A Prairie Home Quilts

A hexagon update. . .

Here’s what I was experimenting with:  Ironing a freezer paper template of the hexagon shape without seam allowances to my 2″ squares, roughly trimming them, and then piecing them together using a running stitch.  As I suspected, the freezer paper got in the way while I was piecing and didn’t stay on very well; but what I didn’t expect was discovering how much having your shapes match up at the cut edges helps when you are hand piecing.  That necessitated a change of plans — otherwise known as — more experimenting.

Here’s what I’m doing now and it seems to be working out:  (Remember that I am trying to avoid basting my 2″ squares to paper templates.)  I’m ironing on a freezer paper template with seam allowances to my 2″ squares.  I’ve printed the templates right on to the freezer paper using Inklingo.  So easy now to trim them all up to the perfect size!  Then I’m ironing on a freezer paper template that doesn’t have the seam allowances and tracing around it with either a fine point mechanical pencil or colored chalk pencil if the fabric is too dark to see the pencil line.  So easy now to hand piece with a running stitch!

I know it probably sounds like more trouble than it’s worth but I’m doing it assembly line fashion and it hardly seems a bother at all.  Best of all, I’m getting more hexagon flowers sewn together quicker!

Field of Flowers – The Beginning

I have several items that I no longer have use for and thought I’d see if anyone is interested in a swap.  I’d like to swap these items for REPRODUCTION fabric Fat Quarters (Civil War or other 19th century reproductions).  Here’s what I have, the retail value of each item and how many FQs I’d like to swap — although I am flexible.  *smile*

3 packages of 125- 3/4″ hexagon paper templates from paperpieces.com valued at $3.50 each in exchange for 3 or 4 FQs.

1 package of 40- 1 1/2″ hexagon plastic Quilt Patis valued at $18.50 in exchange for 6 or 7 FQs.

1 package of 60- 3/4″ hexagon plastic Quilt Patis valued at $18.50 in exchange for 6 or 7 FQs.

Just leave me a comment and include your email address (which won’t be posted) so that I can get back to you to exchange postal addresses.

Thank you!

EDIT:  23 February 2009:  The Quilt Patis have been spoken for.  Thank you, Michelle, for swapping with me!  The 3/4″ Hexagons from Paper Pieces are still available.

I’ve finished the top finally. It’s all hand pieced. Tonight I hope to make the binding strips and piece the back. . . I’m being frugal and using up some strips that came off the backing of another Christmas quilt hence needing to piece the backing even though this topper is only about 20″ across at its widest point.

Next up will be basting it so that I can hand quilt it.

Cha-Cha-Cha-Changes [singing an old David Bowie song off key]. Only half way through the first month of the year and I’m updating and changing my goal lists. Yeah, and adding to it. I have accomplished some stuff though! That counts, right?

I’ve decided I cannot bring myself to baste hexagons to paper pieces any longer. I’ve been spoiled by the ease of printing and piecing using Inklingo. That leaves me with two options for my GFG quilt, Field of Flowers. I can either put all the 2″ squares I have cut (probably around 2000) into my leader/ender pile and begin again using printed hexagons or figure out a way to piece them without basting them to paper.

I opted for figuring out a way to piece them without the paper. Since coming to this decision, my new options are: 1) I can cut each 2″ square into the proper shape or 2) get creative. I opted for #2 as I cannot see myself cutting out .75″ hexagons from 2000 2″ squares! Now I have to figure out what to do with the paper pieces I purchased.

My new plan involves printing out some freezer paper templates using Inklingo Collection #3 and ironing them onto the 2″ squares. Then I hope to be able to piece them together with a running stitch instead of a whip stitch. All this sounds like a good plan but will only be effective if the freezer paper stays in place while I’m stitching. I’ll update you later.

Next dilemma. . .  I cannot decide upon the perfect layout for my Hey Diddle Diddle project and because of Cathi’s sweet little project using 30′s reproduction fabrics I’m conflicted as to embroidering the characters in red with red & white fabrics in the alternate blocks or embroidering in colors with 30′s repro fabric in the alternate blocks. Since I have no large stash of either color way, it doesn’t matter which one I choose, I just need to choose!

Moving on. . . I thought since I have a couple of hexagon projects in the works I’d join the Great Hexagon Quilt Along, you know. . . just for inspiration. It didn’t take me long to decide to start work on my own version of the mosaic hexagon quilt that first inspired Robyn to start the quilt along. [sigh] I cannot help it. Have I told you I plan to live forever? Quilting will be allowed in the Kingdom of Heaven — I’m sure of it.

My list of WIPs grows each week. . . up to 16 now and 2/3 of them are hand work. [You have my permission to fall down in a fit of hysterical laughter at this point.] I figured since I was printing .75″ hexagons and 1.5″ diamonds from vintage looking or reproduction fabrics I might as well print out some 1.25″ hexagons for the mosaic quilt. I can print 16- 1.25″ hexagons, 16- .75″ hexagons & 24- 1.5″ diamonds from one FQ. That gives me pieces for three different projects from one FQ. I like that. Now I need to purchase more reproduction fabrics.

Off to print more diamonds and hexagons and humming, “Bring on the Day” by Charlotte Martin from the “Sweet Home Alabama” movie soundtrack.

This is the block I’m using in a quick project I started to have a gift for my mom for her birthday.  It’s going to be a small wall hanging — about 26″ x 26″.  Although, if it were really a “quick project,” I’d have it done already, right?  Maybe it’s just that I’m not quick. . .  I’m using the Free Inklingo Collection to make LeMoyne Star blocks and half LeMoyne Stars to make the bud blocks.  I’ve pieced the inset seams by hand and pieced the rest by machine.  Next time, though, I’m doing the whole thing by hand because I was disappointed that some of my points will be clipped off.  I’m able to be more accurate when I hand piece.

I added a strip of fabric to two sides of the half-star bud block to make it the same size as the full LeMoyne Star block.  I was too lazy to do the “pot” part the correct way  (I found this block in an antique quilt, btw) so I just did a half square triangle block and trimmed it to the correct size.  The finished size of the LeMoyne Star block in the Free Inklingo Collection is 4 1/2″.

I used photo editing software to play around with a cropped image of the block to decide on my setting.  This one just wouldn’t do.

Next up. . .  This one’s better but it’s still not “there” yet.

And finally, yes!  That’s it!  I like this setting the best.  Although we’ll see what happens when I add the border fabrics.

Ludo thinks if he hides this block, he can claim the wall hanging for himself.

He doesn’t know that Grandma has already seen the block and she’s not parting with the wall hanging.