Happy Presidents’ Day! Are you still in your pajamas, too?
All hexagons quilts look cheerful to me, but this one from ReannaLily Designs seems to have a little extra sunshine. I think it’s the size of the hexes, combined with the wonderful use of white space. The springtime palette certainly isn’t hurting, either 
The quilter used a half-hex method of piecing, which can be done on the machine – great if you’re feeling gun-shy about attempting English paper piecing.
If you’re feeling gun-shy about making this quilt altogether, but absolutely have to have one, Handmade by Alissa has a queen-sized one for sale here.
And, finally, half-hexing doesn’t always involve lots of white space. Check out the photos from ComfortStitching’s Half-Hex Quilt-along!
I’m sort of breaking the whole quilt a day rule by posting this tutorial, but it’s hardly the first time. Plus, you must admit, this block by Hanies has a little bit of everything. If you’re in search of a great starting place for a mini-quilt, may I suggest:
See what I mean? A little bento, a little bear’s paw, a whole pinwheel in the middle. And tons of possibility. She even has a wonky version on her tutorial page!
I hate to plug my own products (ok, that’s sort of a lie), but when someone flickr-faved on of my quilted bibs today, I wanted to share it, if for no other reason than to talk about the pattern I used to make it.
jcasa.etsy.com not only make the easiest-to-follow bib tutorial I’ve tried yet, but generously allows people to sell products made from her patterns. Awesome!
For more on her quilty and non-quilty, for-sale – and FOR FREE(!) patterns, visit her blog.
Today is just one of those days where you’ll have to bear with my shoddy iphone photography. This is my latest quilty endeavor, and I want to share.
The blocks are for Ms. FreckledBeauties of the Live Piecefully Quilting Bee, and man, they were fun to make! I used the oft-shared instructions over at Film in the Fridge, an, truly, there was nothing to it.
I know everyone’s got her own preferences, but I do feel obliged to say that my favorite base for paper piecing is by far the tracing paper that comes in a tablet at the art store. My tablets are 9×12″, so the sheets are large enough to accommodate most of the piecing I do, and they’re very transparent, cheap, and tear perfectly.
I also want to mention that, if you think you like the look of string piecing based on photos you’ve seen around the internets, you don’t know the half. In person, the colors and patterns just become so breathtaking when cut down to thin strips and seamed with other fabrics.
Do yourself a favor: try out the tutorial and make yourself a throw pillow or something. Then, bask in the stringy glory. It really is fabric bliss.
Picking a favorite tutorial from the Moda Bake Shop blog is too tough, so I’ll just remind you to head over there any time you have too much fabric and not quite enough inspiration.
Didn’t win the cute giveaway at comfortstitching?
Aw, don’t be sad! Make this quilt instead!
I can’t say “WANT!” in enough languages to express my love for this quilt. Big thanks to Aneela for making it available.