Hexagon Tutorial ~ Part Four

Finishing Tips

Now that you've been busy making hexagons, no doubt you have a wonderful assortment and want to begin sewing them together.  This was a delightful task for me as it was so very satisfying to play with them.  I loved choosing the fabrics I wanted to sew together as I began to see how the quilt would look.  Because hexagons are so perfect and precise, they go together like a dream!

Do as I say, not as I do!!

Because I was designing the quilt as I was sewing, the photos will show my progress as I worked on the quilt from the center out....not fun.  I knew I wanted to have the five light print blooms in the center but wasn't sure how big I wanted the quilt to be.  I had the design in EQ, however, it really didn't help me with a feel for the size.  Remember, this is my first hexagon quilt ever!  Please, don't start in the middle if you don't have to!!  Follow the pattern just as you would read a cross stitch pattern, meaning that you would count how many darks make up a row, sew a row together,  then add them to the quilt one row at a time.

As soon as a hexagon has been sewn on all sides, remove the paper.  It will make handling the quilt so much easier, especially on your hands!  I waited to remove hexagons, and in so doing, made it a lot harder on myself.  It was way easier to continue sewing once all of those papers were gone!  Just remember...do not remove the papers from the hexagons on the outside edges until you're finished piecing them all together.

Notice how the hexagons on the outside edge are wavy and popping up.  This is very normal!  This happens because you folded and bent the papers to get them out of your way while sewing. 

The center hexagons lay perfectly flat once the papers are removed.

Once the papers have been removed from the outer hexagons, they lay nice and flat as well.

Because of the way I basted all of the seam allowances, they lay perfectly flat.  I can tell you that my quilter was very happy about this!!  Had we basted thru the papers (ouch) we would have had to remove all of the basting stiches (ugh) to release the papers and.....our seams would have been popping up going in every which direction creating lumps, bumps, and bulk (yuck).

As for finishing the quilt, I added my borders by aligning the border fabric with

the top of the inside row of hexagons.  The borders were sewn to the quilt top

and then I removed the top half of the remaining hexagons. 

There are many other ways to finish a hexagon quilt.  Perhaps we'll get around to trying them all!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Elizabeth's Prairie Garden is the name of my Journey Three hexagon quilt. 
It's quilted and I'm now adding the finishing touches.  Once it's bound, I
promise to show you how it all turned out!

I sincerely hope you have found this tutorial helpful.  Hexagons were intimidating
to me for a very long time.  Once I took the plunge, I soon found there was
never any reason to be fearful. 
I hope that with these photos, instructions, and hints that you will give English Paper Piecing a try, bringing hexagons into your quilting arsenal!

As promised, I 've added a Hexagon Starter Kit to my website and
assembled the basic tools I recommended in my tutorial.

You can find it on under the Notions tab or
Click here to check it out!

Until next time.....have a great time sewing hexagons and let me know how you're doing!

Pam

 

Hexagon Tutorial ~ Part Three

Sewing Hexagons Together

Are you addicted to hexagons yet? 

Once you've made a pile of hexies, you can begin to sew them together.  I highly recommend that you alternate between making the hexagons and sewing them together so as not to overly stress your hands. Believe me....I speak from experience here!

Ideally, you are striving to make a lot of tiny stitches
that will be unseen on the front of the quilt. 

To aid you with this, I recommend using the John James Gold 'N Glide needles (or other thin needle as explained in Part One) and silk thread.  Some thoughts about working with silk thread......

It is very thin (therefore more likely it won't be seen on the top) ....rather slippery....and thus slips out from the eye of the needle, all too often making it frustrating to work with.  It can have a tendency to twist and knot as well. 

But....there are hints to make these issues less of a problem.

* Use Thread Heaven on your silk thread!!!  It will give body to the thread and will all but stop it from twisting and knotting.

* There is a way to make a knot at the top of your needle that will stop your thread from coming off!  Yes...at the eye of the needle itself!  This knot will not catch or cause a problem!!  Oh no...it solves this problem beautifully!!  (My friend, Tara Darr of Sew Unique Creations , sent me this link - girlfriends are the best!!)  

