So, about that hexagon quilt?

It's been a while since I've updated you all on the progress of the hexagon quilt. I know you're all just dying to know.  Mike has taken to teasing me that she'll be in high school before I finish- maybe a graduation gift? Despite his teasing, progress is being made and there is an end in sight.

I can't tell you how many hexies I've actually basted at this point, and it's possible that some of the ones I've basted won't make the final quilt (there's one print in particular that isn't really a white, or a pink and I can't figure out how to use it.)  I need to baste quite a few more white/neutral ones as well.

All that said, here's where it stands.  The hexies that are marked in pink or orange are all sewn together. (ok, ok, it's two large pieces. I ran out of my preferred thread yesterday and had to stop.) This is pretty darn close to HALF, right? (Just agree, it makes me feel good.)  The green border will be whites and I may or may not do a pink row around that. It all depends on what's leftover when I get to there.

I almost didn't want to share this one, because I love the Big Reveal at the end, but I couldn't help myself.  The whites stand out so much more in a picture than in real life. I'm planning to pay the extra money to have it long arm quilted, and have each flower quilted as a flower, if possible. Similar to this.

I'd hoped to have the top done by her fifth birthday (August 2015), and then by Halloween 2015 (3  years from starting it), but now I'm really just thinking this spring. Maybe to be done by her 6th birthday?  I've been working pretty steadily the last few weeks, but I'll slow down again when I need to baste and I have no clue on the quilting process. I'm sure that prepping it and then binding it will be a challenge.

I'm linking up with the Monday Morning Star Count again today. Be sure to go check on everyone else's progress too!

All Points Patchwork by Diane Gilleland

As you all know, I'm completely obsessed with English Paper Piecing. I've been steadily working on my daughter's full size hexagon quilt for going on 3 years now. Naturally, when a title about EPP popped up on NetGalley, I had to grab it.

All Points Patchwork by Diane Gilleland is a lovely book, even in e-book format. She covers many different shapes and details how you might baste them different based on size and angles and curves. There are sections on supplies and how to make or buy your templates. She talks about the importance of paying attention to directional prints (which I'd read that a year or two ago!)  There are diagrams of the best way to assemble them into different patterns and layouts. Like all quilting books, there are sample projects you can make- pillows, table runners, etc.. If you were new to EPP, or if you didn't have internet access this would be a terrific starter. Or maybe you like to sit and read an actual book? Then this is for you.  This would also make a lovely gift if you were trying to get a friend hooked- this book and some papers and fabric would bundle up nicely. Perhaps you know someone who disdains technology and would enjoy it? 

The cons: as with all quilting books, I can't quite see the point of many of the projects. I have no desire to applique a hexagon to a dish towel. And quite like with cookbooks, I found there wasn't much here that I couldn't find with a Pinterest search. I freely admit that I'm an oddball in that I love books, but I can't see owning many of them.

Overall, a lovely book if you want to sit and hold a pretty book about quilting, but nothing particularly groundbreaking. All Points Patchwork will be released on June 2.

Hexagon Update #1zillion #stillnotdone

I know, you are all waiting on the edges of your seats for an update. Great news! You can see all the updates you ever wanted if you follow me on Instagram! But I suppose I can update here as well if you aren't an IG addict like myself (I'd give up Facebook first).

I now have 2195 hexies basted. Only about 600 to go! SO crazy to be so close. I've sewn together about 130 flowers. I started to piece parts of the quilt top together and that was SO exciting. I worked on it for an entire day and in my head I was kicking ass and taking names. So I had the brilliant idea to lay them all out and see just how far I had to go....

Yikes. Turns out I have a long long ways to go- the part I spent all that time working on is the corner by her foot! It turns out I have to think a lot more about the lay out than I expected, or I end up with too many partial flowers. (And to be fair, the area with flowers on the final quilt will actually be inside this frame, I'm doing a border of white that will be approximately where this outline is, but it's not basted so I had to lay out flowers.)

My goal was to finish by her birthday this year, which would give me 7 more months. Seems a bit impossible from here, but it's not a goal if it's easy, right?

 It's all about the baste, about the baste, more hexies!

Hexagon update #23-2014

I haven't updated in a while! Summer has been so busy and we haven't had a ton of sitting around time. And maybe I might have tested out a new EPP pattern as well...

I've made 25 more flowers, bringing my flower total up to 50.

 

And then I saw someone's La Passacaglia quilt and fell in love. I've long been planning that my next EPP quilt would be mixed shapes and while I expected that I'd invent my own pattern, now I don't have to. I ordered a small set of pieces to test it out.

