Scrappy Happiness

This last little while, my days have been pleasantly filled with scrappy happiness. After stitching some considerable projects of late, I felt a desire to stitch something effortless and easy, something that wouldn't tax my pea brain. With this thought in mind I picked up my happy, scrappy hexagon quilt once more and continued stitching. Yes indeedy, lately my days have been pleasantly filled with a little hexie love!

Me and my little Bernina have been whirring away in my sunny sewing room, whipping up hundreds of little hexagons in readiness to hand stitch them to my quilt-as-you-go hexagon quilt.

Me and my little Bernina have been  building teetering, tottering piles of hexagons.

Old Man Winter has arrived downunder and though the mornings and evenings are a wee bit chilly, we have been experiencing lovely, sunny days. On these sun-filled mornings my sewing room beckons me. Stitching away with Old Man Sun overlooking my shoulder fills me with bliss.

Of course there are those days when Old Man Sun has others ideas about beaming his warmth on my humble abode. Some days for one reason or another he has decided it is a no show day, so it is these mornings I find myself sitting in front of the crackling fire hand stitching each hexie to the quilt.

Of course, long morning stitching sessions require many a cup of tea. =)

I originally stitched this quilt with the thought in mind of using it to throw over a sofa, but have now decided to make it into a queen size bed quilt for the boudoir. I know, I know, you are thinking "how many quilts does one woman need in her boudoir?". I already have my Cathedral Window quilt and my vintage linens, scrappy-licious quilt for the bed, but I have found with Old Man Sun casting his sunbeams all day in my boudoir my quilts are fading a little too quickly. Even though my favourite kinda quilts are those that are a little faded and have become squishy squashy after many washings, the quilts on my bed are paling a little too 'lickety-split' for my liking. So much time and effort goes into the stitching of a quilt that one would like to enjoy them for a long while. Hence the reason I need many a quilt so that I can interchange them often in order to keep the effects of all that sunshine at bay. Anyway, the more quilts the merrier, is what I say.

Notice how the fabrics on one side of the quilt have faded. This quilt has only been on the bed for four months.

Old Man Sun casts his sunny smile of happiness all day in my boudoir. I am that gal who every morning throws open the curtains to allow the sunshine's magical beams of warmth, light and happiness, permeate every corner. I am that gal who welcomes Old Man Sun, allowing him to embrace the rooms in my humble abode with all his brilliance.

Have you ever visited homes where on bright and sunny days the curtains are drawn all day? I have. I walk into these homes and feel a sense of darkness and cheerlessness. If only the occupants would fling open the curtains and allow the sunlight to invade each room, banishing the dimness of every nook and cranny, replacing these dark hidey holes with the whistling of Old Man Sun's bright and merry tune. If only they would allow their homes to be awash with warmth and sunny brilliance casting all those icky, dark shadows away forevermore. I don't know about you, but I find sunshine-filled rooms always bring a smile to my day. Somehow, rooms that are showcased by the sun seem to nourish my soul. Indeed, many a day I find solace sitting and stitching in a sun-drenched room.

But.....enough of me prattling on about Old Man Sun. Over the next little while I will continue to enjoy stitching my happy, scrappy hexie quilt. I also have been thinking about my next quilt. Hard to believe I know, but I am thinking my next quilt might just include a little hexie EPP stitching. Who would've thought!! =D Oh.....and there is a bag to stitch for a friend's daughter's birthday. It could be a little while till I 'chat' with you lovelies again.

Until the  next time..........

A little vintage shopping and ................... a few hexagons

One of my all time favourite things is to jump into our old tin lizzie and go for a drive with my significant other and see what pot of gold lies at our rainbow's end. There is always some quirky place down a country lane which needs to be explored. Sometimes there is nothing to tickle my fancy BUT sometimes there is so much treasure to be found, I can hardly contain my excitement.

A little over a week ago was one such day. Meandering over undiscovered hills and down dales brought a few exciting sightings.

At one little shop these pretties were unearthed.

A soft as soft pure wool blanket of the prettiest green, a lovely white tablecloth and this pretty coloured, large doily. They were all bargains. I think I will fashion the doily into a round cushion embellished with a few flowers.....(of course). Oh, and there was a length of sweet 1960's floral fabric. These blues are my all time favourite!

