72. Designing with Mini Hexies

We’re getting towards the end of the year and it’s time to start wrapping up all the loose strings of Express Your Love. Today we’re going to learn the first part of 3 videos on English Paper Piecing mini hexagons to create the intense piecing effects like this:

Of course, this is most definitely not the only way you could piece her face, and I believe I choose the most time consuming, fiddly method possible! Still, it was a fun project to work on over the summer, and once you’ve planned and graphed out your project, it’s definitely portable and a terrific project to work on standing in line, waiting for meetings. If I was still in school, this is what I’d be doing in class!

This first part focuses on the design side of things. How did I know how many 1/4″ hexies to make and turn the edges? The answer is in this video:

Here’s the steps again with links to everything mentioned in the video:

1. Choose a hexie size – Paper Pieces offers sizes ranging from 6″ to 1/4″ and there’s probably hundreds of sizes to choose from. The size is measured by one of the sides of the hexagon, so the 1/4 don’t look nearly as small as you would expect.

My advice? Do not even look at the 1/4″ papers. They are like little kittens, so cute and tiny, and they don’t look like they’d be THAT time consuming, and then you’ll end up justifying a completely ridiculous project that takes the rest of your life to complete. Please! Trust me! Beyond there be dragons!

Okay, don’t say I didn’t warn you!

2. Print hexie graph paper – This wonderful site allows you to print hexie graph paper according to the length of one side, exactly the same way Paper Pieces measures their hexies. Choose a size, convert to decimals by dividing the fraction (3/8 = 0.375) and plug it into the system and print as much paper as you need.

3. Create your template – Lay the graph paper over the master pattern for Express Your Love and play with the arrangement until you find a position that minimizes the wasted hexies (those you will turn to the back). Then trace the master pattern shape (i.e. the face outline) onto the hexie graph paper.

4. Outline your project – Go around the shape and outline all the hexies around the shape. You’ll want to have at least 1/2 hexie shape to turn, if not more, especially around areas like her mouth and neck.

5. Count the hexies – Once you have an outline you’re satisfied with, count and number all the hexies within the shape. You have a number! This will be your goal! Now the process is very easy: cut, pin, turn, and connect that number of hexies to create your shape. We will be learning how to do this in Part 2 and Part 3 coming up next week.

So that’s it for this part of the design process! This planning process can work for any quilt, art quilt or traditional, and will allow you to plan, design, and create any shape with pieced hexies.

Let’s go quilt,

Leah Day