Monday, June 30, 2014

Godstone Grannies - the top is together

The last sections of hexagons for my Godstone Grannies (GG) quilt top are stitched together! I'm going to drag this out just a little bit! Silvana left a comment on my last post and she asked how I combined the colours so I thought I would share some of the things I do or think about when I make a scrap quilt.
  • I don't spend a lot of time thinking about fabric choices. I try to work quickly. If I like something I will go with it and if I'm not sure I will either set it aside and think about it or discard the combination right way.
  • I like to play with my fabric. I will put oodles of fabrics on a big table. I move them around and sometimes I’ll see a colour or print combination that really works and it is often a combination that I wouldn't have thought about. 
  • I try to use fabrics that are the same style. For example I wouldn’t combine children’s prints with Civil War prints.
  • I think about the "tone" of my quilt. I am fond of muddy or earthy tones. A little bit of bright thrown in with earthy or muddy tones will make a quilt sparkle but a lot of brights will mute the effect of the earthy tones/muddy tones. If I want a bright quilt then a little bit of muddy colours will make the brights really shine. If I use equal amounts it just doesn't work because neither stands out.
  • I think about what the overall colour of my quilt will be. The more of that colour I use the more likely the quilt will read that colour even though other colours are used.
  • I don’t match fabrics when I am buying. I just buy fabrics that I like; I figure that my tastes don't really change so the new fabric will probably work with what I've already got in my stash.
  • Colour is important but value is more important. Value is the lightness or darkness of a fabric when compared to another fabric. I try to make sure that there are lights, mediums and darks in most blocks. The eye sees value first and colour second.
  • When I make a scrap quilt I try to repeat some of fabrics in more than one block. This makes the quilt look more cohesive. In this way I don't have to worry that each fabric goes with all of the others. As long as some of them are repeated they will all work together!  
  • Using a single fabric for the path in a hexagon quilt will separate the blocks and it also makes the quilt look more polished because it is a fabric that flows throughout the quilt.
  • I like to make little 3” nine patches with my scraps. It is a great way to learn about colour and value. When I do this I think of colour combinations I would never have considered. If the block doesn’t look beautiful it will still work in a quilt because it is small but if it works, I have a good idea for combining colours for another quilt! If the block looks really bad I can take it apart and make something different or I can just throw it out!
The lecture is over so it is back to my GG quilt top! In this picture you can see that I've attached the lower right corner to the center strip. Looking good!


The last step was to attach the upper left corner....just one long seam and GG would be a hexagon quilt top! I am so pleased with how this quilt has turned out. The path fabric appears grey but in fact it is a very dull, faded pale peach.


The final step is to add narrow border strips around the quilt top. If I were to just place border strips on the quilt with the right sides together and stitch the border to the quilt top by machine I would have to cut through the hexagons at the edges and that would change the look of my partial diamonds, many of which were fussy cut for effect. I don't want to do that so I am going to add a narrow border to give the quilt straight edges. My plan is to applique the quilt to the borders. I want to do it this way for three reasons:
  • I do not want to cut through my hexagons,
  • a narrow border will make quilting the hexagons at the edge easier (it gives me something to hold when I quilt) and
  • I want flat, smooth, straight edges to make it easier to attach the binding when the quilting is done.
I'll explain how I'll  attache the border in an upcoming post!

Until I post again, happy sewing!
Karen H

28 comments:

  1. Just gorgeous Karen you do fabulous work

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  2. only one word will suffice: GORGEOUS!

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  3. It looks so great.
    Fantastic work.

    Greetings, Manuela

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  4. Beautiful. Love how it all came together!

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  5. Wonderful! Did I miss what color the border will be?

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  6. Absolutely beautiful. You are a real inspiration.

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    1. Thanks Chris! I wanted to send you an email but you are a no-reply blogger. :-(

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  8. Congratulations! And thanks for all the tips on fabric choice.

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  9. Congratulations Karen - another amazing achievement! It is simply stunning!

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  10. Wow Karen, it looks amazing.....congratulations !
    Julia ♥

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  11. Wow that was quick. My eyes are dancing all over, matching pairs. I am intrigued to see how you will attach your borders

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  12. it looks gorgeous!
    I was thinking about the issue if not cutting your hexies. I have made 3 hexy quilts and I got round the problem this way. I made enough hexies in my chosen border colour to go right round my quilt, but I adapt the shape with sides 4,5 and 6 forming a square.When I baste them to the papers, I left side 6, the outer edge 1/4" un-basted. I attached them all round my quilt as , then used my machine to attach the matching border. The unbasted, unsewn edge is what lines up with the edge of my border. I hope that makes sense! :-)

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    1. This is a great way to finish a hexagon quilt. I used in on a couple of my other hexagon quilts and was very pleased with the results. Thanks so much for sharing Kath!

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  13. Well I must say that this is sure a work of art. Actually it is so amazing watching your journey with this quilt. Colours fabric design is just outstanding and I see a big ribbon on it for sure. I am learning a lot from you. It sure is different for me to see how you achieve your amazing results.
    BRAVO Bunny

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  14. Wow! Thats really lovely!

    I had my doubts I would like it, as it isn't my personal favorite colors, but I love the overall pattern! The small green flowers with the black really pop out at me. I love finding the matching blocks throughout the quilt top!

    Thank you for tutelage! Can't wait to see it finished!

    Kath: I'm glad you shared your border technique! It's one I hadn't thought of! I am half way through a baby sized hexie quilt and I've decided to do a shaped border by stitching the last row of hexies and flipping them to the back over the top of the backing material before completing the hexies. They will be top stitched down giving a hexie shaped border.

    This article explains it better:
    http://badskirt.blogspot.com/2010/05/tutorial-finishing-you-hexie-quilts.html

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    1. Hi Karen - I had seen Amy's tutorial for finishing a hexagon quilt with a hexagon facing. I've not yet tried it but thought it looked very interesting! Thanks so much for sharing with everyone!

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  15. Apparently I am now going to have to take up EPP and hexagon quilts, because I can no longer live without such a quilt in my life! Stunning beyond words. What an accomplishment - congratulations!

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    1. Thanks Louise! I wanted to send you an email but you are a no-reply blogger. Check out my July 1st post. I wrote about a hexagon quilt made by my friend. It is a great idea for a making a hexagon quilt and perfect for someone just starting out!

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  16. It's just amazing. I hope you will enter it in some shows and maybe I will get to see it in person some day!

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  17. I have to say this quilt top has really grown on me---wasn't sure of some of the blocks next to each other. I can not believe the pathway is peach!! Of course, by letting us see this little by little---the final top just has a great impact. I see what you mean by the value, it really picks up in different areas of each block. I must go pick up my hexies now. Thanks for all the pics and thoughts about how you choose color. It makes me want to try some more daring combos---at least in a nine patch & play from there

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  18. It's gorgeous! The post has a lot of good advice in it - a keeper. Congrats, Karen!

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  19. I'm speechless.........I mean wordless.

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  20. Karen, YOU'VE been highlighted at this week's Tuesday Archives! Stop by and grab yourself a button! SMiles! Val:)

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