More QAYG Hexagons

Last week I shared Jack's hexagon quilt with you.  This week I'll show you Emma's quilt.

Same templates, same pattern, different grandchild!  It was great making each of these quilts, especially chosing pictures that I thought each child (and their parents) would enjoy.  There are 61 hexagons in all and the finished quilt is about one metre/ one yard in width.

I like the back of this one better, with the big hexagon made of little hexagons. P.S. I'm going to run out of quilts to show you soon, does anyone have an I Spy quilt to share?

A UFO Bites the Dust

This is one of the first quilts I started when I began selling I Spy charms on eBay, so it must have begun about 2005. I started with 6.5 inch squares and arranged them in six groups of four.  I added a 2.5 inch pink block to one corner of each big square to make a snowball type corner.  The four blocks were sewn together, then a pink sashing added.

Next I sorted through my I Spy stash and found pieces that were at least 3.5 inches wide.  I sewed these pieces into strips and stashed the big blocks.
Then the mostly finished top went into a cupboard and sat for six years.  It was retrieved, I'm glad to say, when the new sewing machine arrived and I could quilt big quilts once more (the Singer Featherweight did have its limitations).

I still had the bright pink fabric stored with the top so that was fine.  I chose a light coloured print from the stash and sewed a corner square on each corner, then round the whole top with a 2.5 inch strip.  I added a pink corner and again went around the whole top.  The back was a bright print of waterfalls and flamingos, also from the stash, and there was enough pink to do the binding.
Yesterday I took the completed quilt to one of our local social care agencies to add to their stash of Christmas presents.  It took a while but the quilt will finally have a proper home.

I Spy in the Pinks

I made this I Spy quilt, In the Pinks, early in 2009.  It's a really easy pattern. I used 24 6.5 inch I Spy prints for the centre of the blocks. The border for each block is 2.5 inch strips, 8 fat quarters are enough to do all the blocks.
I don't measure and cut the sashing pieces. I strip piece the blocks and sashings. I take a 2.5 inch strip and put one square on top, right sides together (of course) and sew.  When I get to the end of the first block I chose another block, place it behind the first block leaving a little gap and keep sewing.  If the strips are cut from fat quarters then 3 squares are sewn on each strip.
When I've filled up the first strip I chose another colour and sew squares onto it in the same way.  Take all the sewn units to the ironing board, press towards the sashing, then use ruler and rotaty cutter to divide the blocks.  Do the same thing with the opposite side of the I Spy square.
When you add the sides to the block you will only get two blocks attached to each strip.  When all the blocks are sashed you will have quite a few leftovers.  Don't put them away just yet!  Cut all the remaining strips into 2.5 inch squares and store them in a container labeled '2.5 inch squares'.  Then when you chose to make a scrap quilt you already have a box of useful squares.

I often quilt with diagonal lines, it's easier to ease the 'crossings' on the bias than on the straight.