October BOM: Hexagons

Theresa Cody here. As you know Leslie Stobbart and I are sharing BOM ideas. It's my turn for October so let's get to it!

I have had the book Hexagons Made Easy by Jen Eskridge for years and although I had the best of intentions to make a hexagon quilt, it hasn't happened. I am sure a good majority of you can relate. So now I finally get to make a hexagon block and now you can too. I have modified the instructions slightly.

Some of you are familiar with English Paper Piecing (EPP) which is one method of making hexies. I missed the EPP workshop that our Guild held when I was at Quiltcon in Nashille in 2019. The method we will be using today to make hexagons is machine faced hexies that are machine appliquéd to a background block.

Finished Block Size: 10 inches

Supplies for the Templates:

Print 3in template  or  Hexie Templates Various Sizes

7in template

If you do not wish to print templates or do not have a printer available to you, you can draw your own hexagon. I am a word person myself and avoid anything mathematical if I possibly can. But if you want to give it a go, here is just one method using a compass and a ruler: How to draw a hexagon  I think even I could manage that

• Cardboard (a cereal box works well) or a flexible cutting board from the Dollar Store for the templates
• Glue stick and scissors
• Rotary cutter
• Ruler
• Pencil or marker

Fabric for the Background: A 10.5 inch square of low volume fabric

Fabric for the hexies:

Note: I used squares of fabric simply because I had some available. You can use odd shaped pieces of fabric instead as long as the hexie shape fits with about 1/2 inch to spare around the perimeter of the hexie

For the 3 inch hexagon: A 4 inch square of focus fabric. I used a 5 inch square of focus fabric for the 3 inch hexagon simply because I had some charm squares on hand. The focus fabric for each hexie can be a solid or a print or a combination of prints and solids depending on your design choice

For the Facing: A 4 inch square, preferably in a similar colour to the focus fabric so that the facing will be inconspicuous when it is appliquéd to the background block. I happened to have 6 inch squares on hand so that is what I used for the facing for the 3 inch hexies

For the 7 inch hexagon: An 8 inch square of focus fabric

For the Facing: An 8 inch square for the facing, ideally in a similar colour to the focus fabric

You can choose to make only 3 inch hexagons or you can appliqué a 7 inch and one or more 3 inch hexagons to the background block. You do not necessarily have to stick to these suggested sizes as there are multiple sized templates available for printing. So by all means make whatever size hexies you like that will fit on the 10 inch background fabric bearing in mind that you should have enough space around the 10 inch background block to allow for 1/4 inch seam allowances when the finished blocks are sewn together

Focus and Facing Fabrics

Method:

1.  Glue the paper template to the cardboard and cut out the hexagon shape. Mark the size on the hexie template. If you are using a flexible template, simply trace the outline of the hexie directly on the flex template and cut on the marked line. Mark the size of the hexie directly on the flex template

2.  Trace the hexie shape on to the WRONG side of the FACING fabric

Optional: Cut out the shape 1/2 inch away from the marked line on the facing fabric. DO NOT cut on the marked line or your hexie will be too small. The seam allowance will be trimmed once stitched. I did not do this. I simply positioned all of the facing fabric on the focus fabric square because if I can possibly skip a step, I undoubtedly will

Trace hexie shape on WRONG side of FACING fabric

3.  Pin the facing fabric, right sides together, to the focus fabric and stitch completely around the marked line using a small to medium stitch length

Pin and stitch around the entire hexie

4.  With rotary cutter and ruler, trim 1/4 inch around the stitched line. Trim the FACING fabric about 1/8 inch less than the focus fabric. This is called grading the seam allowance and will ensure that there will be no lumps or ridges around the perimeter of the hexie. Clip each of the six corners of the hexie to reduce bulk and allow for crisp corners when the hexie is turned right side out

Trim and clip points

5.  Snip open the facing side of the hexie, enough to allow room for turning. Try not to make the opening too large. I snipped about 1.5 inches for the 3 inch hexie and about 3 inches for the 7 inch hexie

Cut opening on FACING for turning

6.  Turn the hexagon right side out pushing at the points to make a crisp shape

7.  Press

8.  Arrange the hexies on the background fabric in a configuration that is pleasing to you. You can arrange them diagonally or horizontally or randomly. Pin and machine stitch as close as possible around the entire edge of the hexie. Alternatively you can hand stitch the hexies to the background block if you have the time and inclination. The yellow utensil in the background is an old Rubbermaid orange peeler that I use to push at the points when turning the hexie. Some people use a tool made specifically for that purpose

Pin and machine stitch

And there you have it. Hexagons. Hexies. I look forward to seeing your finished blocks. Hopefully you are inspired to make your own hexagon quilt. For the sake of consistency, please continue to email Leslie before the next meeting to let her know how many blocks you made so that your name can be entered in the draw. Remember to post photos of your completed blocks on Instagram using the hashtag #ottmqgBOM