Getting to the bottom of things and a new tip for fussy cutting

And what exactly are those "things"? Why they are the hexagon rosettes that were stitched together complete with border to make the bottom section of my Birds in the Loft hexagon quilt! This weekend my goal is to complete the middle section. Fingers crossed that on Monday I'll have something exciting to share with you!

There were several questions about the Tulip Hiroshima Milliners Straw Needles.

First off the size I am using is No. 10. I bought them from Hancocks of Paducah. In Canada Sew-Sisters carries this brand of needle however they do not have the Milliners Straw Needles on their site. I've written to ask if they carry them and will keep you posted in case you want to give them a try! Yes they are expensive. I paid $7.65US for six needles however I plan to look after them so that I get lots of use out of each one. And let's put it in perspective.....when you pay $15/m for fabric the needle is the least of the expense of making a quilt! There are other less expensive brands available. I believe that John James also makes a straw needle. If you know of an online Canadian shop (or US shop) that sells Milliners Straw Needles why not leave a comment and share the information with all of us?

I had some used 3/4" hexagon paper and decided to cut some fabric and make a rosette. It isn't in aid of anything - it was just fun, mindless sewing. This is what I made.

The striped outer ring of hexagons is a directional print. Notice how a subtle stripe radiates out from the centre? What you may not notice at first glance is that the stripes radiate out from the point of a hexagon on six of them and on the other six they radiate out from a flat edge.

When I want to cut a fabric like this what I do is draw an arrow on the hexagon paper to show the direction of the stripe. Then I tack my paper to the fabric with the arrow matching the direction of the stripe and I cut out the fabric with scissors. When it comes time to sew them together I sort them into two piles (stripes from the point and stripes from the flat edge). To sew them together I just alternate a stripe from the point with a stripe from the flat edge! This technique will work with any directional print and it makes the sewing together so easy because you don't have to think about what way the fabric is meant to be positioned! If you use this technique for the hexagons that surround the centre you would only need six that radiate from the same direction. If you wanted to add another round of hexagons to what I've done you would need six and twelve.

That's it for today. Until I post again, happy sewing!
Karen H

Come together, right now!

The various pieces of my Birds in the Loft hexagon quilt are coming together. This part goes fast! I know I have previously mentioned that it is big. I was wrong. It is not big....it is VERY big. I really should have used 3/4" hexagons. Oh well, it is what it is!

I showed you the right middle section and I've now stitched it

to the centre panel.

And this is what it looks like! I'm afraid to measure it....it is that big!

The stitching goes fast because it is a fairly straight seam. I used off-white thread and the reason is that at least one hexagon in each seam contains the path fabric (the path is the area between the hexagons made with the off-white fabric).

Also I have decided to try my new milliners needles. Missie of Traditional Primitives swears by them for English paper piecing. Debra of Patchwork Sanity swears by them for applique. Both women were absolutely right. The long, thin needles pierce the fabric like a hot knife cutting through butter. My needles are Tulip Hiroshima Needles. They are not inexpensive but they make a big difference in the sewing.

I am able to catch fewer threads making the stitches even less visible. Now don't get me wrong; I don't mind seeing a bit of the stitches because it shows the hand of the maker. But I want them to be small stitches. If you struggle with small, tidy stitches I would encourage you to give milliners needles a try. One note of caution: the eye of the needle is small but it threads so easily. I think that the reason for that is that the bore hole in the Hiroshima needles is smoothed in both directions so there are no burrs inside the eye. This is a significance from other needles which have a nap inside the eye of the needle. If you try to thread a needle and the thread just will not go through turn the needle and thread in the other direction.

That's it for today. Until I post again, happy sewing!
Karen H