Then lo and behold at another strange li'l place where  teeny tiny bugs seemed to reign supreme was this gorgeous frippery!

Yes, this gorgeous embroidered gal was just hanging out, waiting for me to take her home. "Waa-ll aah do declare.......isn't she beautiful?" As ever, the handiwork on this southern beauty is amazing. Indeed the embroidery on the back is as perfect as the front.

She of course is going to hang out with some of my other ladies that lay dilly-dallying in my dowry of cloth.....waiting.....waiting....for me to fashion them into a pretty, which another generation can enjoy. All these embroidered beauties vary in height from about 24 inches to 36 inches. They are all exquisitely stitched! The southern gal on the left is embroidered on what was once a coverlet emanating from the 1930's. These pretty ladies are just dripping with oodles of sugary, syrupy southern charm; don't you agree?? I can never resist bringing a southern gal home with me when I happen upon one.

THEN........not I......but my husband, discovered this piece-de-resistance, an old Bernina Minimatic 707 sewing machine. Be still my beating heart!!

I know, I know....how on earth did I miss this little beauty. Alas, my engrossment was fixed on all these embroidered and crocheted pretties. Aah yes......vintage heaven.

Can you understand why I might have been a li'l distracted? Though these pretties are all neatly arranged and you can see in an instant what is on offer, I prefer to dive into baskets burrowing deep, deep down to the bottom in search of pretty embroideries. I find scrunched up and rumpled embroidered pretties usually are a lot kinder on the purse than those starched, neatly displayed pretties such as these above. None of these pretties came home with me......my large southern belle was a lot cheaper than any of these.

BUT.....back to the 'find of the day', my Bernina sewing machine. I have always hankered after a Bernina. Many of those who "are in the know" swear Bernina machines are one of the best machines one could purchase. This model was produced in 1971 and would have been a sought after acquisition in it's day. This particular machine, with an electronic foot control was the top of the line model for 11 years.

It is a solid machine with a very small free arm width, which is brilliant for sewing little children's sleeves, pants, cuffs etc. It is certainly making my life so much easier when tarting up children's clothes. When the free arm isn't required you just place the little table back. It is a teeny, tiny sewing machine......'tis so cute (that is of course if a sewing machine can be deemed as cute).

I must say I am enjoying stitching with this mechanical sewing machine. This machine has only had one owner and was only for sale after her passing. It has been serviced diligently every year and I must say it purrs like a kitten.

This machine truly has the most meditative and soothing sound, with the most beautiful straight stitch; with perfect tension. It's whirring sound takes me back to my childhood where I would sit and watch my mum sew on her Singer treadle machine. A sound which always seemed to be rather akin to a comforting and reassuring hug.

Though this machine only has eight stitches in it's bag of tricks I am finding I don't really need much more as I have my Janome 6600 to turn to for all those other sewing jobs. My poor old Janome is feeling her age....after all she has been in use every day of her life for the past ten years, both by me and oodles of children who walk through my front door! I suppose 10 years is not venerable for a sewing machine but I have demanded a lot from her and have put her through oodles of stress. She is a grand old girl but she is feeling a little weary. I am actually in the process of purchasing another sewing machine. I have my eyes on a new Bernina but as they are expensive I need to do a lot of research. Pray tell, what machine do you use.....or indeed what machine would you recommend?

I have been sewing the 'frames' of some hexagons on my little Bernina, that I have been preparing for yet another scrappy hexagon quilt, and it has been such a joy. Yes, I am in need of some hexagon therapy....another hexagon quilt is going to live in my humble abode....just because I don't have enough!!!

As some of you know, I go into a state of apoplectic shock when my beady li'l eyes spot a hexagon. To me there is nothing quite like a hexagon quilt. I love the higgledy piggledy nature of a hexagon quilt. I love that there is no rhyme or reason to the scrappy makeup of these quilts. I love the fact that oodles of disparate fabrics are thrown together with a myriad of colours and designs. Yes indeedy......love, love, LOVE hexagon quilts!

