My start of my Grandmother’s Flower Garden
I have scraps, lots and lots of scraps….I have told you about my scraps in previous posts.
One of my scrappy projects is to make a Hexie Quilt. I am using the technique called English Paper Piecing.
Creative Memories Paper Punch
I cut my hexagon out with a paper punch. The outer edge of the larger punch is 1 1/2″ long, I use the little cards that we find in magazines – the ones we hate, that fall all over the floor when we open a new magazine. Hey they are free and the perfect weight for this project.
I have a folder full of these cards – one more stash of stuff.
I use my Go Cutter with a Hexagon die to cut the scraps into the size and shape that I need.
various scraps cut into hexies
I pin the fabric to the cut-out hexagon and use a running stitch around the outside to hold it in place. I do not stitch through the paper because I am going to remove it after all of the hexies are attached to each other.
Hexies basted to paper
After I have a bunch of them basted I start to group them but color and sew them together. There are several different stages to making these little “flowers” so I am never bored.
the beginning of a little flower
I have had one of these red fabrics for 30 years!
It is the perfect mindless project to do on a car ride, or air plane ride or while watching TV when you are too tired to really think about sewing. One thing that I have noticed about quilters is that they never want their hands to be idle. If we are sitting, we are stitching.
I realize that this quilt (whatever size it turns out to be) will take me years. There is no time limit on it, it is “busy work” but eventually it will be something that is totally made by my hands – no sewing machine. Every tiny little stitch made by hand. An age old craft still being done in spite of all of the amazing technology available to us. Don’t get me wrong I absolutely love the technology that we have – I use it all the time – the internet has brought so many quilters together in so many different ways. I use a computer to design blocks and quilts and I love it, but doing things totally with my hands is really fun. I really have a sense of accomplishment when I do hand work. That is how I learned 30 some years ago because I didn’t have a sewing machine but I wanted to make quilts. It is relaxing.
Hope you aren’t getting to buried in the snow – it has just turned to snow here on the coast- it had been raining all day. To the west of the Maine Turnpike it has been snowing all day. Drive carefully.
Be Kind….
Faith
quiltingonthecove 