Project-Quilt – Artquiltmaker Blog

Half Hexie Star Plan

Half Hexie Star: what I have done so far

I was still recovering from my oral surgery last Friday as I prepared for Sew Day after work. With a full week of work and the aftereffects of the surgery under my belt, I was tired. I thought hard about staying home, but decided to go. I wanted to see my friends and participate in the Destash party.

In order not to completely exhaust myself, I decided to bring as little as possible with me. I needed a small project without a lot of pieces and parts. For example, I did not want to bring a sewing machine. The La Pass BOM would have been the perfect project, but it is delayed again.

It occurred to me that I could bring the Half Hexie Star quilt, put it up on the design wall and make a plan to get it finished. Looking at it and making a plan had been on my list for a long time and Sew Day provided the perfect opportunity.

I did it! And it worked!

I now have a plan to finish this quilt. I can see the light at the end of the Half Hexie tunnel, which is a finished quilt. This is very exciting. I thought this would be one of those quilts I would finish in 10 years.

First, this may be the first time I have ever put this quilt up on the design wall and looked at it vertically. I have laid it out on the floor, but seeing it on the design wall is better.

Second, I figured out what I needed to do to even up the sides. I plan to finish the two rows I have started on the top (see arrows) and call it done. I am not going to add more rows to make it bigger.

A lot of people came and talked to me about the quilt. One of my guild mates asked what the final size would be. I looked at her, confused. She clarified that she wanted to know whether the pattern said it would be a twin or another size. She also wanted to know if I made enough stars to complete the pattern. Clearly she doesn’t know me that well. I laughed and said I wasn’t using a pattern. I said it would be as big as I felt like making it. This was a foreign concept to my guild mate.

At that point, I decided that it would be pretty much as big as we could see on the design wall right then.

Half Hexie Stars: right side detail (to do)

I haven’t measured it, though it would have been a good time to do it.

Next, I tried to think of ways to square up the sides. I pinned stars to the sides to make each side as even as possible, so I could see what I had.

The top and bottom just need some diamonds and triangles fitted into the open spaces in the stars. The top and bottom will be easy.

Half Hexie Stars: Trying to add background

For the sides, I thought about putting a couple of the half hexie pieces using background fabric in to the sides as a way of getting the sides to be more square. I even sewed some as a test. I was going to go with that solution, which would have made a gentle zig zag edge. I didn’t feel it was an ideal solution.

Half Hexie Star: Lindsay's idea — Half Hexie Star: Lindsay’s idea

Then Lindsay arrived and we discussed it further. She thought I could add in the triangles and diamonds without the background pieces. It wouldn’t make the edge square, but there would still be a gentle zigzag. The triangles and diamond pieces would match the look of the bottom better. I like this idea much better and will work on it.

Finally Mary C said that I could use the edge as is – already folded under – and fold the backing under, then whip stitch the top and bottom together rather than applying a standard binding. I think this is a really good idea. If I can work with Colleen to make it happen, I will.

I am pleased with the various solutions. I am also glad that I will be done with this top soon.

More Pointillist Palette #4

I worked all last weekend on the Pointillist Palette #4 project. I made good progress, but I am not feeling any connection with this quilt. I was quite enamored back in the day, but time did not look kindly on this project. I don’t sincerely dislike it, but I also don’t understand why my younger self loved the concept so much. I guess I need to think about how my quiltmaking has evolved and what makes up my quiltmaking.

This cements my resolve to not let projects linger.

Pointillist Palette #4: blocks in process

So, I worked hard on finishing the blocks for this project.

The piecing is super easy, just a lot of straight stitching in long chains. It is going quickly. It is good after the other projects I have worked on recently.

For this quilt in the series, I want it to be dark, thus the black and white aboriginal prints. I stopped using the lighter parts of the ombre fabrics to get that darkness, but there are still a lot of light fabrics in the quilt. I wonder if I will have to resew some blocks.