Normally, when I stitch a hexagon quilt I would sew all the hexagons by hand but as this fabric is 100% cotton, and cotton's DNA tends to have a perfectly behaved disposition, I have decided to machine stitch around the frames. I will then stitch all the hexies together at the back, by hand. If I have piqued your interest and you would like to have a bo peep at some of my other hand stitched hexies, I wrote a post waxing lyrical of all things hexagon, way, way back when..........here.

Yes indeedy, I am so thankful this old girl caught the attention of my husband. Wasn't he a sweetie to say "you really, really need to buy this beauty"! Such a discerning man is my husband! AND....she was only sixty smackeroos.....so I am a very happy gal....delirious with great joy actually! I might say if I hadn't purchased it, another lady was ready to pounce and whip it up into her arms and head for dem dar hills! I actually thought she might do me some harm and I would be no more....but no, I live to see yet another day....or indeed, to sew another hexagon or two!

So.........'tis toodles from me. I will be in hexie heaven this week as I have oodles more hexagons to stitch. Soooooooo much hexie love!! Wishing you all the most wonderful week!

Begin at the begin....how to make a hexagon quilt

 

 

Let's start at the very beginning........'tis a very good place to start......

 

...........which is a pity really, as I always find the beginning of a 'quilt-as-you-go' hexagon quilt a wee bit tedious. All that cutting......hexagon after hexagon......the batting, the backing and the top fabric.......plus the myriad of laces required to prettify my quilt, are required at the start. But all that ho-hum preparation in the beginning is well worth it when you get to the fun part....the part when you embellish and needless to say; the end, where with the final stitch stitched, you have in your pin-pricked and calloused fingers, one very original and spectacularly sumptuous, embellished hexagon quilt.....quite unlike any other that has gone before!!

 

The beauty of this quilt is that you can take each individual hexagon with you wherever you go and work on it and as each hexagon is finished, you sew them together until it grows to the required size. Then, when the quilt is all together you embellish it as little or as much as you desire or, perish the thought, you may not want to embellish your quilt at all. Me being me, whose philosophy is 'more is never enough' and who has a soft spot for those gorgeous crazy quilts of yesteryear; I rather go to town with the embellishing stage!

 

Though I have stitched many different sized hexagon quilts, this quilt is going to be made up of 14 inch hexagons as I only have four weeks  to present my 'piece-de-resistance' to my friend in honour of her 50th birthday. I'll probably be living on a wing and a prayer for the next little while but I am determined to deliver one gorgeous (well I hope it will be) lavishly embellished, 'Rhapsody in Blue' hexagon quilt.

AND I must stress that this is one of many methods in making one of many hexagon quilts. You might read this and find another easier way to make your "quilt-as-you-go" hexie. Good for you! To all those quilting purists out there, I apologise in advance if I offend your traditional quilting sensibilities. Though there are many quilting techniques that should be regarded, I am a gal who likes to play and experiment with quilting boundaries and have fun and see what eventuates. Sometimes my playing works and sometimes it doesn't. Quilting first and foremost should be enjoyable, playful and fun (though mind you.......there are those moments when it is downright frustrating..........and come to think of it I am having a few of those 'I am never going to make another hexie' moments in the stitching of my 'Rhapsody in Blue').

I am afraid that I have horrible memories of sewing classes taught by a horrible sewing teacher, with a horrible shrill voice; where it was her way or the highway. Where, if you so much as had a different idea that was just a tad 'too out there' then she would look at you menacingly with her rather large ruler in hand, as if you had committed an unpardonable sin and aboard that rattling old school bus, banish you to sewing hell forevermore! Needless to say, I gave sewing class the flick and didn't give sewing another thought until my husband bought me my first sewing machine when we were newlyweds beginning down the avenue of marital bliss!!!

Find out what works for you, and run with it. To me it is not  always about following the traditional techniques that are set in all those quilting tomes for time immemorial. It is about experimenting and seeing where that yellow brick road of creativity and discovery leads you. More often than not I veer from the acceptable scenic route and meander along the pot-holed, bendy stitching road, wearing my pretty pink and green coloured flower gumboots, splish-sploshing in the potholes that come along my path. Yes indeedy.....I am that gal who walks in the rain......whilst others just get wet!
 

So first things first.........
 

