a hexagon quilt, finished

This has been a big month for me. I finally feel like I'm making progress on some old (old) projects that have been sitting around the sewing room.

It is amazing how good that feels.

My first big finish of the year in the world of old WIP's is my Chinese Lantern Hexagon quilt.

I started this quilt around 3 years ago. I was struck by the fabric at a local quilt store and had recently been bitten by the hexy craze. (In retrospect, I believe that this is also where my obsession with teals and turquoises and blues and greens came from.)

The pattern was something I designed myself. It is really simple. I drew a hexagon (using the circle method) onto template plastic using a compass. The radius was 5.5 inches, and from point to point the hexagon measures 11 inches. After using the template to cut out my hexagons, I laid them out in a off-set hexagon pattern, one row with 7 hexagons, and the next with 6 hexagons and a half hexagon on either end.

To stitch them together, I watched a u-tube video on y-seams, and away I went. It only took me 3 years. (In all honesty, the actual piecing didn't take that long... it was all the life in between that was behind the delay. And procrastination - that may have had a part in it.)

In the last year, I completed the quilt top, and then I pieced a lovely quilt back. And then I had the brilliant idea (BRILLIANT) of hand-quilting the entire quilt. I started quilting it, and got pretty far along, but I got hung up on what to do in the middle of the hexagons. I hadn't thought out my plan for quilting when I began, so any ideas I had now wouldn't work with the existing hand-quilting.
 

And then it sat, and sat, and sat, while periodically being rearranged like a piece of furniture. Last week, I snapped. This quilt needed to be done, and it needed to be done immediately, because quite frankly, I was tired of looking at it in its unfinished state. And needless to say, it no longer inspired me with it's current quilting.

 My new bamboo Clover stitch ripper and I got busy.

The next day, within about 2 hours, the quilt was quilted with an allover stipple, and the binding was being prepared. The finished quilt measures 62 x 46 inches. It's not huge, but it's a great lap size.

I finished hand-stitching the binding this week and I am SO pleased that I went with quilting it this way. It had sat around long enough. Now it's done and ready to be enjoyed by someone that really loves it (and that hasn't been staring at it for 3 years).

I know just the person.

Linking up with Amanda Jean for finish it up Friday.

Hexagons

After my last finish, I was seriously missing hand quilting. Within a day, I dragged out an old work-in-progress, my Chinese Lantern Hexagon quilt. I love this quilt. Really I do. But I hadn't quilted on it in months - mostly due to hand quilting fear. Happily, I'm much more comfortable with it now.

 

This is a quilt I started a couple years ago. It didn't have a pattern. I just drew a large sized hexagon template, cut them out, and y-pieced the rows together. At about the same time, I went back to work after a five year baby-making/home-making mama leave. Hence, the drag in it's completion. I'm back on maternity leave and am really enjoying getting to craft when I can. (Not to mention, being able to be a stay-at-home mama for a year!)

 

 

Can't wait till this one is done!

I've also been fitting in some time for knitting while watching the occasional show with my husband and waiting in the pick-up line at school. I'm working on a little romper from Bergere de France for my little niece. Hopefully she'll be able to wear it next summer. I'm just about half way through and loving it.

The vintage feel to this pattern really appeals.

Hope you've had a crafty week too! :)

Linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced and WIPW with Tami's Amis.