B is for Blues ~ A Hexagon Quilt | Part 2

In case you are wondering what I have been up to ... this is it! Needless to say, the process of transforming the 108 hexie flowers from my previous work in progress blog post into a quilt top has been time consuming. Although I had already pictured in my mind how the hexie flowers were all going to fit together, I did spend much time pondering the final layout and the contrasting colors, including the use of the chambray - linen look - fabric for the joining hexie. Was it all going to work?

All photos have been taken after the removal of all papers.

Sometimes when you spend a lot of time staring closely at something, self doubt can creep in, you feel like you've lost your way, and you wonder if your project going to turn out as planned. I finally turned the corner of doubt once many of the units were pieced into long rows, and long rows were sewn together. This stage is probably my favorite part of English Paper Piecing; once the many individual units come together, a quilt top emerges!

Click on any image for a larger view.

I am super pleased with how the quilt top turned out. The color palette has plenty of variation; from deep dark navy to teal, aqua, and baby blue, mixed with a hint of green and shades of grey. The pops of bright yellow have added a ray of sunshine in all the right places. Yes, I did arrange and re-arrange the layout until I was happy with the overall composition of colors, ensuring also that no two the same hexie flowers were alongside one another. Inevitably something always sneaks past my close inspection. I am not perfect!

QUILT DETAILS

B is for Blues ~ A Hexagon Quilt
Quilt top measures approx 55 inches x 67 inches.
English Paper Pieced.

108 Blue/Green/Grey Hexagon Flowers.

88 White Hexie Flowers with (Black Centers).

Hexagon size: 7/8" SIDES.
Total Hexagons: 1861
Started: October 2018

Fabrics Used:

Quilting Cotton

(Many of the floral fabrics are by Japanese designer

Suzuko Koseki for Yuwa Fabrics).
Kona Cotton in White (Robert Kaufman)
Melange Yarn Dyed (Chambray - Cotton) in Natural by Lecien

TOOLS AND NOTIONS
 7/8 Inch Hexagon Papers (1861 hexagons)
7/8 Inch Hexagon Template with 3/8" seam allowance.
Water Soluble Basting Glue - Sewline.
Straw Needles - Size 11.
The Bottom Line 60wt thread by Superior Threads
in white (621), cream (655), and beige (652).

Let's for a moment talk about piecing the 88 solid white hexie flowers. Oh yes, that did test my strength of character: basting 500+ hexie papers with solid white fabric, then piecing the same hexie flower 88 times, over and again. I had to grit my teeth and set myself a daily target, and eventually slow and steady won the race, and it was worth it. 

The hexagon papers have been removed (all the photos here are of the quilt top after the papers have been removed) and this quilt top is now ready for basting and quilting. 

I am signing off until early next year, and wish all of my readers a joyous and peaceful holiday season spent with family and friends. Of course, I also hope you too get to spend some time with needle and thread!

Merry Christmas and best wishes for 2019,

Rita

RELEVANT LINKS:
B is for Blues ~ A Hexagon Quilt | Part 1

More RPQ English Paper Piecing Projects:
A Scrappy Grandmother's Flower Garden Quilt (September 2018)
Liberty of London Hexagon Quilt (September 2018)
Liberty Stars Quilt (January 2018)
Mandolin Quilt (May 2018)

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COPYRIGHT: Do not copy or use any content or photos from my blog without my written permission. This is original content from www.redpepperquilts.com.

Liberty of London and Chambray Checkerboard Quilt - In Red

The Finished Quilt.

QUILT DETAILS

Liberty of London and Chambray Checkerboard Quilt - Red

The finished quilt measures 60 inches x 75 inches.

100+ different fabrics. 

I  have made 42 16-patch blocks + 6 8-patch blocks.

  A total of 720 patches of fabric (30 rows of 24 squares).

(Refer to the Checkerboard Strip Piecing Tutorial for detailed piecing details).

Each finished square measures 2½ inches x 2½ inches.

Printed fabric:

Liberty of London Tana Lawn

Background fabric:

2½ yards of Chambray in Coral by Andover Fabrics

QUILTING:
Quilted on a domestic sewing machine
with a walking foot and quilting guide:
an all over grid created by stitching edge to edge
horizontal and vertical lines along both sides of
all seam lines, and a set of  edge to edge diagonal lines through
 the center of the chambray fabric squares.
THREAD for quilting:
Aurifil 28wt thread (the gray spool) for quilting:
 (28wt top thread - 40wt thread in the bobbin).
QUILT BACK fabric:
Newsprint in Spackle from the Story Collection by Carrie Bloomston.
BINDING fabric:
Crisscross in Red from the Remix Collection by Ann Kelle
for Robert Kaufman.
BATTING:
Low loft cotton batting.