 

In this quilt there will be 5 rows of 6, 5, 6, 5, 6 hexagons with 1/2 hexagons either side of the 5 hexagon row. (As stated above, each of my hexagons are 14 inches across. I made my hexagon template out of thick cardboard as my plastic hexagons only go up to size 12 inches.)

 

 

Cut 28 hexagons and 4 half hexagons of batting.......(or indeed whatever number of hexagons you require).

  

Cut the same number of hexagons and half hexagons of the top fabric.

Cut the same number of hexagons and half hexagons of the backing fabric. This needs to be larger. For this quilt I have made my backing hexagons 17 inches across.

Place the top fabric hexagon on top of the batting and then place the lace or doily on top of the fabric. I suppose I should point out that you place the fabric with the straight grain on the batting.........but sometimes I break this rule. 'Tis very naughty of me, I know.....but I did warn you that I sometimes break the sewing tenets! Pin rather extensively as the fabric and the lace need to be flat. You could of course spray quilting adhesive on the batting and then place the fabric on top instead of using pins...this would make the hexagon completely flat and easier to sew. Zig zag (serge) around the edge of the hexagon. Trim and neaten excess fabric/lace.

Of course if the size of each hexagon for the quilt that you make is a lot smaller and is made from 100% cotton fabric, then, you can bypass the zig zagging around the edge of the hexagon step.

At this point hand stitch tiny invisible stitches randomly all over to secure lace/fabric to the batting.

 

Place the wrong side of the hexagon (top fabric and batting) on top of the wrong side of the backing fabric.

 

Bring the excess backing fabric to the top folding under raw edges forming a border all around the hexagon.

 

 

Pin around the border securing the backing fabric to the hexagon.

 

 

 

At this stage you can either stitch round the hexagon with a tiny, almost invisible blind stitch or if you prefer you could stitch small quilting stitches. I also stitch the mitred corners down. Previously, in other quilts which I have made from 100% cotton fabric, I have carefully machine stitched the border....but.....as my backing fabric in this quilt is satin, and satin has an inbuilt DNA of not wanting to behave; slipping and sliding everywhere.......I have stitched by hand.

 

 

If you are going to quilt the hexagon, then this is the time that you would quilt. Though I have quilted previous 'hexies'......with meandering butterflies and stippling......and also singular motifs/patterns.....I am not going to quilt this beauty. In this quilt I have used fabrics that do not lend favourably to quilting. Besides, each hexagon has lace/doilies that have been stitched to the batting and I will be embellishing with ribbons and other techniques that will anchor the top to the batting. It is really up to you. Perhaps if you feel the need to quilt then individual motifs on each hexagon might be the go. I envisage a puffed, soft eiderdown-ish look to this quilt not an overly quilted and flat look.

 

When you have completed sewing the backing fabric all around each hexagon you can now start to join them. Or.....of course you can start joining them together when you have completed only a few. It is really up to you. This is done by whip stitching the hexagons very closely together at the back. Smooth the fabric down and pin close to the edge ensuring that the batting is  right at the edge inside the hexagon. Make sure that you catch the edge of your batting with the fabric when whip stitching.......this will help the hexagons fit better together and lie flat at the front. Sometimes the hexagons don't align exactly.....easing and tweaking the hexagons whilst stitching them together will fix this problem. Join the first two hexagons and then the next one until you have completed your first row across. Then add the other hexagons one by one until you have reached your final row.

 

Below is the back seam of two hexagons which have been whip stitched together.

 

When I have finished putting the hexagons together I will stitch wide satin ribbon over every whip stitched seam on the back which gives a finished look. This also gives added strength to the seams. Mmmm............more work I know......but I am a bit of a fuss pot.......some would say a tad persnickety!! But I will show you that process in the next post...Part Two.

 

So for those of you who have asked for the 'how to' of my 'quilt-as-you-go hexagon quilts in my previous post.........there you have it. The begins of  a 'quilt-as-you-go' hexagon quilt. I truly hope that this is not 'as clear as mud'.......it can be a bit tricky articulating the why and wherefores of making my hexagon quilts.  

 

Stay tuned for Part Two of the making of my 'Rhapsody in Blue' hexagon quilt......which is really, I think, the fun part.......because this is when I will start to embellish and play with all those ribbons, beads, vintage jewellery, gloves and bits and bobs. I envisage many an hour or two over the next couple of weeks stitching  in front of the fire, transforming 28 hexagons into a splendiforous 'Rhapsody in Blue' tomorrow's heirloom!! 

