Friday, May 31, 2013

More how tos for Stars in the Loft and Turtle Girl makes a quilt!

Today Quilting Gallery's Show and Tell voting opens up and I've entered Stars in the Loft. I hope you'll find time to visit and take a look at the quilts and read the stories. You will find all of the quilts and be able to vote for your favourite here.

 
I really emjoy making hexagon quilts. I have master templates for a wide variety of sizes of hexagons and I make copies from the masters and I cut up those copies to make my quilts. The master templates are kept in a binder. On the master I write the size of the template on each hexagon (the example below is 1") and I place a coloured dot at the top in the centre. This lets me know that this is the original template from which copies should be made. In this way the master never gets cut up! You can see that this master has been well used!

 
Yesterday I showed you how I make my "firecracker" hexagons. I thought I would show you a few more of the motifs in Stars in the Loft and how I made them. They really are very easy to make once you know the secrets! EvenTurtle Girl has started her own little quilt. I snapped this picture of her out in the garden enjoying the flowers and sunshine!

 

She's doing a pretty good job of it considering she doesn't have opposable thumbs!


So let's get started by expanding on the firecracker motif. If I add one more piece to this hexagon I can make a T hexagon. I construct the T hexagon in the same manner as the firecracker. I shorten the length of the stitches on my sewing machine and I foundation piece the block. Shortening the stitch length will make it easier to remove the papers when the time comes. The drawn lines are my sewing lines. The last piece I sew is the cross bar at the top of the hexagon.

Firecracker hexagon
 
T hexagon

The finished T hexagon


The star motif is another simple but effective design. I draw my sewing lines on the hexagon as follows:


I shorten the length of the stitches on my sewing machine and I foundation piece the hexagon. The drawn lines are my sewing lines and this is the hexagon that results:


Six of these hexagons and one for the centre will make this!

 
Or this!

Dividing the template in half from point to point like this,


results in a hexagon that looks like this!


Depending on your fabric selection you can come up with a variety of motifs! Here are some examples.


 
 
Or you can change the placement of the hexagons and make a whirligig (a pinwheel)!

 

Are the creative juices flowing? I sure hope so! I would love to hear from you. Tell me what you think of this method of constructing hexagon blocks. I'll share more in the days to come.

While I was outside with Turtle Girl I look a couple of pictures of blossoms in the garden.



Until I post again, happy sewing!

8 comments:

  1. I love your quilt and I love the tutorials!! I'm about to venture on making my own and your blog is giving me some wonderful ideas!

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    1. I am so happy to hear that my blog is helpful. My Mom and I both love hexagons because they are so versatile and there is so much that you can do with them! It is so exciting when the creative juices start flowing, isn't it?

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  2. So clever - to foundation piece within the hexagon - love it. I can see quite a few design possibilities there but might have to use largish hexagons. Not something for your half inch ones - not by me anyway! Thanks so much for showing the closeups of this method.

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    1. The hexagons in Stars in the Loft measure 3/4" (I measure the outside lines, not across the width of the hexagon). Turtle Girl's hexagons are 1/2" but you can see that the spikes are narrower so I don't have seam allowances in the corners. I have another quilt I will show that uses these techniques in yet another way! FUN, FUN, FUN!

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  3. Thank you for sharing your story behind Stars in the Loft. I have been following it with great interest - I didn't know hexies had so many possibilities! It has my vote on this week's Quilting Gallery show and tell (just wish I could vote for it more than once!)

    I love following all your stories and your Mum's embroidery is absolutely delightful too! I am so glad I found your blog, I have learned so much already! Have a lovely weekend x

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  4. Thanks for the link to the blog, Karen. I love it! I've made a few hexagons before but I'm going to try some of these techniques in the future. I love your little teacups too. Great stuff on here!
    Tammy

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  5. I hopped on over from "saradidit" to see your latest quilt! This is one gorgeous quilt--
    I used a different method for making what I call two-piece hexies--I sewed two long strips together and then ironed my freezer template onto the ironed open seam..I have been posting my latest "Monet's City" which uses this method. I like your foundation piecing tutorial a lot. Will give it a try....hugs, Julierose

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