Sunday, December 11, 2011

First quilt made from a Hexagon Charm Pack

Here's my first attempt at doing machine-pieced hexagons. I wasn't sure how I'd go with the set-in corners but they turned out to be quite easy. I think that was because of the larger size of the hexagons.


Construction was fairly easy. I joined the columns of hexs together to make vertical strips, just like you do with square charms, then I sewed the strips together. (I think I must have turned one or two strips the wrong way though, as all the florals are now clumped together.) There's a little trick to sewing the strips together. I'll tell you more about that later.

Initially I was going to add some red hexs, but I ended up trimming the sides to make the quilt square. I used just one hexagon charm pack (Ruby by Bonnie and Camille) and it ended up at around 55cm x 55cm. I used all 42 hexs in the pack, so there was absolutely no wastage.


My first attempt at free motion quilting was a little rough, as you would expect, but I'm so proud of myself for giving it a go. I think I did too many squiggles too close together so it looks a little tight and over-quilted. I think they key is to not try so hard.

Everything I needed to know about free-motion quilting I found in RetroMummy's video tutorial here. (Well, almost everything. It took me an hour to figure out how to drop my feed dogs!) I looked at quite a few other YouTube videos as well, but all the presenters just talked about FMQ, no-one actually demonstrated it.


My stitch length varied a lot as I tried to figure out the perfect speed to go at but I know this will improve with practice. I definitely need to buy some gloves like RetroMummy's, as it was hard to manouver the fabric smoothly without them.

All in all, I am VERY pleased with the fruits of this weekend's labour. I am very very tempted to start another little quilt tonight, I'm thinking of using Walk in the Woods. The large hexagons will show off the fabrics wonderfully.
Posted by at
Labels: ,

12 comments:

  1. QuiltjaneDecember 11, 2011 at 2:36 PM

    It looks great. I think a walk in the Woods would be wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
  2. LindiDecember 11, 2011 at 2:42 PM

    Well done, Joanne! it looks great. Don't worry about the stitch variation, it will improve. As togloves, I started out with proper ones, but now prefer using disposable latex gloves - buy a box from the supermarket. They fit so well, and you can feel the fabric better I got that tip from a long time quilter!

    ReplyDelete
  3. barb's creationsDecember 11, 2011 at 3:18 PM

    Looks fantastic Joanne,at least you've given free motion quilting a go :) Barb.

    ReplyDelete
  4. RobynLouiseDecember 11, 2011 at 5:48 PM

    Looks great and the quilting's pretty good. I can't wear latex and I ride horses and for about $6 a pair at a saddlery the jockey gloves with their little rubber dots on the palms do a great job for quilting. I found they are cooler to wear in summer than the heavier quilting gloves. Even the black gloves don't leave marks on the fabric.
    Cheers,
    Robyn

    ReplyDelete
  5. SunnybecDecember 11, 2011 at 6:53 PM

    Well Done!! I use gardening gloves! I have some quilting gloves but don't like them and I found the latex made my hands sweat too much. You will find some more videos here
    http://www.patsythompsondesigns.com/free-video/

    I am no expert either but know it's just practice and just go for it. Your hexie quilt is lovely. Linda

    ReplyDelete
  6. Teresa F.December 11, 2011 at 7:18 PM

    Your quilt is amazing.Can't wait to get some of those giant hexies.

    ReplyDelete
  7. PBPatchDecember 11, 2011 at 8:44 PM

    Thanks Everyone for your tips about the gloves. I'll try a few different styles out and find something I like. I am tempted to stick velcro dots on my fingertips - like Spiderman.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Archie The Wonder DogDecember 11, 2011 at 11:45 PM

    It looks great! If you don't like gloves (or the velcro dots!) then try two squares of rubber matting (the stuff that you get to put under microwaves to stop them slipping and in your kitchen cupboards to protect crockery) - works wonders!

    ReplyDelete
  9. LesQuiltsDecember 13, 2011 at 12:32 AM

    Hi Joanne! I think this little project is lovely! And I like little projects very much! You are right, the FMQ is about relaxing. I think you did very well and it will get better with practice. One thing I learned was to practice with a pencil on paper to get the flow and pattern in your head, makes it easier to do on the machine so you don't have to unsew any stitches! I get going sometimes, and my tongue gets all twisted! Any pattern stitch your brain tells you to do works! Myself, I like hearts, then if want to or need to cross lines, it looks like it belongs there!
    Take care, Leslie

    ReplyDelete
  10. elliekDecember 13, 2011 at 10:11 AM

    Love your quilt and the quilting. I love looking at the free motion quilting project by Leah day. She has lots of youtube videos and they do look simple.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Sharon PernesDecember 14, 2011 at 5:14 AM

    This is wonderful :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. miss~nanceDecember 29, 2011 at 10:46 AM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)