Hexie Challenge in Red

This week I have made two red hexagons.

Both are made using a motif as their feature.

This fussy cutting is so much fun.

Do send us your photos.

 

     

 

Shirley is making her set in woven Japanese Taupe fabric.

 

 

Elizabeth brought these in for Show and Tell and aren't they stunning - a

pin cushion and needle case made by her mother at least 40 years ago.

 

 

It just goes to show nothing is new - she was fussy cutting back then.

 

 

This is the back of the pin cushion.

 

Our English Paper Piecing Sewing Group starts at the shop tomorrow afternoon so I have an afternoon of sewing and demonstrating Paper Piecing Techniques. - looking forward to that. Back soon.

 

Exciting Fabric and Prize

February is over so it time for the first prize draw and an exciting new hexie unit.

 

 

 

This piece of fabric has made a really cool hexie unit. I love the way the vine ends up creating a cicrcular shape. It is so hard to find or identify fabric that might do this.

But practice looking will get us all there.

 

 

This unit needed a careful choice of centrepeice to create the unit.

It is my favourite unit so far.

 

Now for the prize - the first month's draw came up with Barbara's name.

She has been making William Morris Hexie units.

 

 

 

I love the effect she has achieved with the one on the right creating such a ring.

Some of the latest William Morris fabrics will wing their way to you on Monday.

Congratulations Barbara.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last Stripes - For A While

Sorry this post is a bit late - it has been rather hectic around our place lately - two Shows in two weeks - ouch! One in Christchurch and one in Palmerston North.

 

 

This is my last stripe based hexie post  - well for a while anyway.

It must be time to move onto motifs or something!

 

I started with this fabric.

 

 

This is the first hexie.

 

 

                         

 

        

 I couldn't resist making another one - well preparing another one - not yet stitched.

But with the stripes reversed in relation to the centre.

 

 

Show and Tell photos are coming in now. I will announce the first winner on Friday's post.

So get your photos in today to win some farbic that might work for your English Paper Pieced project.

 

It is great to see the variety of fabrics that people are working with.

I have kept some photos to put up on the related psots that I have planned.

 

 

 Malcolm's in woven taupes

 

  Tricia's in an Art Deco print

 

 

 

Tricia pointed out how carefully we need to look at the fabric.

Two hexies are cut from a different stripe on the fabric.

 

 

 

Fussy Cutting Friday Challenge - More Stripes

How are your units going? I only have one photo sent in so far - where is yours!?!?!?!

This week I have been experimenting with stripes going the other way.

So that means not going around the hexagon but radiating outwards. 

This is the fabric and it proved to be more of a challenge than I thought.

As you can see if you look closely the stripes are directional. 

I had to unpick as I had some of the 'heart' motifs heading inwards 

and others heading outwards first time around.

Then I discovered that some hexies were wrong!

If you look really closely you can see that the stripe beside lined up 'hearts'

changes with alternate stripes - sometimes light and sometimes not.

This certainly made me look at fabric much, much 

more closely - a good lesson.

I noticed it when I was sewing the the hexies together as where they joined 

and made the light 'V" sometimes it wasn't light.

Tricia has done her stripes going outwards too - don't you love her colours.

Back next week with a change from stripes!

1930s Stars In Quilting Mode

I am now up to quilting my 1930s Stars Quilt.

I have decided to quilt it with embroidery thread and chunky stitches.

I have gone about 1/4" around each diamond and the same on the inside

 of the centre hexagons - well some of them - not this yellow one yet.

The thread is two strands of DMC #3752 - a pale blue.

100 Modern Quilt Blocks

Today was the first day of "100 Modern Quilt Blocks" Class.

We had a great morning or should I say early morning - 9.00am start!

But we did start with coffee and croissants.

These are the first 10 blocks group members need to make before the next 

group meeting in March. We all have the same fabric starter pack and it will be

interesting to see how varied the blocks will be. 

A bit of 'fussy cutting" in block 2

 Blocks 3 and 4

This series is all based on crosses.

Blocks 7 and 8

A bit more "fussy cutting"with the butterfly.

All my blocks stored inside my book. I love the look of this.

It is a real conversation piece!

Maybe it will stay like this!

No probably not - I haven't see all my blocks laid out together yet

- it would be so good to put them all up[ on the design wall. 

But the thought of putting all 100 back in order in the book is real 'put-off'.

The only way I know that my colours are balanced is that I have used almost every 

last tiny piece of my original fat eighths.

Fussy Cut Friday Challenge - Centres

I hope your first EPP (English Paper Pieced) section is made!!

This is the fabric that I have used next.

     

Tricia asked a good question in the comment box about the fabric for your centre 

piece of the hexagons. I thought this was a good discussion point for this week.

My theory is that the centre is not the focal point so it shouldn't be at all dominant.

I like the outside ring to be the feature especially when I have spent time 

planning and fussy cutting. Which centre of the above set would you choose?

   

So with this one I used a centre piece that blended well with the fabric that I have 

used in the ring. It hasn't come from the same fabric as the ring but is in 

the same colour range.

If you check back on my previous hexies I did the same thing.

However I do see a place for a plainer ring and a stunning centre - that sounds 

like a new tangent to go off on later!!!

I chose the first photo for the centre above even tho' it is a bit more dominant.