Flower Garden Quilt

[Pam D.]

Hi!
I am wanting to start a hexagon flower garden quilt. I am thinking of doing the English paper piecing technique and was wonder if the plastic Mylar hexagon templates is the way to go or print off freezer paper templates? Any suggestions would be appreciated :roll: I am totally new tp English paper piecing :|

[Karen W.]

You can go either way. I have not tried the Mylar. Instead I found a place where you can buy stiff paper pieces that can be used over and over again. Pretty reasonable price you might want to check out. It is http://www.paperpieces.com. Did a large quilt using them and even had GAs (7 to 11-year-olds) doing them. Worked great.

[Kathryn S.]

One of my friends uses pre-cut stiff paper templates for her hexagons. They are not as heavy as cardboard but heavier than computer paper. My LQS carries hexagon papers, although not the brand my friend uses. I wonder if googling would bring up some products? You save your hands cutting out all those templates and they are not as bendy as paper is.

Kathy

[Kathryn S.]

Thank you both for your suggestions! It seems like most go with paper in some form rather than the Mylar hexagons. Kquilts1, when you ordered your paper pieces from Paper Pieces did you order to make a queen size quilt and if so how many pieces did you order?

[Kathryn S.]

I did mine using the mylar hexagons. It was an easy way to go but be aware--buy all you want to use at the same place. I bought mine from two different places and one set was thicker than the other which meant they were bigger when the mylar was taken out.

[Karen W.]

It has been a while since I ordered, but did not get the large pack. I believe I got somewhere in the 100s. As I said they can be used over and over again until too many holes get punched in the paper to make them useful. I don't remember paying more than $20 for the set.

[Karen W.]

I did mine using the mylar hexagons. It was an easy way to go but be aware--buy all you want to use at the same place. I bought mine from two different places and one set was thicker than the other which meant they were bigger when the mylar was taken out.

Wow! Thanks Ritzy for the tip! Who would of thought! :shock:

[Karen W.]

It has been a while since I ordered, but did not get the large pack. I believe I got somewhere in the 100s. As I said they can be used over and over again until too many holes get punched in the paper to make them useful. I don't remember paying more than $20 for the set.

Thanks Karen!

[Margo C.]

One of our members, Patti Shambaugh, markets "QuiltPatis" for hexagon paper piecing: http://quiltpati.tripod.com/index.html

community/my-profile/quiltpati

[Hannelore N.]

Didn't we have a topic somehwere about being 'frugal'......??

I have one hexagon template made from very thick cardstock, and I make my own hexagons from old Christmas and birthday cards. The boxes of cereals also seem to be about the right thickness. I know it's a little time-consuming, but can be done so easily whilst watching old episodes of 'The A-Team' or 'Indiana Jones' or whatever floats your boat.

[Hannelore N.]

Didn't we have a topic somehwere about being 'frugal'......??

I have one hexagon template made from very thick cardstock, and I make my own hexagons from old Christmas and birthday cards. The boxes of cereals also seem to be about the right thickness. I know it's a little time-consuming, but can be done so easily whilst watching old episodes of 'The A-Team' or 'Indiana Jones' or whatever floats your boat.

I hear yah about being frugal!! I am with yah! Now I am wondering about sewing the hexagons together with English paper piecing or thinking about using the Stamps by Kate and hand piecing them or being even more frugal by making my own template out of cereal boxes, etc. And then hand piecing. The thing about hand piecing I am worried about how to stitch the intersections. Maybe I can find a video on the Internet to learn from. Thanks for posting!

[Hannelore N.]

Why worry about the intersections? Just add the next shape when possible and tie off the thread when it isn't possible to continue and you have to start with a new thread somewhere else.

But then again...... Don't listen to me. I'm well known for being quite relaxed when it comes to piecing and the word 'perfectionist' is not in my personal vocabulary book. I'm sure you'll get plenty of superb advice here on how to do it.

Saying that, I do make sure that I use a fine needle when over-sewing hexagons together, and I match the thread colour quite carefully to the background colour of the fabric, or - if that is difficult - I use a neutral medium grey. And I'm a little fussy about the thread I use. It has to be fine but fairly strong. My personal favourite is Masterpiece from Superior Threads for this sort of work.

But whatever you do, jump right in and have a go. You'll work out what suits you personally as you go along.

And, of course, we want pictures of the finished piece.

I have a box full of paper-pieced flowers (perfect project to take with you when travelling), but haven't use them yet. I did make a table runner though when I was about 11 or 12 years old. At the time I didn't know that there was such a thing as 'quilting', and I had never heard of 'English Paper Piecing'. My grandmother gave me some scraps of fabrics, showed me how to do it and then left me to it. The box with the scraps came out every time I was visiting and it was raining, so I couldn't play outside.

[E.M. T.]

I have a little experience with those addictive hex s !! I must say all things considered...papers from PaperPieces beats making my own...
more accurate and more durable than home made..tho ones made from a magazine insert are just about right. I've used Quilt Patis and
they also work very well.. there's also a freezer paper method. I've also hand-pieced the little devils and suggest Jinny Byers' hand joining
methods because having quilted several "antique" gardens that weren't well fasten , they can be a nightmare.! I love them..portable and fun
to do ! Scrap eaters ! Never-ending combinations !

[E.M. T.]

i did and do inklingo hexagons (freezer paper printing with fabric on) i find it great!!! save a lot of time.
you need to find the right way to print (you have a very good instruction by linda franz website).
i am so happy with it that i bought some more patterns and no disappointed at all.
i started with inklingo because i didnt like my stitches between the hexagons after paper piecing.
good luck.

[E.M. T.]

I also recommend the hexes from [i]Paper Pieces[i], and I bought a bag of 1,000 basically because all of my flowers still have the papers in them, and will stay that way until I start sewing them together for the quilt top.
As far as piecing, I just make a small knot at the end of whip stitching two hexies together, turn the angle and start adding the next one. Make sure and use a good quality thread for that hand sewing.