Tutorial: Do You Hex?

If you do...you will love Geta Grama's blog! She is from Brasov, Romania...and does a lot of work with hexagons...and so much more. I first became a fan and follower of her blog "Geta's Quilting Studio"  because of her work with shadow applique as a trapunto technique.  She has a really good tutorial for creating hexagon templates, and a super source for printable sheets of templates in different sizes. Please check them all out! I used her One Inch size template sheet...but do things a bit differently. Not better...just different. We all have out "techniques". So, here is mine: Tutorial for Creating Hexagons Step One: Follow the link above to download Geta's template sheet...and print the One-Inch size page.  

Step Two: Assemble these supplies: Roll of freezer paper, scissors (or rotary cutter), iron, two copies of the one-inch size page.  

Step Three: Roll out about 22 inches of the freezer paper. Fold this into fourths and cut along those folded lines. This will give you four pieces of freezer paper approximately 9 x 12 inches  

Step Four: Place paper template sheet face down on your ironing surface. Place one sheet of the freezer paper on top, wax side down, and press with hot iron. Try to keep the "bubbles" of air from forming by pressing from the center out towards the edges.  

Step Five: Repeat Step Four with a second sheet of freezer paper.  

Step Six: You have two more sheets of freezer paper...and one more template sheet if you followed the instructions so far...so, go ahead and repeat Step Four and Step Five to create your second sheet of templates.  

Step Seven: Using paper cutting scissors or a spare rotary blade...cut the "margins" off of one of the printed template sheets.

Step Eight: Cut the sheet into columns following the lines.  

Step Nine: Cut the columns into squares...following the lines.  

Step Ten: Cut each Square into a Hexagon Shape...following the lines.  

Step Eleven: Use a standard hole-punch to create a hole in the center of the finished hexagon shape. This will help you later on to "pop" the template out from the finished fabric version once it has been surrounded by other finished fabric templates during the assembly process for your project.  

Step Twelve: Repeat these steps to create hundreds of these templates for your use. The One-Inch size (measurement of one side of the template...not across the center) hexagon will fit nicely on a 2.5 inch strip of fabric...so is great for using up pieces of Noodles. It also fits nicely in groups of four...on 5" square Nickles.  

Step Thirteen: To cover with fabric...place the one-inch hexagon shape in the center of a 2.5" piece of fabric. Fold the fabric over one side...then fold the fabric over the next side...and stitch the "fold" with 2-3 little tiny tacking stitches just in the fabric seam allowance. Do not stitch through the paper.  There is not need to start with a knotted thread, just leave about a half-inch tail of thread...and the tacking stitches will hold sufficiently for this technique. This saves time too!  

Step Fourteen: Fold the fabric over at the next side...and stitch 2-3 tacking stitches. Repeat this all the way around the shape...end by cutting the thread.  

This completes the first hexagon fabric shape. Do not remove the paper template.  

Step Fifteen: Place two paper/fabric hexagons together and using a small slip stitch...sew one edge together. You can hide a tiny knot within the seam...or again start without a knot. Take a couple of tiny tacking stitches to end off the seam.  This is the method used to attach all of the hexagons together...just be careful to match the correct adjacent sides...or you'll have a bowl!  

This is the traditional Grandmother's Flower Garden setting for hexagons. The center fabric is the "middle" of the flower...and the outer hexagons are the flower petals.   

This is a quick scrappy setting idea for small groups of hexagons.
Whatever setting you choose to design...creates these "sets" then assemble multiple sets together to create the quilt top. 
Hexagons are great projects for on the go. A stack of templates, a stack of 2.5" squares of fabric, a needle, thread, and scissors...and you're ready to create many, many little fabric hexagons on the train, bus, car, doctor's office, ball game, etc. You can also use this time for stitching them to each other...or wait on that until you are nested comfortably in front of the television with your good lamp. Hugs!
 

