Getting Hexie with It

Sometimes I have a few minutes to work on a hexie flower. That's it, that's the entire post. Someday I will finish this project. Someday. 

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):

Fiskars Rotary Cutter

Fiskars Rotary Cutter replacement blades
Fiskars Self Healing Rotary Cutting Mat
BLACK+DECKER Classic Steam Iron
Grabbit Magnetic Pin Cushion

Fiskars Micro-Tip Scissors, 5 Inch

Fiskars X-Large Squeeze Punch, Hexagon - this thing turns junk mail into hexie papers!

Flexible Rubber Thimbles

Sewline Water-Soluble Fabric Glue Pen with Refill

Getting Hexie with It

I'm still working on my hexie flowers. 

Each week I finish a few more. 

Some weeks are more productive than others. I never thought this would be a quick project. 

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):

Fiskars Rotary Cutter

Fiskars Rotary Cutter replacement blades
Fiskars Self Healing Rotary Cutting Mat
BLACK+DECKER Classic Steam Iron
Grabbit Magnetic Pin Cushion

Fiskars Micro-Tip Scissors, 5 Inch

Fiskars X-Large Squeeze Punch, Hexagon - this thing turns junk mail into hexie papers!

Flexible Rubber Thimbles

Sewline Water-Soluble Fabric Glue Pen with Refill

Getting Hexie with It

I finished up the basting of the rest of my little hexies a couple weeks ago. 

Yesterday I stacked them up into planned flower sets. 

Then I filled my hexie project bag with all those sets. Now I can easily grab a single flower and get stitching. Someday, I will have a quilt top. 

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):

Fiskars Rotary Cutter

Fiskars Rotary Cutter replacement blades
Fiskars Self Healing Rotary Cutting Mat
BLACK+DECKER Classic Steam Iron
Grabbit Magnetic Pin Cushion

Fiskars Micro-Tip Scissors, 5 Inch

Fiskars X-Large Squeeze Punch, Hexagon - this thing turns junk mail into hexie papers!

Flexible Rubber Thimbles

Sewline Water-Soluble Fabric Glue Pen with Refill

Getting Hexie with It

Week number two of using the Sewline Water-Soluble Fabric Glue Pen I'm back to show you my progress. This time I managed to baste nearly 100 hexies with a single stick of glue. The stack of fabric that still needs to be basted is so much smaller. I ordered my refills from Amazon and they should be here this week.  

A note about affiliate links: Even if you don't buy the products I link to, using my link to get to Amazon counts. If something I share inspires you, and you were going to buy something anyway, click through and shop. If you complete your purchase after following one of my links I will receive a small commission. 

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):

Fiskars Rotary Cutter

Fiskars Rotary Cutter replacement blades
Fiskars Self Healing Rotary Cutting Mat
BLACK+DECKER Classic Steam Iron
Grabbit Magnetic Pin Cushion

Fiskars Micro-Tip Scissors, 5 Inch

Fiskars X-Large Squeeze Punch, Hexagon - this thing turns junk mail into hexie papers!

Flexible Rubber Thimbles

Sewline Water-Soluble Fabric Glue Pen with Refill

Getting Hexie with It

After a week of using the Sewline Water-Soluble Fabric Glue Pen I'm back to show you my progress. I would make a few of these most evenings. At the end of the week I had consumed the glue and basted 75 hexies. I think that's pretty good. I've changed the glue and am back at it. I wonder if I will get as many next week. Hopefully I will be close. That stack of fabric still needs to be basted. I already have more refills in my Amazon cart. Once I finish the basted I will be back to sewing flowers. 

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):

Fiskars Rotary Cutter

Fiskars Rotary Cutter replacement blades
Fiskars Self Healing Rotary Cutting Mat
BLACK+DECKER Classic Steam Iron
Grabbit Magnetic Pin Cushion

Fiskars Micro-Tip Scissors, 5 Inch

Fiskars X-Large Squeeze Punch, Hexagon

Flexible Rubber Thimbles

Sewline Water-Soluble Fabric Glue Pen with Refill

Getting Hexie With It

I've been thread basting my hexies. By the way, these are my absolute favorites scissiors for snipping thread. I have a pair near my long arm and this pair in my hexie kit. Linked at the bottom of the post. 

I decided to give the Sewline Fabric Glue Pen a try. 

This kit (linked at the bottom of the post) comes with the glue pen and one refill. 

One is basted with thread, the other with glue. I don't sew through the papers when basting. I only stitch through the fabric on the back side. This means the papers are easier to remove when it comes time to do so. 

I'm pleased enough with the results that I plan to keep using the glue basting; at least until I run out. It is quicker that thread basting, though not by much. That will give me enough time to decide if I really like it better. Have you tried both thread and glue basting for English paper piecing? 