I have finished my Liberty and Chambray Checkerboard Quilt and I am chuffed with how it turned out! I really do enjoy working with Liberty of London Tana Lawn and love combining these luxury fabrics with beautiful chambray. It is a match made in heaven, and I think the photos speak for themselves. I do love how the quilting stitches have added interest to the chambray fabric, and I have again used a heavier weight thread for the quilting (28wt Aurifil), so that while the quilting stitches happily nestle into the woven chambray fabric they are still well defined.

For the back of the quilt I have used my favorite text fabric - Newsprint from the Story collection by Carrie Bloomston for Windham Fabrics, and for the binding I have used Crisscross in Red by Ann Kelle for Robert Kaufman. I spent some time sorting through my fabric stash in search for the perfect binding fabric, and this "check" fabric was a great match for I did not want to add a strong contrast frame to the quilt.

Liberty of London and Chambray Checkerboard Quilt - In Red.

Quilt measures 60 inches x 75 inches.

This quilt is available for purchase from my Etsy Store.

All the listing details here:

Liberty of London and Chambray

Checkerboard Quilt

Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Thank you for stopping by and scrolling through the photos!
Rita

RELEVANT LINKS:
Red Pepper Quilts Etsy Store
Liberty of London and Chambray Checkerboard Quilt - In Red - Work in Progress.
Checkerboard and Strip Piecing Tutorial

More RPQ Liberty of London Projects:
Liberty of London Hexagon Quilt - September 2018
Liberty of London Oven Mitts and Pot Holders - December 2013
Liberty of London Pincushions - December 2013
Liberty Patchwork Cushion - April 2013
Liberty Stars Quilt - English Paper Piecing - January 2018

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COPYRIGHT: Do not copy or use any content or photos from my blog without my written permission. This is original content from www.redpepperquilts.com.

Liberty of London and Chambray Checkerboard Quilt - in Red

Work in Progress.

I've had this beautiful piece of red cotton chambray fabric in my stash for some time, and these last few weeks it had taken up residence on my cutting table. I was keen to use this chambray fabric and eventually decided that luxury Liberty of London lawn fabric would make the perfect companion, and a simple patchwork checkerboard layout the classic way to feature both.

The red chambray fabric is by Andover Fabrics (Chambray in Coral). It is a lightweight cotton woven fabric, with red warp and a white weft for contrast. This fabric is similar in weight and presses, cuts, sews and feels just like standard quilting cotton. The texture and weave of the background fabric is difficult to capture in a photograph and are best pictured in some of the close-up photos. 

All of the Liberty of London fabrics are lawn prints, and all are from stash. Yes, I have quite an extensive collection of Liberty prints, and I have been collecting for more than 10 years. Most are small pieces - as small as fat 16ths - and almost all have already been cut into for a previous quilts. I do like to keep adding to my collection of Liberty prints!

QUILT DETAILS

Liberty of London and Chambray Checkerboard Quilt - in Red

Quilt top measures 60 inches x 75 inches.

100+ different fabrics. 

I  have made 42 16-patch blocks + 6 8-patch blocks.

  A total of 720 patches of fabric (30 rows of 24 squares).

(Refer to the Checkerboard Strip Piecing Tutorial for detailed piecing details).

Each finished square measures 2½ inches x 2½ inches.

Printed fabric:

Liberty of London Tana Lawn

Background Fabric:

2½ yards chambray fabric in Coral by Andover Fabrics

I can't wait to add quilting detail to this quilt. I know the quilting will add interest, especially so on the chambray fabrics where the stitch details will settle neatly into the chambray fabric. I did purchase some red thread last week to quilt this quilt, but have decided the color was not quite right, and that the colored thread did not sit well with the Liberty prints. It's back to a neutral/beige thread for now.

Click on any image for a closer view.

And while it doesn't look like much, I have simultaneously also cut out my next Liberty Hexagon Quilt. There are almost 800 hexagons here, from almost 200 different Liberty Tana Lawn fabrics. I thought it might save time to cut these while I pulled out fabrics for this Chambray Checkerboard Quilt. It was of course way more time consuming than I thought it would be, but it's done now ... ready for basting onto papers, but not before finishing my current English Paper Piecing project - B is for Blues Quilt.

More soon!

Rita

RELEVANT LINKS:

Checkerboard Quilt - Strip Piecing Tutorial

More RPQ Liberty + Chambray Quilts:
Liberty and Chambray Quilt - June 2018
Liberty and Chambray Quilt - April 2018
Liberty and Chambray Quilt - July 2014

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COPYRIGHT: Do not copy or use any content or photos from my blog without my written permission. This is original content from www.redpepperquilts.com.

B is for Blues ~ A Hexagon Quilt | Part 1

I couldn't wait to start a new English Paper piecing (EPP) project and am excited to show you what I have been working on since finishing my Liberty Hexagon Quilt. Hexagons are synonymous with both traditional quilts and classic EPP - and I am passionate about both - and as I have loved working with this simple shape in the past I decided that I had yet another hexagon quilt in me. 

