Hexie Heart Wall Hanging

Let's see a finish!  I've had a few quilt tops finished and spent some time on finally quilting them.  It feels good to cross them off the list.  Without further ado...

HEXIE HEART
20 1/2" x 21 1/2"

What I love about small quilts is they quilt up fast!  I guess that depends on how detailed you make it, but in general...they are faster!  The reward is having a lovely little quilt and the feeling of accomplishment.



I started this quilting journey by stitching approximately 1/8" along the edges of the hexies.  Because the hexies and hearts were laid on top of a piece of fabric, I needed to make sure they were secure.  I guess you would call this applique!



The next move was quilting a circle around each heart and hexie circle.  I love how the circles on the hexies overlap to create a little more interest. 

I did stitch in the ditch around each heart, but left the inside of the heart free and clear of any quilting.  I felt if I did any quilting there I'd feel the need to use matching thread, and I wasn't feeling that at all!  Call me lazy! 



Maybe lazy with the hearts, but I did free motion quilt around each one!  I'm calling it filigree quilting.  That sounds much more interesting than stipple quilting which is really what it is!

The lines around the outside of the hexie circle are 1/4" and 1/2" wide.  A simple design that adds a little texture I suppose!



The back is a piece of Alison Glass 'Artifact' fabric that I've been saving for no reason whatsoever!  I've been getting better about letting go of certain pieces of fabric, which is a very good feeling.  



I'm pretty happy with this quilt!  I told you when I first blogged about this (Rainbow Love) just how quickly it went together and that I was going to make another one.  

I haven't actually made another one, but I have one ready to go!  This time the hexies will be solids...and the hexies will be 1/2"!  I'm super excited about that!  I'm saving it for a trip we have to make back to Oregon to visit the in-laws.  I don't think it'll take long to whip it together once I start it.  Another stay tuned project!

LINKING:

OH SCRAP! ● MAIN CRUSH MONDAY ●  MONDAY MAKING 
LETS BEE SOCIAL ● MIDWEEK MAKERS ● NEEDLE & THREAD 

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EPP + Paper Piecing = Rainbow Love

When I found out I was going on vacation to the beach earlier this month, I knew I was going to have to come up with a small project to bring along with me.  The best traveling option seems to be English Paper Piecing.  It's small, compact and doesn't require a lot of focus for the most part. 

My last EPP project was my Mini Bow Tie quilt and while it was pretty easy to make the blocks I didn't want to do another one.  In my mind I think of hexies as the beginners EPP...EPP 101!  I know that isn't really the case as hexies can be joined together to create a lot of spectacular and intricate designs.  It was the shape that got me into EPP and for this travel project it was the easy choice.

I found exactly what I wanted on one of my pinterest boards!  Its another project I've wanted to make for years, but never found the time to do so.  It was time!  

    
Honestly the hardest part was picking the fabric!  I pulled out my 2 1/2" squares and slowly began building my rainbow.  Since this was a last minute project, I didn't actually take the time I should have to get the colors perfect.  I could have done better!  Maybe if I had used solids, but my mind was stuck on prints.  



The mistake I made was starting this EPP project before I left for the beach!  I wanted to see how one section of color went together.  Just a test.  Basically you make one big 'C' shape with the hexies, and then sew all the sections together.  Well...it went together so fast and easy that I couldn't stop!  Before I knew it...it was finished!

What's a girl to do?!  This girl thought about it while basking in the sun and wondered what else could I do to put it over the top!



My first and only thought was to make mini blocks for the centers.  I had just received my Quiet Play Pattern Club patterns and noticed the Geometric Love Hearts.  I think that will work!  I ended up enlarging the middle heart in the pattern to the size I wanted and like magic I had six beautiful hearts!



Of course, I had to figure out how I would incorporate them into the hexies.  This project started with the mindset of keeping it simple and so I did the same with the hearts.  

When I decided on the center blocks I initially thought I'd piece them in a circle and lay the hexie piece over the top.  That idea quickly vanished when I regained my senses!  



I added borders around each heart that was large enough to fill the middle with extra for the back.  After carefully aligned each heart I glued them to the back.  Not the prettiest back I've ever seen, but good enough for me!



Now I have something to work with!  I was going to put a blue heart in the center space, however it didn't seem right to me.  And since I didn't really have any blue in my rainbow...  



I found a dark blue with a pretty flower and slapped that sucker in the center!  Viola!



If I were ever going to make an exact replica of this I might not add borders to the hearts, instead I might use large pieces of white during the paper piecing process to eliminate a few seams.  Maybe, maybe not!



For now, this measures 22" x 22".  I haven't had a chance to quilt it or even think about how I'll quilt it, but it'll happen!  

If you are itching to do a simple hand stitching project, I highly recommend this one!  I'm excited to make another one or two...one which will me a mini version...big surprise right?!

LINKING:

OH SCRAP! ● MAIN CRUSH MONDAY ●  MONDAY MAKING 
LETS BEE SOCIAL ● MIDWEEK MAKERS ● NEEDLE & THREAD 

PEACOCK PARTY  ● TGIFF ● WHOOP WHOOP FRIDAY

BRAG ABOUT YOUR BEAUTIES ● FINISHED OR NOT FRIDAY

Rainbow Hexie :: That Nearly Turned into a Disaster!

