If you’ve been following along with my last Friday of the month posts, you’ll know that I’ve been working away on a fun new project.
These past few weeks, I’ve been putting the finishing touches on it.
This is the first time I’ve ever worked on a One Block Wonder (you can find more about this project here and here), and I’ve really enjoyed this approach.
The last part of this project has been laying all out the hexagons. Then rearranging and arranging them again and again. I could have spent another month just arranging, stepping back to take it all in, and then arranging again.
In the end, I tried to group some of the colour blocks together to create impact, but also allow them to flow through the quilt to draw the eye to different hexies. It’s been a lot of fun.
Of course, with hexagons comes sewing the y-seam. I used to shy away from these types of seams but once I understood the approach this wasn’t as difficult as one might make it out to be.
Sewing precise 1/4 inch seams will be important to getting a nice, flat finish. Janome makes a perfect 1/4 inch foot for precision sewing. used a straight pin to secure my fabric and also indicate my stopping point.
After sewing the first side of my y-seam, it was really tempting to leave my needle in the down position and pivot my fabric around to line up the second side. This might have worked better for me if I had more experience with y-seams. What I found worked best was to finish one side, cut my thread, remove the fabric, reposition to do the second side and sew. Don’t forget to start and finish with a 1/4 inch seam on either side.
To get all your points to line up, be sure take care to line up your 1/4 inch point with the seam on the underside of your two adjoining pieces.
It takes a little practise to get y-seams just right but don’t give up. But after just a hexagon or two I was able to get the technique down and then I was really surprised at how fast it all came together.
I’m really pleased with my final quilt top!
To think that it went from this…
to this…
…is really exciting. The possibilities are endless. If you and a friend used the same fabric, you would get two different finished quilt tops!
I already have a plan on how it’ll be quilted up (hint: I’ll be using my walking foot!). Now I’m just looking for the perfect quilt backing.
What are you suggestions for quilt backing? Colour or solid? Which colour should be the main colour? Same fabric throughout or piece together a few different designs?
Janome Life 