Week-end update - Part 2

I've said it before. I'll say it again.

Hello, my name is Jenn and I'm addicted to quilting.

There. It's all out in the open. Again.

Apparently, I am no longer able to have WIP items to work on at a leisurely pace. I don't know when this shift occurred or even if I like it. (#productivequilterproblems) Enough whinging... on to the quilting!  Yesterday, after pickling some beans and baking up some kale chips, I started whipstitching the itty bitty hexies. These little darlings are 1½ inches at their widest point. This pic is historic. My first ever hexie connection!

Sewing by hand was really fun. Shhh... don't tell anyone. TV on, feet up. I could get used to this.

 It was so much fun that I just kept going. Don't you love my pincushion? It's shaped like a three seater sofa.

 I did take a break for supper... but then I got back to it.

I thought getting the cardstock templates out would be tough. Turns out, I was wrong. They popped right out with only the occasional wrinkle.

Then I laid the pattern on top to get a sense of which hexies would end up where. I really wanted that little thimble to be front and centre. What's this? It's not big enough? Turns out, reading the pattern is essential. Somehow I had gotten the idea that it was 32 hexagons. Nope, 36. Off I went to add more (breaking more EPP rules as I went).

 An hour or so later, the sewing kit was layered and ready to quilt.

Here's the backing/lining. I have oodles this fabric from Red Rooster's the Dressmaker Collection . Love the pattern pieces (fully labeled of course) and the old school notions. Does anyone still have one of those mini pizza wheels for marking fabrics? It's a good thing my local shop didn't bring in the full line!

I was worried about the sturdiness of the hexies... nothing came apart when I removed the templates, but I'm not confident in my stitching just yet. So I opted to quilt the living daylights out of the things!

First diagonal!

 

 Second diagonal!

   Third and final diagonal!

It was really, really hard to cut out the pattern piece. Can you hear the hexies screaming? Can you hear them, Clarice?

Ah, the marvels of bias cut binding. It wraps around those curves so nicely. I wonder if I'll ever get over the feeling that I'm wasting fabric when I cut those diagonals?

I can't tell you how many times I stabbed myself. Sewing with this many pins is worse than cuddling a hedgehog. Trust me, I know from experience. This binding method (from the book) is a little different from what I normally do. It's very narrow (1 ¼ inches) and I was worried my usual method would be too bulky.

I was beginning to puzzle over how to hold this odd little binding in place with pins. Then I remembered those great binding clips Adrienne gave me. I'm not paid to rave about Clover Wonder Clips, but I wouldn't be opposed to it!

Et voilà! Le finished sewing kit. I can tell you here and now that you'll be seeing a lot more EPP and/or hexies on this blog!

Off to sew some more! Or perhaps cut out more hexies!

J

P.S. You may have noticed some variation in the size of my pics on this post. Tell me, dear reader, do you prefer the regular sized pics or the larger ones? It's all about you on this one. Afterall, I've already seen this stuff life-sized! Leave me a comment, would ya?