Here is the latest on my 1" Hexie "Insanity" quilt.
It has grown a little since this last picture. I will post it as soon as I can.
Today I am taking it easy for Mother's Day!
Till next time . . . keep quilting!
Showing posts with label 2 inch hexagons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2 inch hexagons. Show all posts
Sunday, May 10, 2015
Saturday, May 9, 2015
HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!
For tomorrow that is!
It's been awhile since I have posted anything! It is amazing how quickly time passes.
There have been numerous upheavals, downward spirals, great challenges, and wonderful happenings since I last posted . . . too numerous to post now! So I will begin at the present!
This time of year there are a lot of graduations happening all over the nation. In our family I can think of two immediate family graduations, both of them female and both of them from college.
Congratulations Ladies! We need more women to continue to get a higher education diploma!
Before I get on my soap box, I will start with my status on my quilting.
I have been continually working on my 1 inch hexie quilt. Since this project only comes out when I travel in the car or train, it is still far from completion.
Once I started the one inch hexie quilt, I fell in love with the whole process and have started a 3/4" Hexie dresser scarf or table runner. I haven't decided which way it will go until I how see the completed project looks. I am not using a pattern just throwing them together. Thus the wait and see attitude! I like the one inch hexies for my bed quilt, but I like the more delicate look of the 3/4" hexie size for the table or dresser.
I am using Freezer Paper Hexies for both projects. Freezer paper is so much easier than any other method. It cuts down on basting and removing basting and as such cuts the time needed to complete the project. This project comes out whenever I am not working on the sewing machine or hand quilting other quilts. So hopefully I will have this project done by the end of summer!
I have added a new page to my blog with some of the items that I sell on my website. The 3/4" Freezer Paper Hexie is the first item I have listed because it is on auction on Ebay. But, I also sell it on my website. I also sell 1" and 2" hexies on my website and other freezer paper shapes. Take a look . . . www.avelisquilts.com
If you are not sure about Freezer Paper and do not want to commit to buying a bunch of hexies that you will never use, please email me and I will send you a sampler to try out. You will receive 3 pieces of each size that I sell on my website, 3/4", 1" and 2" and an instruction sheet to help you get acquainted with the freezer paper method -- at no cost to you!
Well I guess that's it for now .... Happy Quilting!
It's been awhile since I have posted anything! It is amazing how quickly time passes.
There have been numerous upheavals, downward spirals, great challenges, and wonderful happenings since I last posted . . . too numerous to post now! So I will begin at the present!
This time of year there are a lot of graduations happening all over the nation. In our family I can think of two immediate family graduations, both of them female and both of them from college.
Congratulations Ladies! We need more women to continue to get a higher education diploma!
Before I get on my soap box, I will start with my status on my quilting.
I have been continually working on my 1 inch hexie quilt. Since this project only comes out when I travel in the car or train, it is still far from completion.
Once I started the one inch hexie quilt, I fell in love with the whole process and have started a 3/4" Hexie dresser scarf or table runner. I haven't decided which way it will go until I how see the completed project looks. I am not using a pattern just throwing them together. Thus the wait and see attitude! I like the one inch hexies for my bed quilt, but I like the more delicate look of the 3/4" hexie size for the table or dresser.
I am using Freezer Paper Hexies for both projects. Freezer paper is so much easier than any other method. It cuts down on basting and removing basting and as such cuts the time needed to complete the project. This project comes out whenever I am not working on the sewing machine or hand quilting other quilts. So hopefully I will have this project done by the end of summer!
I have added a new page to my blog with some of the items that I sell on my website. The 3/4" Freezer Paper Hexie is the first item I have listed because it is on auction on Ebay. But, I also sell it on my website. I also sell 1" and 2" hexies on my website and other freezer paper shapes. Take a look . . . www.avelisquilts.com
If you are not sure about Freezer Paper and do not want to commit to buying a bunch of hexies that you will never use, please email me and I will send you a sampler to try out. You will receive 3 pieces of each size that I sell on my website, 3/4", 1" and 2" and an instruction sheet to help you get acquainted with the freezer paper method -- at no cost to you!
Well I guess that's it for now .... Happy Quilting!
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Hexagons
I have always wanted to do a quilt project by "hand". I know, I
know, CRAZY! Why would I want to do a project by hand when I have 2
perfectly good sewing machines!
Well, to start off, there are a lot of hand sewers out there. I've always wanted to see what kind of woman or "gumption" I would have to have to do this type of thing. Trust me, you really have to LOVE hand work to do this.
I have always felt drawn to hand work. Since I was little, my mother taught me to embroider and crochet. Later I would pick up counted cross stitch, knitting and quilting. By the way, the cousin who taught me to knit was left handed, so I knit left handed. It throws a lot of knitters off when they see me. As one lady commented a long time ago when I was younger -- "What ARE you doing??"
I love to hand quilt my quilts. But, in my quilting history I had not made an entire quilt by hand instead of the sewing machine. I do a lot of applique, but I usually do piecing. I also wanted a project to do on the road while we travel back and forth from this great state to another. Applique was out of the question for me because of the finesse needed and my failing "old" eyes. So, I decided on hexagons!
At first, I decided to start with just a long skinny scarf for my dresser. But, when I saw how nice it was starting to look, I upped the size to a crib size and then to a double bed size.
Once I decided to do this project, I was overwhelmed by the many choices of methods to do this labor intensive project!
One of the first things I had to decide which template do I use for cutting the hexagons.