We can do the same thing over and over again without issues, and then one time the norm changes and throws you for a loop!  It doesn't happen often at all, thank goodness, when a quilt bleeds and seemingly ruins the entire quilt.  The real shocker was that I hadn't even washed it when the worse bleeding I've ever encountered happened.

Before I share the finished quilt I'll share how this happened, how I fixed it and what I learned along the way.

RAINBOW HEXIES
32" X 49"

This was a baby quilt I made just because.  Because I had the pre-cut Hexies and it seemed like a quick and easy quilt to throw together in between projects.  You can read about the entire process here:  I Was in a Mood.

Normally I use my Hera Marker to mark my lines for quilting.  It has always freaked me out to use markers or pens on fabric, so I resisted the urge and stuck with what made me comfortable.  It wasn't until the past couple of years that I dipped my toe into markers.  The Dritz purple Disappearing Ink or the blue Mark-B-Gone water soluble pens seemed to be the two that everyone used.  Certainly if everyone used them, surely I could as well.  And I did, occasionally, depending on the project.  I never had any problems.  I'd spray the blue maker with water to make it go away and it worked well.  It was never a problem or issue until now.

  

I had finished quilting and had sewn the binding on the front when I decided I wanted the blue lines gone.  So I sprayed them away and let it be.  When I went back I was shocked!  Heartbroken!  And a little bit ticked off when I saw the reds were bleeding like no ones business!  I thought it served me right using a red without pre-washing, but who in their right mind washes precut shapes? 



That led me to be proactive, which didn't help at all!  I sprayed an Oxy Clean stain remover on the area and scrubbed the heck out of it.  Then I scrubbed it with Dawn dish soap.   Rinsed and rinsed and rinsed, with no change at all...it was actually worse!  

My dilemma was do I even bother with hand stitching the binding on the rest of the way, or do I cut my losses?  I decided finish it.  If the bleeding doesn't go away it'll make a beautiful quilt for my future dog!  During the fiasco I posted on Instagram sharing my bleeding issues and so many people shared their sympathy, but most importantly their solutions!

What I learned is blue Dawn Dish Soap and a hot water soak is the method of choice to remove bleeding.  Letting your quilt soak for 8-10 hours will make all the difference!  All I can say is it worked for me.  I threw in a couple color catchers for good measure, but hot water and Dawn...was the magic I needed.  

One comment said that the blue maker has a solvent to dissolve the ink resulting in dissolving the red dye in the fabric.  Say what?!  It made sense and right before I started this post I actually read the back of the pen packaging.  It said: Some fiber contents, fabric finishes or dyes (red and pink in particular) may not be suitable for use with this pen.  I guess I didn't ever read the back before and relied on other experts to read it for me!

Even though this wasn't a 'major', 'serious', 'important' quilt for me, it still took hours and hours of time and care to make it.  No one wants to put all that work into something only to have a horrible mishap to live with.

The end results were this.  No sign of bleeding!  This little quilt was saved!  I guess that means I won't be getting a new puppy anytime soon! 

I don't know if I'll give up the purple or blue markers entirely, but I'll use the Hera Marker for the majority of my quilting needs.

If you hadn't seen the original bleeding pictures you never would have known there had been a problem.  Whew!  Relief!  

There are any number of solutions on the Internet.  Google it!  But the most prevalent solution is Dawn Dish soap...no affiliation...and hot water!

Now, that quilt reveal!!

It isn't a large quilt, but it sure is pretty!  Rainbows win nearly every time!



I used a white thread for all the quilting.  At first I thought I might use a variegated rainbow thread, but veered away from that after I did the first round of straight lines.  I first stitched in the ditch around all the hexies and triangles.  



From there I did an Orange Peel curve in all the white triangles.  It was just so easy and effective!  

I knew I'd keep it simple with the rest of the quilting, using straight lines to form the stars in the colored hexies.  There wasn't any special technique or Free Motion quilting involved.  Just straight line that intersected to form stars. 



In an effort to use my stash, the backing is a 'comma' fabric and since it wasn't large enough for the entire back, I added white strips on the top and bottom.  Extending the goodness!   



And a pile is always my finishing photo go to!  This is the way my quilts that I use look like in real life!




I know the very last thing we ever want to see is fabric bleeding in our quilts.  Maybe it isn't a quilt that you are invested in, or it's just a quilt that you feel like making to itch the quilting scratch.  The heart stopping realization that that has happened is certain to give anyone a moment of pause.  Thankfully it doesn't mean your quilt is forever ruined, or that there isn't help out there.  I'm very thankful for all the input, sympathy and tips to solve my bleeding heart...

Has this happened to you?  Do you have any solutions for fabric that bleeds?

LINKING:

OH SCRAP! ● MAIN CRUSH MONDAY ●  MONDAY MAKING ●  LINKY TUESDAY 
LETS BEE SOCIAL ● MIDWEEK MAKERS ● NEEDLE & THREAD 

PEACOCK PARTY  ● TGIFF 

BRAG ABOUT YOUR BEAUTIES ● FINISHED OR NOT FRIDAY