Click here to watch a You Tube video on how to make this awesome knot.

Pin two hexagons right sides together.  Bring the needle under the seam allowance 

and out at the point on the right side. 

Ideally, you are taking your stitches in the fold of the fabric without stitching into the paper.

Pierce the points of the two hexagons to align the corners.

Take two stitches and add a loop knot to secure them.

Whip stitch many tiny stitches as you work your way to the left corner.  I add several loop knots as I work my way across.  With the knot at the top of the needle now securing the thread, the loop knots securing your stitches, and the pin keeping the two hex's together, you can put your stitching down anytime without it becoming un-done which is kinda nice!  (If you prefer to stitch from left to right, you certainly can.) 

Remember, your goal is to insert the needle in the fold of the fabric, not in the paper.  Inevitably, you will likely pierce the paper from time to time.  It won't hurt anything (but dulls your needle quicker) so long as it is close to the top of the paper and the fold.

When you reach the left corner, pierce the two hex points to align them, take two stitches and knot several times to secure.

Here's the results those tiny stitches will give you!

At this point you have several options.  If your stitching is complete you can clip your thread and be done.  If you have another hexagon to add, you can move your needle over....with basting stitches.....to the next corner.  That way, you don't have to cut the thread and knot the needle again....saving some time.

Pin the next hexagon and continue stitching as you did before, matching points, tying loop knots often as you work your way to the left point. 

Pierce the left point taking two stitches and knot.  Remove the pin.

Two seams sewn.....now for the third seam.

Bend the hexagon on your right side in half (on the left side as well if applicable, and any others that may be in your way).  This will help you keep the two hexagons you're sewing nice and straight.  (This is the big reason why I like the paper hexagons as opposed to reusable plastic!)  Pin them together once they are properly positioned and sew the seam.

Looking pretty good! 

Do not remove any papers until all six sides of the hexagon are sewn,
or until you're ready to finish your project.

In my next post, I'll cover the steps to finish your quilt.

I've received many email requests asking me to offer a basic hexagon sewing supply kit on my website.  I think this is a great idea!  I hope to have this item ready for you in a few days, and will include this information in my next post. 

Until next time.....Pam

Hexagon Tutorial ~ Part Two

Sewing a Hexagon


Now that you have all of your tools ready, we can begin making a hexagon!!

No matter what size hexagon you decided to make, cut a piece of fabric large enough to give yourself a generous 1/4 inch seam allowance!  Be sure to punch a hole in your hexagon paper

before you begin stitching.

 

Pin the paper to your fabric and cut a generous 1/4 inch seam allowance.  Err to more seam

allowance than less.  It doesn't have to be precise or accurate
at all, so eyeing it is perfectly fine.

A smaller seam allowance can work, but it can turn an easy job into a difficult one.

I didn't start out with these applique pins....with the nice white glass head.

I started with these little applique straight pins.  They work, but as time went on they

began to hurt my fingers.  I splurged a whole $6 on the better glass head pins. 

Money well spent!

I've also seen some people use paper clips instead of pins. 

I tried it but decided I liked the pins much better.

Truth be told, you don't need pins, but they really make the job easier,

in my humble opinion.  Try these options for yourself and do

whatever works well for you!

Use a single strand of general purpose thread no longer than 18 inches or so.
Run the thread over the Thread Heaven, thread the needle, and tie a knot at the end. 
 A thread longer than 18 inches will likely just get caught on the pin
and/or the hexagon corners.

Fold the top seam allowance over the paper and mitre fold the seam at the left so it fits the corner snugly.  Bring your needle under the seam allowances and up thru the fabric

near the point of the hexagon. 

Hints: 

*You may find it very helpful to pin the top seam allowance in place.  I do this because it makes for a tighter seam and...after making lots and lots of these... releases the stress of holding the fabric from your hands.  This gets to be a very real concern! After I made dozens and dozens of hexagons my hands began to hurt from the pressure of holding everything in place.  Save yourself the hurt and use the pins!

* Don't bring the first stitch too close to the point of the hexagon because you'll get a wonky dunce-cap kinda point from it.  Better to begin a bit lower! 

