Apple Cores!

 Normally when I say apple core it is normally preceded by a "Why???" and followed by "insert location apple cores absolutely should not be" aimed at Little Bit but these are the kind I love to find!!

Two packages of apple core pieces from PaperPieces.com were hiding in one of my sewing drawers so they ended up glue basted to some gorgeous fabric from Holly Taylor called Enchanted Pond. I really love the depth of colour her lines have, as well as how they can be very gender neutral but still rich with warmth.

I was originally going to hand stitch them together but I decided since my hands hurt a lot lately I'd cheat. I sewed them together on the machine with a zig zag and I finally have an apple core not quite mini quilt!

Sailor Mini

I enjoy doing English Paper Piecing (EPP) but the time does add up so I love when I can figure out a small project to do with it and this time I was playing around with 1.5" tumblers, a mini charm pack of Barth-o-meow and this is what I ended up with!

I'm thinking of either embroidering or adding an applique with a name under the wheel since it wasn't 100% centered. One would think I'd know to check this better by now but oops.

What do you think? And what the heck should I call it?

A new way to do hexies (at least to me)

  I love hexies. A lot. But the whole hand piecing thing gets to be a problem with my hands, especially piecing them together. Basting isn't too bad, especially if I glue baste but yielding a needle is a chore.

 I'd originally hoped to do a stocking but I only had a mini charm pack in Kathy Schmitz's Piecemakers but I couldn't make it work in hexies which is what I really wanted to do with these cuties.
As an aside, Kathy is a wonderful lady I met at Quilt Market a few years ago and I really did enjoy speaking with her.

The hand problem above was not going to stop me but the amount of fabric did until I just decided to make up a little hexie scrap mini quilt!

So this was made in only a few hours. There are 42 1" hexies. I glue basted them onto water soluble paper, then fused those to some Pellon #987F Fusible Fleece, which was layered onto a backing, before sewing them together with a zigzag stitch which just so happened to also quilt the entire piece. 

And just to be contrary I did do the traditional hand binding.

 The entire piece was then fairly stiff but after a trip through the washing machine you would not be able to tell that it wasn't quilted normally with no papers in it at all. 

The only thing I'd try differently next time is using one of the simple stitch patterns on my sewing machine. 

And there will be a next time! *Insert evil cackle*

Diamond Hexie Quilt

I'm going teach a class at Cornerstone Quilts on epp using this as my example! Just need to knife edge bind it and it will go hang up in the shop to get some people interested!
When I know the exact details on the class I will let you all know. I'm also going to be teaching Twilight, and how to make my quilted wraps, which are back in my etsy shop!

I hand sewed the hexies together using Aurifil 50 wt thread, it worked beautifully. I also hand quilted all but the white areas. I used a combination of Aurifil 50 wt, 40 wt, and Lana wool 12 wt,  and each one worked wonderfully. I had very little twisting and knotting, almost not breakage and I didn't even have to use thread wax!
The white areas I machine quilted with the Aurifil 50wt on my frame.

I'm really happy I was able to hand quilt most of this one, but I can definitely say I will never be a hand quilter. I really do enjoy machine quilting, especially on the frame, much more. Hand sewing I can enjoy but the hand quilting itself wasn't relaxing for me.

Book Review - Hexa Go-Go

  I'm super lucky to have the opportunity to do some book reviews for C&T Publishing, including Stash Books.
One of the books is Hexa Go-Go by Tacha Bruecher, one of the geniuses behind Fat Quarterly.

Since I'm doing the MFHexie Quilt Along with Katy, also behind Fat Quarterly, this book is perfect timing!

Hexa Go-Go is all about English Paper Piecing (EPP) and has 16 different patterns that use hexagons, in all different settings.


Tacha does a really good job explaining how to make hexies, and gives different methods, for making, basting and stitching together the hexies, depending on the project and your personal preference.

One of the things I really have found in quilting in general is that there are a lot of "right" ways of doing things. Which one is right for you depends on a lot of different variables. Tacha understands that and gives instructions that everyone should be able to understand and work into their own style.



Not surprisingly the book has some serious eye candy! Both Fat Quarterly and Stash Books have a real flair for capturing the feel of quilts and projects and not just the physical dimensions.

  Tacha does a great job taking what is a very traditional shape and making it into very modern designs.
This isn't Grandmother's Flower Garden!
Between the fabrics, the arrangement of the hexagons, and the addition of other elements, hexagons leave the 1930s and come blasting into the 21st century!

  Hexies are a great stash buster and all of the projects in Hexa-Go-Go can be made mostly from scraps, or from precuts or yardage. Whatever the look you prefer you can make it with these projects. From placemats to full bed quilts there is something for everyone, whether you just want to dip your toe into the EPP pond or if you're a full blown hexie addict.

   With this book available there is no reason for anyone to say they can't make a hexie project, on the "go-go"!