Jingle - March Block Completed

Ya Hoo! I'm caught up with the block of the month...here is the March block...obviously, another applique one. I'm still loving Erin's pattern...simple embroidery (stem stitch) for the floral stems...and the applique pieces are really easy to trace on to the freezer paper, and baste because the shapes are gentle curves.  

  Then applique them down to the background and I'm all done!

  The blocks are 9 inch finished...so not too much work...thankfully! This will be a pretty quilt I'm thinking....let's hope I can keep on track now that I've gotten caught up with the rest of the group. Summer is coming...and that means garden! And, there is also baby-sitting...and you know that takes a chunk of time!  

EQ-7 Designing

  All of us kids, except Anna who had to work, were here at the house today. A greenhouse was constructed in the back yard for Mom. I had to set the clock so I'd get up in time for coffee early before the activity began. Otherwise, I would have slept too late...because I was playing around with my Electric Quilt 7 software last night and worked up this design for a patriotic quilt. Now...if I only had the fabrics! (Guess with my TO-DO list...it's a good thing that I don't...but, perhaps someday.) It's going on my wish list of quilts I would like to stitch someday. It would be easier than it might look...all of the circular blocks are really square...and are paper foundation pieced. The eagle would be done in shadow applique fusible w/sheer overlay or standard hand-applique.  

Corset Lady Continues

Yesterday, I worked to finish the third block in the Jingle quilt...and as soon as I download and resize those photos, I'll share them. Today, I'm working on the overstitching on my Corset Lady for Wilma's Paris CQ Block. I started with the brown outline, now I'm filling in the design areas with black split stitch. This might seem "backwards"...but, if I had started with the black areas first...I would not have know "where" to put my outline stitching...cause the entire shape would have been black.

Jingle BOM - Blocks 1 & 2 Completed

I thought that the redbirds would be difficult...but they were not at all. Still struggling to make really round berries...and am thinking about changing to cardboard as the "shape foundation"...and starching a lot before going final. But, there will be more berries for sure...so I'll get some practice! Ha! This is a pretty block and I'm enjoying this quilt. I've said it before...and I'm saying it again... Erin Russek's patterns are really easy to work up! I so appreciate the gentle curves and the not-so-slender points for hand applique.

  Here is the second block for the quilt. It is the first pieced block. The poinsettia fabric in the center will also be the last large border for the quilt. It is too large of a scale print to work well in any of the applique blocks, but I'm hoping to get to use it in all of the pieced blocks.

Jingle BOM - Applique Block #1

This is the month for hand-applique it seems! I'm trying to get the Merry Merry Snowman quilt top done, and working on Erin Russek's "Jingle" Block-of-the-Month quilt as well.   

 The Jingle BOM started in January...but I didn't start until the very end of February...and the 30" center medallion took some time to complete. So, I'm playing catch-up to get the monthly blocks done. The first one is about half way done.

  I have all of my applique pieces finished and ready to stitch down...the leaves were easy to get ready. Just trace the pattern reversed on to freezer paper, press that piece to the back of my fabric, trim 1/4 inch around, and them fold the edge over and tack-baste (gather outer curves and clip inside curves). The tips are folded down, then each side folded over and tiny tacking stitches hold my basting in place.  

The red-bird took a little more planning...and some basting through all layers, including the freezer paper at the sides where the fabric was clipped to allow inside curves to happen.   

 The bill has a black piece stitched on top of the red...on top of a gold corner for the bird's bill.   

The black was wrapped to the back at both ends and tacked down.  

 The birds and berries are stitched on; and tomorrow I hope to get all of these leaves attached.  

  The first couple of leaves are already stitched down. I start by going around one end, up one side, around the other end...then I stop and pull the paper out.  

Then I press the now-empty leaf back down and continue to stitch all the way around. I need to repeat this about a dozen more times tomorrow....and this block will be complete.  

Merry Merry Snowmen - Block #2

It took about three days...but, I'm finished with the second block of the Merry Merry Snowmen quilt. The pattern is from Bunny Hill, and a photo of the entire pattern was blogged here last week.   