Take two stitches at the top of the seam.  With the second stitch,
I catch the loop to make a knot.  This will stop the thread from releasing the stitches
so you don't have to constantly maintain pressure on the folded seams.

Bring the needle down a bit further and repeat with two more stitches,

catching the loop on the second stitch as you did before. 

 

Rotate the hexagon and mitre the next seam to the left.  Take one or two running
stitches to bring the needle across to the next point.  Do not pierce the paper!  These basting stitches should be made in the fabric only.

Stitch as before taking two stitches near the top, loop knot, then two more stitches
a bit further down with another loop knot.

Continue until all six seams have been turned.  Knot the thread and cut!
You can remove the pin.
I didn't need to use my thimble when making the hexagons, but if your
fingers get sore, you certainly should.

One down.....that wasn't too hard, was it?  They are just too cute!

You may feel all thumbs at first, but hang in there!!  The thread will get caught on the corners
of the hexagon or the pin.  It just will.  If you get frustrated, write me a note....I will
sympathize with you!  Just keep stitching!

Prepare to become addicted!
(And yes....you can blame it all on me!)

In my next post, I will cover how to stitch the hexagons together.
Happy hexagons!  Pam

Hexagon Tutorial ~ Part One

Hexagon Supplies

I am very happy to report that my hexagon quilt is now in the hands of Ronda, my very talented friend and most excellent quilter.  Before I took the quilt top to her, I did take a quick photo so I can show you how it's progressing.  Drum roll please...........

PWSC J3 - Elizabeth's Prairie Garden

This is the first project I've ever made using hexagons and I have to say that it is something I know I will do for the rest of my life!  Those hexies are sooo cute and addictive!!  Nearly every fabric I encounter I think would make into an adorable hexagon, so I have a constant running pile of fabric squares ready to work on.  It takes only a few minutes, once you get the hang of making them, and before you know it, you've made enough to begin sewing them together.  And.... just as everyone always says, they really are the most portable little project!  A small bag of fabric squares, hexagon papers, needle, thread and scissors equates to many hours of sewing time. 

So...let's get you started making hexies!

English Paper Piecing

Here are my recommendations for basic supplies: 

Fabric swatches, hexagon papers, needles, general 50 or 60 weight sewing thread, silk thread, applique pins, Thread Heaven, thimble, needle threader, and either tweezers or hemostats. 

There are lots of opinions about the "right" supplies to use.  I will share my favorites with you and why they work well for me.  You may have a different choice and that's just fine.

Hexagon Papers
I looked into many of the available template & paper hexagon options and chose to work with pre-cut papers by a company called Paper Pieces.  There are many great options here and like so many quilting techniques, all are good....you just have to decide which is the right one for you.  I didn't want to spend my time cutting my own papers...I wanted to spend it sewing.  I chose to buy mine from Paper Pieces because they came in a wide array of sizes and pieces in the package and are very affordable. When choosing yours, one thing I would make sure of is that you can fold the sewn hexagons in half.  This was crutial for me when piecing them together.  More about that later.

Hexagons come in a wide variety of sizes and the size refers to the measurement of one of the six sides of the hexagon, not the width.  I chose to work with a 1 inch hex, which measures about 1 3/4 inches across.  The size was large enough so it would be easy to handle and shows a nice amount of fabric.  I also punched a hole in the center of my hexagons (before sewing them) so it would be easier to remove the papers when it was time....glad I did that, too!  Paper hexagons are available at your local quilt shop and at http://www.paperpieces.com/ 

Fabric
It's no surprise that you'll want to use 100% cotton fabrics, but depending on the size of the hexagon you're making, and the project itself, you may want to choose certain types of prints.  If you're making really small hexagons, then you'll want to choose small prints.  When making my quilt, I stayed away from tone-on-tones that read one color and looked for fabrics that had a cute print or multiple colors.  If I were making a large super scrappy quilt, then I'd probably use anything and everything. 