Pies & Points Blocks Really Done

I finally finished the blocks and laid out the quilt the way I pretty much want it. I am still fiddling with the Pie half blocks, but otherwise this is how the quilt will look. Obviously, I have to fill in the background.

I am a little concerned about the large spaces of background, but I can’t really process how they will look with the white of my design wall showing through.

Pies & Points Blocks Heading Towards Done

I am still working hard on Pies & Points. I have mostly finished the blocks, except for a couple of seams. I am also closing in a layout about which I am relatively happy, too.

There are a few adjustments I need to make.

I didn’t have enough of the right pieces to make all the blocks I wanted. I should have gone over to Friend Julie’s house and cut them using her Sizzix (we got the Sizzix die in the class), but I didn’t think I would need many pieces, so I cut a few by hand, then cut a few more and a few more. I still have a few more to cut.

Once I get the layout done, I’ll have to start putting it together. You can see from the shapes that I won’t be able to put it together in rows exactly. I see some Partial Seams in my future.

Pies and Points Progress

Pies & Points blocks - June 2022 — Pies & Points blocks – June 2022

I have made a few more blocks. I don’t want to lay the quilt out symmetrically like in the class handouts. I want the eye to follow the lines around the quilt and find some surprises. For now, the surprises will be the Pie blocks placed strategically around the quilt.

I don’t know if that idea will work. As you can see from the arrow, the blocks to do not fit together in all directions.

It isn’t that I couldn’t piece those pieces together and I may still do that. I want to consider all my options. This is one of those design challenges.

Pies & Points Returns from the UFO pile

I took a class from Victoria Findlay Wolfe at QuiltCon about 1, 000 years ago (well, 2016). I think I mentioned that every time I rewrite my quilt to do list the same projects are listed as UFOs. I decided that some of these are going to get finished. I backtracked a little and decided to work on one then see how it went. Of course, I want to finish them all, but every journey requires the first step. My first step is Pies and Points.

I have also been in desperate need of a quilt project. Why starting one or jumping back into one was difficult, I don’t know.

The first step for actually working on the project was positive. I found the project and all the pieces were in the same bag. Yay! I had been talking about this project to myself for a few days, so I feel happy that I actually did something.

The second step was positive as well. I put the blocks I have made (4) on the design wall and I still like them. The background might be a bit boring, but well see how things go after I make a few more blocks.

American Jane Plus Donation Quilt

I left work early on Friday and spent the time sewing. I hadn’t worked on this project since May and wanted to get it done. I thought I could make a start.

As shown in the previous post, I had a bunch of pieces for this community quilt cut and blocks sewn together. I still really only needed to find one 5 inch square to finish the last block and put the quilt together.

I started rummaging through fabric and found a piece that would work fairly quickly. If charm packs would add 3 more squares I would be super happy. Of course, who knows if I will ever make a Plus quilt again?

Once I finished that last block and cut some background fabric, I was able to finish the top pretty quickly. I had time, so I went rummaging for fabric again. I wanted to find some pieces for the back. I was hoping for one piece, but my hopes were dashed. I found a large piece of yellow solid, but it wasn’t large enough so I added some red and green. I finished just as my DH texted to tell me he was coming home. Perfect!

I am going through my charm packs and trying to use the ones I like, but don’t think I will use for my own projects. As soon as I select one, I pull it out and start thinking about (or even deciding immediately) what I will make then I get busy. This one was inspired by one of my quilts that Joelle quilted. I saw it finished and thought “I should make another one of those”.

That one used the donation squares that Peggy requests, so it was smaller. This quilt is about 41×41 inches. Nice size.

Frankly, I almost never use charm packs so I don’t know why I buy them. Well, I do know. I want just a little bit of the fabric, so I buy a charm pack.

