How To
Quilt -
Hexagon Quilt
Or
Lessons I Learned From Making a Hexagon
Quilt
A Hexagon Quilt is not just a quilt made from
hundreds of hexagon-shaped patches. It is a
lesson in
a) patience;
b) ingenuity;
c) discovering how to take
pleasure in making something slowly;
d) plus finding yet another
fabric to add to the variety. I will expand on
these qualities later in the article.
Old quilts, perhaps 100
years old or more, have been found to often
still contain the paper templates, usually old
letters or newspapers, it is fascinating
reading these bits of family news or snippets
of world affairs.
I had wanted to make a
Hexagon Quilt for many years. I first saw one
on a visit to the Sovereign Hill Pioneer
Settlement, at Ballarat, Victoria (Australia).
This wonderful tourist attraction takes all day
to tour and discover, and you could still go
back the next day to finish the job. In one of
the Pioneer Cottages, one of the more affluent
pioneers who had three rooms, my first glimpse
of the bedroom included that item I had always
admired on the single rough timber bed was a
hexagon quilt. Not showing a particular
pattern, as many do, but with lots of different
fabrics, as they would have been made in those
difficult circumstances, using any available
scrap of fabric. I call it Country-style. I was
entranced, by the fresh appearance and by the
work that had obviously gone into it - as a
woman who has sewn many items, I was only too
well aware of the amount of time and effort
that it would have taken to construct. I
decided there and then that I would one day,
soon, make one myself, little knowing the life
lessons that it would impart to me.
I did start that year. I
looked up some instructions, and discovered
they are usually made using English Paper
Piecing. This means;
a) a paper template is cut
and a piece of fabric slightly larger is folded
over the paper, pinned, tacked and sewn down;
paper is removed;
b) after making hundreds of
these, they are oversewn together;
c) the piece is lined,
quilted, and finally slept under.
After my initial burst of
enthusiasm, I was caught up in other things,
and it became a UFO (unfinished object)
temporarily. Then my husband had a stroke, and
while he was in hospital, I needed some
distraction from my worries. I pulled out my
hexagons, checked out my fabric stash, and
decided to go to a quilting group with my small
project.
I had made a start on
putting the first few hexagons together when I
went along to the Wesley Patchwork and Quilting
group in Adelaide, and a more pleasant,
enthusiastic and helpful group of people I have
yet to meet. They gave me lots of pieces from
their own stashes, and helped me towards
finishing the quilt, long after my husband had
recovered. As it happened, I had to return to
work and left the group shortly before I
finished the quilt but I sent them a photo of
the finished article. These are some things I
learned while making the hexagon quilt.
Do one thing at a time, one
hexagon at a time.
Small things accumulate.
Hexagons 2 inches across make a queen-size
quilt.
There's no rush. Enjoy what
you're doing, enjoy the process as much as the
product.
If you don't have what you
need right now, you'll be able to get it sooner
or later. Enjoy the time quilting. It all gets
done eventually.
Variety is the spice of
life. A country-style quilt contains memories
of each person who gave you that fabric. Each
hexagon reminds you of the pleasures of sewing
and creativity.
Touching and looking at it
brings a sense of accomplishment whatever
happened today, I made this myself.
My hexagon quilt took me two
years to make, because I didn't touch it for
much of the summer - it made me feel hot! But
time passes whether we quilt or not, so we
might as well quilt!
Christine Linton Patterns,
South Australia
Website shortly
Phone 042 082 9077
Patterns for embroidery, appliqu,
Patchwork, quilting and
mixed media
Blog at
http://craftconversations.blogspot.com/
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