Regular readers of my blog know that I love to starch my fabrics before cutting them, but I don't recommend using starched fabric when piecing hexagons.  I did piece several with starched fabric and it was harder to push the needle through the fabric.  Not so bad when you're sewing one or two, but awful when sewing a couple of hundred!  I got great results without the starch.

Thread
I recommend using two different threads - one for making the hexagon and a different one for piecing them together.

When sewing your hexagon around the paper, use any regular or unwanted (rarely used color, etc) 50 or 60 weight thread!  All you're doing is basting the fabric to the paper (thus takingon the hexagon shape) so the thread will never be seen.  It won't be removed either.  So...empty your bobbins, use odd colors, buy whats on sale. 

When sewing your hexagons together, I highly recommend using silk thread.  Silk thread is strong and very thin.  Your stitches sink into the fabric and are nearly invisible. This is very important as you don't want your stitches to be seen on your quilt top.  I use it for needle-turn applique as well.  I like using YLI silk thread (although there are many good brands out there) and have it in two colors, although it's available in a variety of colors, but I don't think it's necessary to purchase lots colors.  My favorite colors are taupe #235 and black # BLK.  I pieced all of my hexs together using just the taupe color and it worked just fine.  Silk threads are a bit pricey, however, a spool lasts a long time.  For example, I made 72 needle-turn basket blocks and pieced more than 200 hexagons before I emptied one spool.  There are some pitfalls to be aware of when sewing with silk thread and I'll help you thru those in future posts.

Use a single strand of thread when sewing the hexagons around the paper and when piecing them together.

Needles
When you're sewing the hexagon around the paper, use whatever needle feels comfortable to you.  At this point it's not as important to pick a particular needle.  For general use, my favorite needle is an embroidery needle, size 8, by Piecemaker. 

When sewing your hexs together, it's very important to have the proper needle.  Choose a small needle (small in diameter not necessarily length) that will pierce a small hole for tiny stitches and work well with the silk thread.  There are many types that will do this.... straw needles, milliners needles, and my personal favorite.... an applique needle, size 10 Gold'nGlide (gold eye) by John James.  Try them until you find the right one for you!

Once you find a needle you like, I do recommend buying a package or two because your needles dull from use against the papers.  You'll notice when it's a bit of a struggle to sew and you'll want a new sharp needle. 

Thread Heaven
Thread Heaven is a wonderful helper with any type of thread.  (It's the little blue square in the photo.)  It's filled with a substance that coats your thread so it's less likely to knot and tangle.  I use it on most every type of thread, but it's very important to use it for the silk thread which wants to twist and tangle more than cotton thread.  I've never had a problem with silk threads tangling since using Thread Heaven.  It's very inexpensive (about $4) and lasts a very long time. 

Applique Pins
These pins are very short pins made to stay out of your way when appliqueing.  You can use a regular size pin when sewing your hexagon around the paper, but the shorter applique pins lessen the chance your thread will become hooked on it.  Another inexpensive tool that will last many years! 

Thimble
I'm not a person who sews with a thimble very often, but I guarantee you will need a thimble when piecing the hexs together!!  I tried sewing without one for awhile and had a nice hole in my finger to show for it.  Invest in a comfortable thimble.  That doesn't necessarily mean lots of money.  My favorite (and only) thimble is the leather one shown in the photo (the other one is an antique).  It's soft, nicely broken in and costs around $5.

Needle Threader
This is an optional notion.  Technically, you don't need to have one, although you probably have several lying around.  We will use this when I show you a great hint about working with silk thread.

Tweezers or Hemostats
We'll use either of these to easily remove the papers from our hexagons. 


Gather your supplies and get ready for my next post where I will teach you how to sew the fabric around the hexagon.  Please ask for all of these supplies at your favorite quilt shop!  They are usually happy to order whatever items you need.

If you have an alternate method of making hexagons and would like to share your technique or a favorite notion or hint/tip you use when making hexs, I invite you to leave a comment!  That way, we can all share in your knowledge!

Oh....and one more thing.....my hexagon quilt isn't quite finished!  No, I'm not talking about the quilting!   I'll still be adding a thing or two, so stay tuned and thank you for visiting with me today.  The next step in making hexagons is coming soon.

Pam