Eye Spy Hexie Quilt

Michelle Bardwell

Final size:

204.5 x 185cm (801/2 x 723/4in)

USD $9.09

Intermediate

Quilting

For USD $9.09 you get

Easy to print at home digital pattern sheet
Simple step-by-step instructions to follow
Detailed images and diagrams

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Brought to you by Australia’s Homespun and Quilters Companion magazines

Description

Can't get enough of hexies and English paper piecing? There are almost 3250 hexagons in this project, and many of them are fussy cut to make what would already be an extraordinary quilt quite sensational. Use Michelle Bardwell's quilt pattern to piece yourself an heirloom Eye Spy quilt.

Full materials list included in the instructions
Detailed step-by-step instructions illustrated with diagrams and close-up photos walk you through each stage of this project, from cutting fabrics, preparing the hexagons, joining them together through to quilting and binding
English paper piecing makes this a very portable, hand-stitching project
Michelle shares her expert tips for collecting, choosing and fussy cutting fabrics - including how to use motifs that cross over two adjoining hexies - to make an Eye Spy quilt
It's easy to change the size of the quilt: just use more or fewer hexies
Suitable for crafters with intermediate skills and some prior experience of English paper piecing

Materials

Fabric requirements and measurements specified in instructions
Batting
Milliner's/straw needle
Neutral coloured silk thread
Template plastic, fine permanent-marking pen and fine mechanical pencil
Pre-cut 3/4in hexagon papers or stiff paper to make your own
Water-soluble fabric-basting glue (optional)
Small elastic bands
Sewing machine with 1/4in foot
General sewing supplies

Designer

Michelle Bardwell

Have you made other scrappy quilts and, if so, are they always such a celebration of colour? I’ve made several scrappy quilts. I particularly enjoy making them because the combination of fabrics, including vintage, modern, beautiful and sometimes downright ugly fabrics - can result in an interesting, quirky quilt. I also enjoy sourcing the fabric from different places, including thrift shops, clothing offcuts and donations from quilting friends. Inevitably, they end up being bright and colourful.

Do you like to do a wide variety of styles with your quilts? I have made many different types of quilts and have enjoyed them all. However, there’s something very satisfying about a quilt like this postage-stamp quilt, because it does not require many design decisions, and you are converting a basket of disorganised scraps into something beautiful to look at and use.

Did it take you long to master the art of quilt making? I don’t feel that I have mastered the art of quilt making, but have obviously have improved since I began. I’m fortunate to live in an age where I can learn enormously from other quilters through magazines and the internet.

Any helpful lessons learnt via trial and error? I have had many learning experiences while making quilts. My first quilt featured curtain netting and Lycra swimwear offcuts, which I have since discovered was perhaps not a good fabric choice! Since then, I’ve learnt not to cut fabric when I am tired, that colour runs on a quilt is fixable, and sometimes you need to recognise when something is a WOMBAT (waste of money, brains and time)!

Can you find plenty of time to do all the stitching you want to do? Like all quilters, I’d love to have more time to spend quilting. However, quilting is a great hobby, because it can be fitted in around other things that I have to/want to do in my life.

What are your favourite materials to work with? Primarily cotton fabric, but I am currently making a quilt out of recycled silk ties, which is fun and a bit outside my comfort zone.

What is your home and workspace like? I’m fortunate to have a dedicated room to do my sewing in, although it does sometimes leak into the rest of the house. My fabric stash has been sorted into drawers, based on colour, which works very well for me. I have a design wall, which is really just a queen-size batting hung over a curtain rod. I also have two sets of small plastic drawers, bought from an office-supply shop, to store my rotary cutter, needles, bobbin, unpicker and other essential quilting items. This system is effective, because I know where everything is without having to hunt for it, and if I’m going away, I can just take the drawers with me and I know that I have everything that I need.