there is not much left to do.  I think if I quilt it in the evenings I may even finish it soon...

Second is the Hexalong.  Lynne keeps posting lovely blocks for us to try but I  have not got down to actually doing them......yet!  I think this weekend may be the time to catch up.


I am also wanting to delve deeper into Marti Michell's book Six is for Hexagons and I have found some other hexy blocks in my second hand books by Jan Halgrimson.     I will have to redraft these to make them the right size for this project however and that should test out my skills...


Here are a couple I would like to try...

For now, here are the new blocks I have done...

And all together so far...

My third project is the bright Kaleidoscope Hexagon quilt!  I have 46 blocks as two have gone into the hexalong quilt.  But with what I have left I thought I could make a nice comfy lap quilt and an easy finish using the machine to sew these blocks by Gayle Brindley's point to point method.  




This is my progress so far.  Not much I know but I should get all blocks in rows soon and then I will have the trickier bit of sewing rows together....

I have some spare tumblers in a drawer somewhere so when I have sewn these blocks together it will not take much time to make the 3 more I need to make a 7x7  block quilt.  Then I will have 49 centre circles to sew on as I haven't decided whether it should be all one fabric or different ones??


It would be good to get this extra UFO top finished.

Post for Susan Canadian Abroad!

Susan was wondering in my comment box recently how I was going to use this gorgeous fabric in my hexalong quilt

The fabric is designed by Kaffe Fassett and I think Susan pointed it out to me so I duly bought it at the Cotton Patch stand at FoQ.


The flowers were not quite big enough or far apart enough to be a simple block on it's own

or I would have had to sacrifice too many others and I like my fabric to go as far as it can so what could I do?






Look in Marti Michell's Six is for Hexagons book of course and seek inspiration - this is what Marti and I came up with...

Hope you like it Susan!?   Have to say this one is very bright using one of the solids I bought for my little house blocks...might need to tone it down a little in future.

Hexalong at last

Well just before the delightful Lynne of Lilysquilts tells us she is finished her hexie project I am starting mine.  Well that is not strictly true....let me explain.

If you look on my UFO page you will see this quilt top

And this is it now - just a bit more quilting and I'll be putting on some rather awkward binding. 

I started this Kaleidoscope Hexagon at a workshop with Carolyn Forster but wasn't too sure about all that black - I do like the drama of it now!  So I started some brighter blocks which you can see here...

So you see I have two hexie projects on the go - one I aim to finish this year is a 

and a spare...sort of?  Then along comes Lynne and Gayle Brindley with a Hexalong but I am sure you already know this...




I jumped in of course but got sidetracked by other things and have only now decided to merge Kaleidoscope hexies as taught by Carolyn with the Hexalong!

Yeah!  So instead of starting another new project (not allowed to do that, am I?) I am actually finishing an undeclared UFO.  Clever huh?!

This is as far as I have got in two quick evening sessions ....

......assisted by using Carolyn Forster's own hexie templates which I had already purchased.  

The ones on the left are for making the kaleidoscope hexagons and those on the right are for her bigger better hexagon granny's garden type of quilt.




They are lovely and large, and I already have 46 kaleidoscope hexies hand pieced except for the central circle which I can now fussy cut to tie in with my other fabrics.  Whoohoo!  Quick quilt or what!??


[Edit:  now looking at the photo of my bright hexies I realise I have to make that quilt too - make that three hexie quilts I am working on!]

I am booked on a couple of Carolyn's courses in October and I would so like to show her a finished quilt (the black one) and perhaps a finished top...?  Who knows...just watch this space!

Nicky

Size of block

7.5" unfinished

Fabrics

Dots from stash

plus some fabrics I bought at Ardingly Quilt Fair in February 2011

Hexagons Hexalong Hexathon?!"

Well Lynne from Lily's Quilts just had to say those magic words QAL and I was in before I knew it.  But it was not the sort of hexalong I was expecting it was even better!


Here is the information you need - go and check it out: 


Lynn's first post about it Hexalong starts here! 
Her co-hosts Gayle Brindley's first post Hexalong with Lynne which includes a photo of the quilt Kerry Dear's Candied Hexagons
The group Flickr site  Lilys quilts

I had earmarked some fabric but I do not think it will do - I will need a complete re-think.  Another ponder or musing session is in the offing...


In the meantime I offer you some eye-candy....


when this

became this....

More spool blocks - scrappy empty ones this time (thank you Shirley)  - and in soft pastel Lily and Will fabric with Kona Ash, some extra cream on cream from stash and some John Louden Pastel Polka Parade from my local fabric shop for the outer border!  This is so not my usual colour palette and I am still wondering whether I like it!!  It may need a further tweaking...




This may become a wall hanging for my craft/spare bed-room.


As a point of interest - ages ago I told you about a conversation I'd had with my local fabric shopkeeper.  (My previous post is here!) She has responded by buying in nicer fabric pre-cuts and bundles that actually go together - the John Louden fabric is from a jelly roll of polka dots.   Getting closer but maybe not quite there yet...!  Well I had to buy some didn't I....?

John Louden Pastel Polka Parade and Candy Co-ordinates

Don't forget the Hexalong! 


There are new posts now with tutorials on English Paper Piecing (EPP) and Point to point piecing and lots of things to come!  Should be an interesting journey  -  are you hexing in!??






Nicky


measurements 
block size 6" finished
quilt size 31.5 finished


fabrics
Lily and Will 
Kona Ash
John Louden pastel polka dot


Scrappy spools block taken from 
Great Scrap-bag Quilts by Jan Halgrimson