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):

Fiskars Rotary Cutter

Fiskars Rotary Cutter replacement blades
Fiskars Self Healing Rotary Cutting Mat
BLACK+DECKER Classic Steam Iron
Grabbit Magnetic Pin Cushion

Fiskars Micro-Tip Scissors, 5 Inch

Fiskars X-Large Squeeze Punch, Hexagon

Flexible Rubber Thimbles

Sewline Water-Soluble Fabric Glue Pen with Refill

Getting Hexie With It

As I was working on my hexie flowers I realized I didn't know where the rest of the flowers were hiding. This later afternoon sun is not helping me take good photographs. 

I poked around in my sewing room until I found what I was looking for: a box labeled "Hexies". Sometimes I get it right. So many great things in that box. A big stack of finished flowers, two more 5" charm packs, a bunch of hexie papers, and some larger pieces of coordinating fabric. 

I cut those last 5" charms into 2.5" charms and put them with the hexie papers. I'll be basting for a while. I may splurge and buy some basting glue. I'm not sure, though. Thread basting is great for using up that questionable poly thread I've had for years. The thread only has to last long enough to get the quilt top pieced. However long that will take. Have you been working on any long-term projects? 

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):

Fiskars Rotary Cutter

Fiskars Rotary Cutter replacement blades
Fiskars Self Healing Rotary Cutting Mat
BLACK+DECKER Classic Steam Iron
Grabbit Magnetic Pin Cushion

Fiskars Micro-Tip Scissors, 5 Inch

Fiskars X-Large Squeeze Punch, Hexagon

Flexible Rubber Thimbles

Getting Hexie With It

I have been working, on and off, on these hexie flowers for close to ten years. It is a great travel project, or something I can do while watching television but I just haven't been working on it all that diligently. Want to see where I was in 2014? Check out this post. 

I was recently in a teleconference and grabbed my bag and got stitching. 

I managed to finish four of them last week. Slow progress, but not ten years of slow progress. 

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):

Fiskars Rotary Cutter

Fiskars Rotary Cutter replacement blades
Fiskars Self Healing Rotary Cutting Mat
BLACK+DECKER Classic Steam Iron
Grabbit Magnetic Pin Cushion

Fiskars Micro-Tip Scissors, 5 Inch

Fiskars X-Large Squeeze Punch, Hexagon

Flexible Rubber Thimbles

Crochet Hexagons

I wanted to share the hexagon project progress. I've added more to my pile of finished hexies. These really are great as a carry-along project. They work rather quickly. 

Here are the finished hexagons. I have many more to make before I join them together into a blanket. At least the weather is changing so I won't feel smothered under a partially constructed blanket. 

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):

Crochet hooks: Clover Crochet Hook Set (10 hooks)

Stitch markers: CLOVER Lock Ring Markers 20/pkg 

Hexagon Junk

What to do with that junk mail printed on light cardstock? Make it into hexie papers for English Paper Piecing. 

This Fiskars extra large hexagon squeeze punch (Fiskars X-Large Squeeze Punch, Hexagon affiliate link) makes quick work of the light cardstock some junk mail is printed on. 

This means I can get a pretty good crop of hexagons out of that one piece of junk.

A little bit of time basting (I thread baste but I don't stitch through the hexagon paper) and you are ready to hand sew those little hexagons together. There are loads of videos on YouTube to help you learn how to baste and stitch. It is a great carry-along project for traveling short or long distances. 

Then you are one little hexagon flower closer to a quilt. I've been working on this project for years. I had to search the blog and I'm pretty sure I started it in 2014. I'm still making these little flowers. I likely will keep making them for years to come. I'm sure someday I will have a quilt.  

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):

Fiskars Rotary Cutter

Fiskars Rotary Cutter replacement blades
Fiskars Self Healing Rotary Cutting Mat
BLACK+DECKER Classic Steam Iron
Grabbit Magnetic Pin Cushion

Fiskars Micro-Tip Scissors, 5 Inch

Retractable Badge Holder

Fiskars X-Large Squeeze Punch, Hexagon

Flexible Rubber Thimbles

Hexies on the Road from Raleigh

On the trip back from Raleigh, NC, last Sunday, I used my hex punch to make a stack of papers for some EPP.

I also basted the rest of these centers for scrappy flowers.  I love how these flowers will become the center for a field of flowers.  I still don't know how this project will work out, but I'm willing to let it come at its own pace.

Because I am slightly crazy (hence the crazy projects) I also chopped up some charm squares (my papers work great with a 2.5" square) to work on another paper-piecing project.  These fabrics are Vintage Modern from Moda.  I have some coordinating yardage for this, so this should make up into a great throw quilt.  It will probably take me forever to finish, but hand-work is nice to have available.

I didn't get many basted on the trip home, but I did get a start.