 

The pieces are so tiny that it's like a while new technique. In fact, I couldn't figure out how to thread baste them so I had to learn to glue baste. I've done very little- I'm reserving it as a reward for when I've had a long day or have worked "enough" on the pink quilt. This one will take me even longer than the pink one, in the end.

As always, linking up with Jessica at Life Under Quilts.

 

 

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Hexagon update #22-2014

No basting this week but I did sew together 8 flowers.

 

And then I laid out the 50 I have for a little looksee. What do you think?

 

 

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Hexagon update #21-2014

This almost feels like cheating! I basted ONE hexie. I sewed together five flowers tho, because I was combining the last couple weeks into my tray and no more would fit!! See this?

 

2056 hexies right there. So I guess I break from basting for a while to make room in the box.

I'm still fairly nervous that all these different pinks will look good together in the end.

Linking up with Jessica at Life Under Quilts.

 

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Hexagon update #20- 2014.

Over the last two weeks I've basted another 31 hexies and completed one special flower. This brings me to 2056 done with 864 to go.

Remember when in sent the hexie kits out to my friends and family? I've gotten enough back to make a flower. I'm hoping there will be three or four.

Front porch sewing.

On the boat sewing.

I also cut what I think will be the home stretch of pinks, giving me roughly 550 2.5" squares. I'm mostly guessing here, but I'll need to do a few more white and gray as well.

Linking up with Jessica at Life Under Quilts.

 

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Hexagon update #19-2014

Last week we drove from South Dakota to Alabama and back (more on this later, hopefully). I had high hopes for making hexagons during the 20 hour drive, but turns out my children are very needy. Then when we were there I had other things to do- like eat all the things. Regardless, I managed to baste 115 more hexies and sew together four more flowers. This brings me to 2025 done (over 2000!!!) and 895 (or so) to go. Hopefully soon I'll have more exciting pictures to show than more pink hexies in my little blue box. Also, I asked Mike if he'd wash the windshield so my pictures were prettier. He declined to stop on the interstate to do so.

 

Linking up with Jessica at Life Under Quilts.

 

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Hexagon update #18-2014

I missed a few weeks there but I'm back in the swing of things again! Only 26 this week due to pesky counting problems. One more week until summer vacation and 40+ hours in the car! where I hope to accomplish many many hexies. (Unless of course it's my turn to drive, duh.)

 

Current count: 1910 with 1010 to go.

Linking up at Life Under Quilts.

 

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Hexagon update #17-2014

What was supposed to be a long relaxing camping weekend turned into a wave of ups (camping! Best run yet! So many cousins!) and downs (camper problems, disappointed kids who realllly wanted to go on the boat, and most awful, sick little girls.) I did manage to squeeze in some hexies and even hooked a cousin (the blonde cutie at the end).

 

I ended up adding 33 hexies for a total of 1884 and 1036 to go. And one completed flower.

Linking up with Jessica at Life Under Quilts.

 

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Hexagon update #16-2014

We headed out of town for a 5K this weekend and I managed to squeeze in 35 more basted hexies bringing my total to 1851 with 1069 to go! (I think. I did that math in my head, so really it's just an estimate.)

Linking up with Jessica at Life Under Quilts yet again.

 

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Hexagon update #14-2014

I made hexies this week! I worked on some bright pinks and rounded off my 30 with a couple whites.

I also stitched together another 5 or 6 flowers. Laid out side by side they all look like this:

I plan to mix in some white/creams as filler so they won't be all together like this, but it gives me an idea of how it will look. I'm torn between love and worry that I won't like all the different hues together. The variation within some of them is due to different color papers inside.

Updated count: 1784 done, 1136 to go. Total flower count: 28. Ways to go: a long ways.

 

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Hexagon update #12-2014

1724 down, 1206 to go. I think. This week: 30 hexies and two flowers.

The weather was lovely Saturday so I sat on the porch to make my hexies. The cute fabric here is the last of the scraps from The Princess's other quilt.

Linking up with Jessica at Life Under Quilts.

 

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Hexagon update #11-2014

 

This week I worked on the white filler hexies. It's hard to tell but there's a couple different mostly white prints in this pile. I'm going to have to spend some time with the cutting mat soon, and some time at the fabric store.

1694 down. 1236 to go.

Linking up at Life Under Quilts.

 

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Hexagon update #10- 2014

33 more for a total of 1664 with 1266 to go... I'm gonna need to sew some flowers together or buy a second box soon. Or maybe just relocate the gray ones for the time being.

 

Linking up with Jessica at Life Under Quilts. This week I will make it around to everyone else's!

 

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