The Hexagon Process

Rossie recently posted a pledge for quilting bloggers to talk more about their process, delve into their thought process a little more as opposed to showing a finished quilt with one journal entry.  This works out great for me because I don't have many finished quilts to show off.  Especially this time of year when the weather is so nice and the sewing room is sooooo indoors. 

I didn't think I had a process but then I realized there are many times I have to stop working on my quilt to just think.  I have to think about what I've sewn so far and what I need to do next to get it to feel the way I want.  Sometimes I put it aside for a week or so but it's in my thoughts many times during the day.    I also like to incorporate embroidery on my quilt tops and that can be tailored to the individual who will receive the quilt.  There are always so many ways I could go but I usually feel right about it in the end.   

I'm now working on two quilts.  One is a hexagon quilt-a-long with my flickr quilt peeps and the other is a wonky star quilt that is my own creation.  Well .... I guess as much as it can be .... I mean I didn't invent the wonky star or anything, but I'm working on it with no pattern so I can say it's my own creation.  It is on the back burner at the moment just simmering, but almost ready for a breakthrough.  I'll keep you posted.

The hexagon thought process:  Since this is a quilt-a-long and I'm not sure how these are sewed together yet it's a little hard for me to plan ahead so I take it a little at a time.  I'm planning on giving this quilt to a someone in her mid-twenties, she is totally cool and hip, but still a classy girl.  I  picked out some fun, flirty fabric for the hexagons.  I got some ochre kona cotton solid and it's so beautiful, oh ... so beautiful.  It's my new favorite quilt color. 

I love the classic look of solids in a quilt, and I think she will too, but I still want something a little funky. So what I'd like end up with a quilt with some swathes of colorful, printed hexagons in various strips or partial strips.  And then some rows of hexagons with just solids to break them up.  Maybe some strips of solid in there too.   I would like to make the print hexagons kind of random so they are there ... but don't dominate the whole quilt.  I was trying to do some drawings,  but,  have you tried to draw hexagons??  It's HARD!  So, it's all kind of in my head at this point.  I'm also a little worried about my hexagons. Some are slightly curved.  I'm hoping they just end up OK after a lot of steam ironing. 

 

Quilt a longs can be fun, but they can be frustrating too when you really don't know the next step.  How WILL all these hexagons get sewn together??   

Here's a cautionary image for you.  This is what happens when your sewing area is a disorganized mess and you store your rulers on the floor.  Very sad .... very sad....

I promise I will read the book to my camera very soon and figure out why all my pictures are so dim and yellow.  Promise!