I’ll NEVER Do This Again…

Yeah, yeah, I know I say that a lot, but this time I really mean it!

free motion quilting | Leah Day

I’ve finally finished piecing 165 super tiny hexagons to form the face for the pieced version of Express Your Love. These are 1/4″ hexies, which means they are smaller than my big thumb nail.

I feel two sides on this project. On the one hand, I love this texture from so many tiny pieces fused together in such a beautiful mosaic arrangement. I wanted something beautiful and unique, and I certainly got it!

But I also got a super time consuming hand work project that spanned 2 solid months and distracted me from other projects I was wanting to play with in my spare time. Like my beaded / embroidered version of Express:

free motion quilting | Leah Day

She’s been collecting dust all summer, despite the fact that I love the way the beads are looking on the surface of this piece.

I’ve also had to shelve my rebel cardi from the Craftsy class Beyond Basics Broomstick Lace:

free motion quilting | Leah Day

This is the first knitted garment I’ve gotten to this point and it’s so cool because it’s actually going to FIT properly! I’m really looking forward to getting back to it and hopefully finish it in September.

I certainly don’t regret taking the time to piece 165 quarter inch hexies, I just wish I had more time to work on it and everything else too without feeling like one project was taking precedence over another.

This summer has been all about figuring out schedule and routines. I realize that the absolute worst thing I can do is start the day with a long to-do list because that inevitably means I’m overwhelmed before I even sit down at my sewing machine.

Instead, I break my day down into hours, and no, there are not enough hours in a day. I’m not risking burnout by staying up late and working all night, but trying to use the time I have each day most efficiently.

So yes, I probably WILL piece ridiculously tiny hexagons again, but I’ll never again jump into hand piecing unless I have no other handwork projects in progress!

Let’s go quilt,

Leah Day

LeahDay

Leah Day has been teaching online since 2009. She's the creator of the Free Motion Quilting Project, a blog filled with thousands of quilting tutorial videos. Leah has written several books including 365 Free Motion Quilting Designs, Explore Walking Foot Quilting with Leah Day, and Mally the Maker and the Queen in the Quilt.

13 Responses

  1. Yes, it did take up a large chunk of your time, but the effect was worth it. And, once you have your mind set, how can you change it! Wow! 165 1/4" hexies!!! Amazing!

  2. I have some of those mini hexi papers, and am planning my project now. I am sure it will be a long, and possibly painful process to put it together, but I think the result will be worth it!

  3. Linda says:

    LOL, there will NEVER be enough hours in a day for us obsessive-compulsive creative types!!!

    But we'll keep trying to do more than is possible…because that's what we do.

    Now, if we can just learn to RELAX! Let me know when you get it down. 🙂

  4. Studio Beis says:

    I decided a while ago that I would never do hexagons – ever!!! I love all the projects you work on, thanks for sharing!!!

  5. Robbie says:

    I love your idea for the hex's! So cool…can't wait to see the finished piece

  6. Anonymous says:

    I recently did some hexies for the first time, but mine were 3" pieces. It was the first time I'd done any handwork for my quilting and I loved it! I am not as busy with projects as you are and I loved that I could work on the hexies while watching TV or take them with me and work on them when I was waiting for something or someone.

  7. I hear your pain. I've done pieced 1/2 inch hexies and thought I was nuts for doing them. Your creativity will pay off in the end. Chris

  8. tubakk says:

    Great! And I know, you will do this again. Just you wait. I'm working on a quilt this sized hexies, and I've passed 4000 of them already. And I even don't know where I'll end. I really enjoy following your progress on this quilt.

  9. Lynne says:

    Just helped my handquilting group at Church finish a very large Grandmothers Garden quilt thqt was started by a lady 39 years ago. Her son ask us to quilt it for him. We have ALL sworn off hexies for the rest of our lives!!!!!!!!!

  10. Hi Leah; my first comment ever to you- I LOVE those tiny Hexies! If anyone had told me I'd be doing Hexies 3 years ago- I'd told them they were totally crazy!They are great for as you said-WAITING..for appointments, in our caravan (in Australia) while they do road works, airports..any time TV watching LOVE THEM! xx Marietta

  11. I love hand pieced hexagons, but mine were 1 inch. I knew you were going to burn out the first time I saw the size you were trying to work at.

    But you should know that I, also, don't have enough hours in the day to even consider doing all of the things I want to do, and I'm retired.

  12. giddy99 says:

    wow. I'd love to see a pic of those hexies next to a quarter or a dime (for reference)… if you get bored or something. 😉

  13. Eileen says:

    You must have the patience of a saint!

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