I began this quilt at the beginning of January but it got shunted aside when I took the Christmas Pickle class. I’ve made progress on Christmas Pickle to the point where I feel safe putting it aside for a while (Christmas seems a long way off) while I work on some other projects. (Do you juggle projects like this? Is this normal?) So I finished the piecing over the weekend and added the borders last night.
I used a Moda University pattern called Hexagon Magic and two jelly rolls. In this close-up you can see how the top is pieced in strips, with two sides coming together to form the hexagon shape. They are not real hexagons because all six sides are not the same length but this technique is a lot faster than dealing with real hexagons. I like it as an alternative to basic squares. I think the seams will disappear after quilting. The fabric collection is called Fig and Plum (also from Moda) but looking at this, I see cabbage. I’m thinking of naming it Mon Petit Chou (French, literally means my little cabbage but used as an endearment, especially for babies). I need to decide on a name soon because I’m going to piece the label into the backing, using the technique explained here.
This was my first jelly roll quilt and I have to say, my experience with the jelly rolls did not make me a fan. I had a hard time dealing with the pinked edge, accuracy-wise. But the bigger issue was that the strips had not been cut exactly perpendicular to the fold of the fabric, consequently were very noticeably V-shaped. This would have been a disaster if making a pattern that uses the full WOF strip. Mine involved cutting the strips in small segments plus the quilt did not require using all 80 strips so it worked out even though I could not use the middle of each strip. I have two more jelly rolls but plan on using them in a design that involves piecing the strips together into strip sets then cutting. I hope it works out okay. By the way, I haven’t had a problem using the pre-cut squares (charm packs and layer cakes); I’m a big fan of those as a way to get a scrappy look without a big $ investment in yardage.
I love your hexagon quilt top Cathy! It sure looks a lot more complicated than it is. That strip piecing method is wonderful. I have heard so many gals complain about the pinked edges of the jelly rolls. I have not had too much of an issue, but have to admit, I prefer the layer cakes myself!
ReplyDeleteI was a big fan at first of all these precuts that Moda is coming out with for just the same reason you stated--it is a savings over buying the entire bundle. However, I end up collecting more of these layer cakes and jelly rolls that I probably won't use, so maybe I would be better off just buying that one bundle that I really love!
I really like this quilt, the colors and everything. And the name. I agree with the pinked edges problem. But it is a great looking quilt.
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