For this quilt project I have dug deep into my stash of blue fabrics; from deep dark navy to teal, aqua, and baby blue, mixed with a hint of green and shades of grey. All fabrics are printed quilting cottons and range in design from simple basics (dots, stripes, gingham) to floral and text fabrics. Many of the fabrics have been repeated for multiple hexagon flowers.

Many of the fabrics have also been fussy cut to feature a fabric design element which has been repeated across the six "petals" of the hexagon flowers. The fussy cutting process was way more time consuming than I thought it would be, however it is well worth the effort for the graphic effect.

QUILT DETAILS

B is for Blues

108 Hexagon Flowers
(756 Hexagons)
Hexagon size: 7/8" SIDES

Fabrics Used:
Quilting Cotton
(Many of the floral fabrics are by Japanese designer
Suzuko Koseki for Yuwa Fabrics).

TOOLS AND NOTIONS
 7/8 Inch Hexagon Papers.
7/8 Inch Hexagon Template with 3/8" seam allowance.
Water Soluble Basting Glue - Sewline.
Straw Needles - Size 11.
The Bottom Line 60wt thread by Superior Threads.

Now all I need to do is make a plan on how to piece these hexie flowers together and then take action: stitch, stitch, stitch. Easier said than done but, as always, I am taking it one stitch at a time.

More soon,

Rita

RELEVANT LINKS:
More RPQ Hexagon Quilts (EPP): 
Liberty of London Hexagon Quilt
Scrappy Grandmother's Flower Garden Quilt
A Floral Hexagon Quilt  
Sewing School Hexagon Quilt 
AND
Sewing Hexagons by Machine - A Tutorial

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COPYRIGHT: Do not copy or use any content or photos from my blog without my written permission. This is original content from www.redpepperquilts.com.

Liberty of London Hexagon Quilt ~ English Paper Piecing

I've been quietly working away on some of my unfinished projects including this Liberty Hexagon Quilt which needed basting and quilting. Last week I decided I had put off the inevitable long enough and basted and quilted it. Basting is still not one of my favorite tasks and it requires the kind of effort that includes crawling around on the floor (sore knees, back, elbows, fingers ... you know it) but it is a task that needs to be done well or there may be all sorts of quilting dramas. 

Fortunately, it all went really well, even with an all those hand sewn seams, fine Liberty lawn fabric, and extra low loft batting. I have kept the quilting super simple, and have stitched vertical straight lines across the quilt, spaced 1¼" apart. Lots of straight line quilting!

For the back of the quilt I have a small scale floral fabic - Emilia's Bloom (B), which is also a Liberty of London Tana Lawn fabric. For this quilt I have also used a light weight cotton batting called QuiltLite. Quiltlite is a woven cotton fabric similar to a loosely woven flannel fabric; it offers the presence of batting without adding bulk and gives this quilt a lovely soft drape. This batting adds almost no loft to this super lightweight lawn quilt.

Click on any image for a larger view.

I have finished the quilt with a Liberty of London Tana Lawn fabric for the binding; a dark blue and  small scale floral fabric called Summer Blooms (C) from the Garden of Dreams collection. And while I do usually machine stitch the binding, I did hand slip stitch the binding to the back of the quilt because ... Liberty! It is so lovely to sit and hand sew with Liberty fabric.

ALL ABOUT THIS QUILT:

Liberty Hexagon Quilt

Quilt top measures approximately 50 inches x 61 inches.

English Paper Pieced.

783 Hexagons.

Hexagon Size: 1¼" sides.

27 vertical rows of 29 hexagons.

Fabrics:

Liberty of London Tana Lawn.
Most fabrics have been used at least three times.
Quilting:
Machine quilted on a domestic sewing machine.

STARTED: July 2018.

FINISHED: October 2018

TOOLS AND NOTIONS

 1¼ Inch Hexagon Papers.

1¼  Inch Hexagon Template with 3/8" seam allowance.

Water Soluble Basting Glue - Sewline.

Straw Needles - Size 11.

The Bottom Line 60wt thread by Superior Threads.

See also previous blog post:

Liberty Hexagon Quilt - A finished Quilt Top - September 2018

Liberty Hexagon Quilt - Work in Progress - July 2018

I am continue to enjoy English paper piecing (EPP) more than I thought I ever would, and once this Hexagon Quilt was finished I gave myself permission to started a new project. More hexagons! I look forward to sharing my progress with you soon.

Thank you for stopping by and for scrolling through the photos!

Rita

RELEVANT LINKS:

Liberty of London Hexagon Quilt - Work in Progress Part 1

Liberty of London Hexagon Quilt - Work in Progress Part 2

More Red Pepper Quilts English Paper Pieced Quilts:

• A Scrappy Grandmother's Flower Garden Quilt - September 2018
• Mandolin Quilt - May 2018
• Liberty Stars Quilt - January 2018
• The Daisy Chain Quilt - November 2016

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COPYRIGHT: Do not copy or use any content or photos from my blog without my written permission. This is original content from www.redpepperquilts.com.