Do I really need another project? and measuring hexagons

Need another project, no. But want is an entirely different matter! In perusing the pages of my copy of Country Living's Country Quilts I came across this picture.

Here is a close-up of the quilt in the picture.

The picture in the book inspired my quilt Chop's Pick.

 

I used the same gold fabric in the centre of each diamond and I used a striped fabric for the border. However unlike the original I set my diamonds on point whereas they are horizontal in the original. I think this gives a very different look to the quilt. I am sorely tempted to make another but with the diamonds set horizontally!

If you are making a hexagon quilt from a photograph you will have to decide the size of hexagon to be used so that the finished size of the quilt is what you want. To make the decision you need to know the diameter of the hexagon (the measurement from corner to corner) and the height. 

The height, width and size of a hexagon are three different measurements. A hexagon is a six sided shape and the length of each side is the same. When we talk about the size of a hexagon we are referring to the measurement of the sides. Thus a 1" hexagon has six sides each of which measure 1".

Size of hexagon indicated by pink arrow

The diameter is an easy calculation because you simply multiply the side length of the hexagon by 2. The diameter of a 1" hexagon is therefore 2", a 3/4" hexagon is 1 1/2" and a 1/2" hexagon is 1".

Diameter indicated by pink arrow

To calculate the height of a hexagon there is a formula and it is more complex than is necessary for my purposes. So I simply pull out a ruler and measure the height of my hexagons. What I've come up with is that the height of a 1" hexagon is 1 5/8", a 3/4" hexagon is 1 1/4" and a 1/2" hexagon is 7/8".

Height

The measurement of a diamond set on point which is made of eight 1" hexagons (as indicated by the pink arrow) would be the sum of the diameter of three hexagons (top, middle and centre) plus the size of two hexagons so the formula is (3 x 2") + (2 x 1") = 8". The measurement of the width of this diamond (as indicated by the blue arrow) would be the sum of the height of three hexagons so the formula is 3 x 1 5/8" = 4 7/8".

The measurement of a flower made of seven 1" hexagons (as indicated by the pink arrow) would be the sum of the height of three hexagons so the formula is 3 x 1 5/8" = 4 7/8".  The measurement of the width of this flower (as indicated by the blue arrow) would be the size of two hexagons (outer hexagons) plus the diameter of the centre hexagon so the formula is (2 x 1") + (1 x 2") = 4".

If you plan on using a path between your hexagons be sure to include the measurement of the path when calculating the size of your quilt.

I came across an interesting quilt called the Vignette Hexagon Quilt by Leanne Beasley. There is a blog, The Vignette Hexagon Quilt where members post stories and pictures about their progress on this quilt. The quilt combines flowers made of hexagons with little white hexagons that have flowers that are hand embroidered. A few of the members have also posted pictures of other hexagon quilts that they are working on so if you are addicted to hexagons, this is a lovely little blog to peruse!

Time for me to make a cuppa and then decide what I will do today!  One project is a super cute tiny world pincushion which I will finish today and show you tomorrow! So until I post again, happy sewing!