Hex and More!

It's been days since my last post, but at least the absence has involved quilting. Last week, I taught fellow guild members how to make a Jeweled Flower Garden quilt using the HexnMore Ruler. (affiliate link)

The two yellow center flowers were an experiment. I thought it would look nice to have a little pop in the flower centers. But I realized that there was such high contrast with both the bright green and the yellow, that those dots of color would detract from the flowers. So, back to the green bin to find a muted green, and scrap the yellow center idea. 

Now the plan is to use the two yellow centered flowers as trivets, or maybe placemats, and continue on with the plain flowers. No idea how big this will be - could be a really large quilt or two small ones. And I may applique yellow centers in. Haven't made up my mind yet! We'll see.

But I do have some hints to share in putting one of these quilts together. First, get the HexnMore Ruler! (affiliate link)

It makes the cutting so easy! Not to say it can't be done with other rulers, but the marks on the HexnMore (affiliate link) really justify the expense.

Second, sew the triangle flower/background pieces into units of three for easier handling when it comes time to sew them in rows.

And third, press the seams according to the following picture:

At 1, press towards the flower. At 2, away from the flower. This allows the petal seams to nest when attaching the next petal triangle. At 3, press the seam open before stitching the seam at 4. This avoids a bulky mess in the center. Then assemble these units into rows, then stitch together the rows. Easy, right? Well, it really is! Guess I should be working on mine.

But, as usual life gets in the way. My father-in-law had successful surgery last week to remove his cancerous pancreas (plus some other parts). We've been running to the hospital daily to check on him, and so far, so good. Hoping he'll be discharged Sunday or Monday.

In between hospital visits, I've spent time learning Word, Inkscape, and Photoshop on a deeper level while writing up a pattern for another table runner. This time I've really gone pro on how this pattern is written. If all goes well, I should have it out in the next couple weeks. Hope you'll notice the change!

Have a great day quilting!