 

Now before I slip into a mini breakdown....I am going to indulge in a cup of tea in a pretty fine bone china tea cup; and some of Mr Cadbury's chocolate taste sensation..... to bolster my strength for the next stroll down that yellow brick road of embellishing!

 

So until the next time.......Happy Stitching!

 

 

Oh no......not another hexagon quilt!!

Alas....yes another hexagon quilt!! I thought that I had put my hexagon templates away for a while but it seems I am in need of them once more. This time though, it is not to 'whip' up a fabulous 'quilt-as-you-go' hexagon quilt  for me,  but for a dear friend's 50th birthday.

I love hexagon quilts. I love how the shape is repeated over and over again, the juxtaposition of each shape forming a beautiful  tessellated pattern which fits neatly into each other without any overlapping. I love the myriad of mosaic pattern combinations that quilters dream up when making a hexagon quilt. I am particularly fond of Grandmother's Garden hexagon quilts of yesteryear.

Though I have always wanted to fashion a hexagon quilt using the traditional English paper piecing method, and  to all intents and purposes I will one day; I happened upon a wonderful method for sewing hexagon quilts a few years ago. Individual hexagons are sewn with the top fabric, the batting and the backing fabric all at once and then a little of the backing fabric is brought to the front to form a narrow border. Then the finished hexagons are whipped stitched together at the back to form the quilt.

My first 'hexie' was made from hundreds of scraps of fabric and I must admit it is one of my favourites. It is an oft used quilt and I love how it has faded with age and has become wonderfully squashy.

I have fashioned a few scrappy hexagon quilts both for sale and for presents. I have always loved the look of scrappy quilts. I love playing with and using all those little scraps of fabric that are remnants from past projects.

The seams on the back of this quilt are covered by lengths of fabric binding which adds to the scrappy look and gives a more visually pleasing finish.

But.........as is always the case when skipping down the yellow brick road of quilting, I decided to try something more creative and adventurous. My next hexagon quilt was made with the intention of using some of my pastel vintage fabrics and laces that I have been collecting over the years. So I stitched a hexagon quilt for our queen size bed, incorporating my vintage Italian coverlets, satins, silks, brocades and velvets. I designed and stitched this hexie pretty well over ten years ago.

Then......and this is the part that I really lurve; I embellish to my li'l heart's content! I love to embellish with ribbon work, vintage buttons, gloves, beads, ribbons, buckles, vintage jewellery, doilies and whatever other treasures that I can unearth in my 'Aladdin's Cave'.

These were two basket doilies to which I added oodles of flowers and leaves that I snipped from crocheted doilies to make a beautiful bouquet of floral extravagance.

I love crinoline ladies and Southern belles!

  

After fashioning my pastel hexagon quilt, ideas were swirling around my head to make a sumptuous, vibrantly coloured, hexagon quilt celebrating a bohemian spirit. I wanted this quilt to be awash with glorious colour, breaking a few 'so called' colour rules along the way.

I absolutely love to fashion flowers and leaves from ribbon....ruched flowers, pansies, roses, fuchsias, daffodils...the list is endless. But of course, flowers demand to be thrown together in a beautiful ribboned basket with butterflies hovering close by!

And...of course there must be a vintage glove clasping a few trailing stems of flowers.

I love the random craziness of the hexagon quilts that I make. There is never a grand plan. I just love to see what exciting journey the fabric takes me on experimenting with colour and texture; and playing with design. I love to twirl all the gloriously vibrant colours round and round in a merry dance!

These quilts are, except for zig zagging (serging) the top fabric to the batting around the edge of each hexagon; all completely fashioned by hand. So they can take an age to finish. My purple 'piece de resistance' took eight months of my life to complete.

So.........what are the chances of transforming this mass of glorious blue-hued fabrics, laces, ribbons, brooches, beads and buckles into a glorious hexagon quilt within 6 weeks!! Am I positively, stark raving mad!! Me thinks that I most certainly am!!

Well I had best be off.....and 'begin at the begin'......wish me luck!!