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.

New Products - Notice something different?

I am so excited, I have a new product line for you. Notice anything different about these Moda charm packs?


That's right, they're hexagonal! They are the same size as the regular square charm packs (these are 5 inches from point to point), but they are already die-cut into hexagons (with 2 1/2 inch sides).

Now before you rush off to your local patchwork store looking for them, I have to tell you that they are ONLY available here at Possum Blossom Patchwork because they are all die-cut by ME.

They're not listed in my store just yet as I've only just finished cutting this batch, but I will list them over the next week. (If you can't wait, or if you want me to cut any other Moda ranges, send me an email.)

But first, I'm going to crack open one (or two) of these charm packs and spend the rest of the day sewing. I've never machine-sewn hexagons before. Is there a trick to it? I will find out and report back to you.

I am also tempted to try some free-motion quilting, I've never done that before, but I guess I better take it one step at a time and piece the hexagons first.

Anyway, I am very very happy with these hexagon charm packs, and I can't wait for my next fabric delivery to arrive so I can make some more for you.

Please hurry up Mr Postman!

Don't you love that moment when you see brand new fabric designs for the first time. Almost as good as opening a brand new box of chocolates. (I said ALMOST.) Nonetheless, I am drooling so much my computer keyboard is getting messy.

I don't know how she does it, but Quilt Jane at Want It, Need It, Quilt somehow manages to get her hands on the latest Moda ranges before my local Moda wholesaler has them available! (I know I've mentioned her shop a few times before, but it's really the only place I go.)

As soon as I saw these brand new ranges in her store, I waved my magic PayPal wand and snapped up these Moda layer cakes. I can't wait to get my hands on them! The first is Sassy by Sandy Gervais (not due for release till next year!) and the second is Good Fortune by Kate Spain.

I am planning to turn these into pre-cut hexagons for you, but I can't 100% guarantee that I won't be keeping them for myself LOL.

I've been meaning to thank everyone for your great comments about fabric hexagons last week. You've given me some great ideas, but I'll talk more about that another day. Some of you also mentioned that you haven't tried hexies yet, and would you believe it - perfect timing - there is a brand new tutorial on Bec's Chasing Cotton blog today (Tuesday) and it's all about how to do hexies.

QuiltJane (yes the one and the same) has written a great overview of everything you need to know before you get started, e.g. what sort of thread to use, the other notions you need, etc. I really like how she tells you a little about the different methods that you can choose from, rather than saying that there is just one "right" way.

And tomorrow (Wednesday) her step-by-step guide will be posted, so if you are thinking about giving hexies a go, be sure to have a look here.