I know that I sell pre-cut or die cut hexagon fabrics either alone http://avelisquilts-ivil.tripod.com/id9.html or in kits http://avelisquilts-ivil.tripod.com/pieced_quilt_kits.html (scroll down for hexagons). I also sell precut Hexagons in freezer paper either precut or printed on freezer sheets http://avelisquilts-ivil.tripod.com/id165.html.
The problem was that I was like Goldilocks. . . the 2" was too small and the 4" was too big. I needed something "just right". What I wanted was about 1/4 inch bigger all around the 2" size so that when I sewed them, they would end up being 2". So, either of the sizes I sell were not "just right"!
Also, remember I couldn't use the freezer paper method, as a template for cutting, because I was going to be in the car and an iron was unavailable. So I went ahead and manually drew the 2" size by tracing around one of my freezer paper die cut pieces on a regular piece of paper. I then used the freezer paper piece to draw a copy on a piece of milk jug plastic with a permanent marker. I heartily recommend using this plastic for templates. It saves throwing the plastic into the landfill, its economical and it endures. Yes, you still have some plastic left over that can't be used. But, it's a lot less than what you started with. Just make sure you have a heavy pair of scissors when cutting it because of the thickness.
Another thing I like about milk jug plastic is that the inside of the milk jug is rough textured, not smooth like the outside. The rough side when placed against the fabric helps to grip the fabric.
I now had a 2" drawing on regular paper and a 2" drawing on a large pieces of milk jug plastic.
Next, I used my ruler and drew an additional 1/4" line all the way around the paper 2" drawing. I now had the size that I desired. I cut this out on the last line that I drew, not the inside line. I used this piece of paper as a template to draw another hexagon on the milk jug plastic. I now had two hexagons drawn on the milk jug plastic. one was 2" and one was 2 1/2 inches. I cut both of them out, punched a hole in the middle of both. I was ready to start drawing on fabric!!!
WAIT! No I wasn't! What was I going to use to mark on the fabric?? With all the choices of marking tools now days. . . . Well that's another day's blog entry!
Stay tuned for further adventures in sewing Hexagons and follow my progress! Meanwhile, back to quilting!!!
Well, to start off, there are a lot of hand sewers out there. I've always wanted to see what kind of woman or "gumption" I would have to have to do this type of thing. Trust me, you really have to LOVE hand work to do this.
I have always felt drawn to hand work. Since I was little, my mother taught me to embroider and crochet. Later I would pick up counted cross stitch, knitting and quilting. By the way, the cousin who taught me to knit was left handed, so I knit left handed. It throws a lot of knitters off when they see me. As one lady commented a long time ago when I was younger -- "What ARE you doing??"
I love to hand quilt my quilts. But, in my quilting history I had not made an entire quilt by hand instead of the sewing machine. I do a lot of applique, but I usually do piecing. I also wanted a project to do on the road while we travel back and forth from this great state to another. Applique was out of the question for me because of the finesse needed and my failing "old" eyes. So, I decided on hexagons!
At first, I decided to start with just a long skinny scarf for my dresser. But, when I saw how nice it was starting to look, I upped the size to a crib size and then to a double bed size.
Once I decided to do this project, I was overwhelmed by the many choices of methods to do this labor intensive project!
One of the first things I had to decide which template do I use for cutting the hexagons.
I know that I sell pre-cut or die cut hexagon fabrics either alone http://avelisquilts-ivil.tripod.com/id9.html or in kits http://avelisquilts-ivil.tripod.com/pieced_quilt_kits.html (scroll down for hexagons). I also sell precut Hexagons in freezer paper either precut or printed on freezer sheets http://avelisquilts-ivil.tripod.com/id165.html.
The problem was that I was like Goldilocks. . . the 2" was too small and the 4" was too big. I needed something "just right". What I wanted was about 1/4 inch bigger all around the 2" size so that when I sewed them, they would end up being 2". So, either of the sizes I sell were not "just right"!
Also, remember I couldn't use the freezer paper method, as a template for cutting, because I was going to be in the car and an iron was unavailable. So I went ahead and manually drew the 2" size by tracing around one of my freezer paper die cut pieces on a regular piece of paper. I then used the freezer paper piece to draw a copy on a piece of milk jug plastic with a permanent marker. I heartily recommend using this plastic for templates. It saves throwing the plastic into the landfill, its economical and it endures. Yes, you still have some plastic left over that can't be used. But, it's a lot less than what you started with. Just make sure you have a heavy pair of scissors when cutting it because of the thickness.
Another thing I like about milk jug plastic is that the inside of the milk jug is rough textured, not smooth like the outside. The rough side when placed against the fabric helps to grip the fabric.
I now had a 2" drawing on regular paper and a 2" drawing on a large pieces of milk jug plastic.
Next, I used my ruler and drew an additional 1/4" line all the way around the paper 2" drawing. I now had the size that I desired. I cut this out on the last line that I drew, not the inside line. I used this piece of paper as a template to draw another hexagon on the milk jug plastic. I now had two hexagons drawn on the milk jug plastic. one was 2" and one was 2 1/2 inches. I cut both of them out, punched a hole in the middle of both. I was ready to start drawing on fabric!!!
WAIT! No I wasn't! What was I going to use to mark on the fabric?? With all the choices of marking tools now days. . . . Well that's another day's blog entry!
Stay tuned for further adventures in sewing Hexagons and follow my progress! Meanwhile, back to quilting!!!
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