Charm packs make great Chubby Charmers. How many Chubby Charmers does one girl need? I have three already, after all. I have a Lintott Girls book, Layer Cakes, Jelly Rolls and Charm Quilts**, so I should look there to find some patterns I might like to make. I might make another HST Sawtooth Star quilt. I don’t think I am quite done with that pattern.

**Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops. However, I use affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item’s link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.

Ends n.14 (Typewriter)

I finally put the black, red and gold ends together to make a quilt. There is some leftover typewriter fabric in the top, thus the Type writer moniker. I have to distinguish between these ‘Ends’ quilts somehow!

The main parts of the fabrics used in this quilt come from the first Stepping Stones quilt I made for my nephew for his graduation in 2013. Yes, they have been hanging around for a long time!

I didn’t have enough to make it quite as wide as I wanted, so I added the red and gold solids.

I didn’t have enough to make the back so I had to rummage for fabric. This quilt might work for a boy quilt.

See all of the Ends quilt on their own series page.

La Pass Month 8 All Basted

I cut and basted a few of those damn triangles at a couple of meetings last week, but did the bulk of the work at Sew Day. I divided up the different shapes and alternated the skinny triangles with all the other shapes. I got the basting done and was able to do a bit of stitching before Sew Day was over.

I also sewed in the evening, so I have a good start for Month 8.

2022 Cutting Chart

I finally figured out what I was cutting during 2022.

This guide details many fewer pieces than previous years. I have a lot of pieces I have cut and need to make into quilts, so I am scaling back.

3 1/2 x 12 1/2 – this piece is for the Half Hexie Star quilt

2 1/2 x 4 1/2 – blue gradation quilt

2 1/2 x 2 1/2 – FOTY 2022

2 1/2 x 2 1/2 -I cut 2 1/2″ squares to have them handy in case I need them. I can’t seem to give it up.

1 1/2 x 2 1/2 – pieces for another Scrap Dash. I am not sure I am cutting all the pieces I need to be ready.

1 1/2 x 1 1/2 – More for another Scrap Dash

I am not sure what happened to cutting charts for 2020 and 2021. Can we blame that on COVID? Based on my 2019 cutting chart, I may need to cut more for the pink gradation quilt. I also need backgrounds for the Spin Wheel quilt, which I’d like to get off my to do list this year.

HST Sawtooth Star

HST Star - making legs — HST Star – making legs

I made good progress over the weekend on the current donation quilt. I talked about it the other day. Talking about it really made me want to get it done so I could hand it in at the meeting next weekend. It has been a long time since I have made a quilt.

I didn’t know how this was going to shape up as the picture I saw was small and not very attractively styled. I knew that it wouldn’t look hideous regardless, so I stayed the course.

I had sewn a bunch of HSTs from the charm pack I had. To make the legs, I needed to rip off some of the white triangles in order to make the legs. I decided I didn’t want to make giant Flying Geese and would make the legs into giant HSTs.

HST Star - foreground complete — HST Star – foreground complete

I was able to get the foreground part of the quilt done on Saturday, which was great.

The white brightens up the slightly subdued colors of the charm pack.

Finished: Scrap Dash

As I mentioned when I talked about Gelato the other day, Scrap Dash has been languishing alongside Gelato while I worked on La Pass. I got it back at the same time I got Gelato back.

I don’t get to count the yardage in my 2022 spreadsheet, because I already counted it last year when I got it back from Colleen. I know I should have waited, but I have no self control.

This will be a gift for one of my SILs. She doesn’t know yet, but I’ll tell her soon. There is a method to the madness of the back of the quilt. The bluer print fabrics on each side of the fish are shells. There is a small piece of red-violet sea urchin fabric at the bottom making this is an ocean themed back. Except for the batik and the tone-on-tone blue, all of the back fabrics are from the Kaffe Fassett Collective. SIL swims quite a bit so I thought having this type of themed back would be entertaining.

I decided I want to make this quilt again, so I am back to cutting super tiny pieces. Of course, I can use the leftovers I didn’t use from this version.

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