 I had a little trouble with the reindeer...got him backwards...and had to start him over. All is well now that the block is finished. Well, I see that I did forget the star button that goes on Santa Snowman's hat...but, that's an easy fix.   

A lot of the pieces in this quilt are small...requiring me to baste through the fabric and freezer paper when preparing my pieces for stitching down. My first attempt with hand-applique was back in the 80's, when freezer paper was the "new way". Now, it's out of favor by a lot of folks...but, I seem to be more comfortable with that method of "piece preparation" when the items are small than any other.   

 Plus, I really enjoy the peace of preparing all of my applique pieces before I begin to stitch anything down. It helps me to envision the end result, and let's me change my mind about fabrics before going final. It also helps to make the actual stitching-down process go faster because I'm not "fiddling" as much with the pieces.  

Sometimes, I use other preparation methods like starch or glue basting, baste and needle-turn, or stabilization...but freezer paper is my most often choice.   What type of preparation do you like to do before appliquing by hand?  

Nite All!

Why is it...no matter how hard I seem to try...I'm always going to bed late!  Even poor Buddy has given up and just decided to crash on the window seat!  Well, I had best wake him up to go out...and get myself moving towards the bed at least...hope y'all have a restful night...and a wonderful sun filled day tomorrow!  

Creating Dimensional Objects - Part Two - Padding

Yesterday, we printed two objects on our cotton fabric. We also planned our design by printing the image on paper first. Today, we will pad the fabric image and get it ready to applique down. The padding is thin, but will give it some dimension by raising the image slightly off the background block. However, this technique can be done with fusible interfacing that does not "pad" the image as well.  

Step One: Trim the paper image to represent the final required size and shape of the fabric portion of the image. You will cut away all of the parts of the image that you don't want to use. For example, in this design...the corset lady's hair will be stitched...so the bun is not needed. And, for the CanCan dancer...the skirt will be created from lace...so is not needed...just the legs.  

 Step Two: Use this paper as a pattern to cut your interfacing for padding the image. A small dot of glue can  be placed on the reverse of your paper pattern to hold it in place while trimming around the pattern. Then remove the paper from the padding.

 Step Three: Carefully peel the fabric from the freezer paper in your fabric printed sandwich.  

 Step Four: Trim around the fabric images loosely...and the press with a hot iron...front and back.  

 Step Five:  Place the padding shapes on the back of the fabric images...aligning the shapes with the same shape on the image.   

 Here are the three parts...the paper trimmed image, the padded part, and the fabric image. A small smear of thin glue can help to hold the padding to the fabric image and keep it in place...but only put it in the center area...not along the edges where stitching will later take place.  

Step Six: When the padding shape is securely in place...trim the fabric to within 1/4 of an inch of the shape...and clip the curves and inside corners along these shapes.  

 Step Seven: Fold the fabric excess over the padded shape and baste down or glue down lightly.  

  I use a water/glue for this. Children's washable white glue works fine...and I use 3 parts glue to 1 part water for my solution. It creates a little stiffness, but not so much that you can't stitch through it. When ironed, the glue dries and holds everything in place.  

Step Eight: Press the padded image front and back to set the ink, help create a defined edge for sewing, and set the glue bond. The images might not be perfect as the legs and head shifted a little...got in too big of a hurry. However, they are not so bad that they can't be used because the embroidery work for the hair and skirt will hide any slight changes if the shape is pretty good. The smaller or thinner the object...the harder it is to keep in line. Just keep trying, and you'll get it right. You can always print more than one...on the same sheet of fabric/paper so you have more to work with that I've done here...only printing one. And, depending on the image you are working with...the amount of precision needed will also change. These finished padded images are ready for applique to the background. It will be enhanced with more stitching and embellishments.    This ends the tutorial...but stay tuned for how I choose to embellish these padded images for Wilma's block.