when hexagons don't fit together! (oxymoron)

Hexagons are a tesselating shape right? So they should always fit together right? Wrong!

I found this out the hard way......but it could have been worse so I am thankful and willingly to share my trauma. 

Hexagons do tesselate but I wrongly assumed that meant they would always fit together.

Yes but in reality, it depends on how you sew them together. There are pitfalls, BEWARE!

I prepared over 1000 hexagons and joined them into 150 small rosettes being one hexagon in the middle surrounded by 6 more. (Traditional Grandmother's Garden blocks often have two rows of hexagons around a centre and there are a variety of options for patterns to create when joining them together. I just wanted to use the basic 7 hexagon rosette.)  

This is my small rosette.

This is the arrangement I planned to use. 

So I laid out my 150 blocks in a pleasing colour way to then work out how to sew them together. I was looking for a system to manage this process. I could see a construction pattern -  one small rosette in the centre with 6 rosettes sewn around to create the large rosette, then join two large rosettes together with two filler small rosettes between them.  As long as I carefully labelled and numbered each small rosette, I could stack them all up and work on it as time allowed. Keeping the layout in order to maintain the colourwash effect was my focus.

Right is the large rosette with two filler rosettes that you then add the next large rosette to. 

Fortunately, I only labelled two large rosettes before beginning sewing and left the rest of the quilt laid out. 

So I began sewing. The first one was a bit of a struggle as I figured out how to handle it but the second one went together much more easily. My system was to label the rosettes: Centre 1, 1/1, 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 1/5, 1/6 and would join them with 1/1 being where 1 is on a clock then add clockwise from there around the centre small rosette. You can see the labelling system in the photo above right. 

All good? No! It wasn't!

Fortunately, I checked after making the second large rosette. When I laid them back down with the rest of the quilt there was a problem. The first one fitted back into its space but the second did not. How could that be? They are exactly the same shape right? Wrong!

I laid one large rosette on top of the other and they were not the same. That really did my head in! 

Look carefully at the photo on the left. You can see half a pink rosette poking out on the left side.

I am not a mathematical person however I have always been able to work things out. I learned to quilt back in the day when you drafted your own blocks, did your own math and still I don't use patterns. I was gobsmacked! However, my lizard brain knew there was a reason and that if I stopped stressing, it would come to me. 

Later, after wine and chocolate, I went back and looked at the two large rosettes and thought "it must be something to do with the way I sewed the small rosettes around the centre rosette".  So I looked closely. 

Loud crash of the penny dropping!

When you place the centre small rosette with a flat horizonal edge at the top and begin sewing the 1/1 small rosette onto it, you have two choices - the first seam can be along the horizontal top of the hexagon or on the diagonaol side of the hexagon. In my first large rosette the seam is along the horizontal and in my second large rosette the seam is on the diagonal. Different! 

But surely it doesn't matter? Yes, it does! At this stage, the lizard brain stepped in and I instinctively turned one of my large rosettes over and voila! they fitted on top of each other. Mirror image. 

Photo left is upside down rosette sitting on the other rosette. Mirror image of each other.

I had  inadvertently created two mirror image blocks. They can be sewn together by adding filler hexagons but that would mess up my design and colour layout. 

Half a day of reverse sewing of my second large rosette followed - longer than it takes to hand sew them together initially - then back together again with the first seam between the Centre and 1/1 being along the top horizontal edge of the hexagon. Double check! Triple check!!

My large rosettes now fit together as I had envisaged with two small rosettes between each one.

However, I may have aged 10 years. 

I think the simple version of this explanation is that the small rosette can be orientated in two ways and you have to be consistent as you piece the quilt. 

And when you join them you need to be consistent in where you begin and the order of seams.

Printing on Fabric

Exploring the options regarding printing on fabric to include in quilts. It would mean the purchase of an ink jet printer - objects I despise! - but hey these new ones with tanks rather than cartridges seem a better option. Informative article below re all the issues:

https://www.linda-matthews.com/printing-photos-on-fabric-using-an-inkjet-printer/

Aurifil Threads

Below is a great post on Aurifil threads. There are many on the internet but this sums it up simply. 

https://www.stringandstory.com/blog/aurifil40vs50

I have been piecing my latest quilt with Aurifil 50 and must acknowledge just how much less lint there is in and around the needle area. I will use the 40 weight for quilting it. I'm still unpacking the concept of using a different bobbin thread for quilting - they make bobbin thread in 60 weight - but am not convinced yet as I like the same colour top and bottom. 

Batting

 

Liberty Lawn info for quilting

 A compilation of information about working with Liberty Lawn in quilts. This has been done to inform my decisions regarding my first Liberty Tana Lawn quilt as I am almost at the batting and backing stage. But first there are the borders - what to do?

What kind of thread/batting/backing to use? 

https://skalabara.com/2019/06/06/quilt-finish-with-liberty-fabrics/

https://thestrawberrythief.com.au/tips-and-tricks-sewing-with-liberty-lawn/#:~:text=Tana%20Lawn%20has%20a%20very,threads%20or%20leave%20any%20holes.

https://www.redpepperquilts.com/2014/08/liberty-tana-lawn-and-collage-quilt.html

Understanding KFC

 This is a post copied of the Kaffe Fassett Collective Facebook site by Philip Jacobs to help understand how the KFC works:

Ive just updated my explanation about how the KFC works and who it comprises and who does what:

People often express a bit of confusion about how we work in the Collective and who designs what? So here is a definitive answer: The way it works in the Collective is that Kaffe, Brandon and myself all do the designs independently, then Kaffe does the colourways which unifies it all as a single collection. I do my "natural" colourway and then Kaffe does the others. Brandon does all of his own colourways. One of my tutors at art college many years ago said that you should only do textiles if you are happy with "team work". Since many people are involved at the different levels of production. Right through from the original design to the final production: colourists, printers etc. I`m also not a part of The Kaffe Fassett Studio. I`ve had a long 46 year career as a textile designer following a degree in printed textiles, where I`ve designed collections for the majority of the World`s great furnishing fabric houses. While Kaffe and I used to meet up all the time in the 70s and 80s, these days we just meet up once a year for the event known as Kaffe`s Christmas, when I hand over the new collection. But I do love being able to work with Kaffe, Brandon and Liza and consider it an honour to be part of such a great team.

Another aspect that I ought to mention is that: Kaffe, Brandon and Liza are involved in the design of the actual quilt patterns (along with others) that appear in the books, which I have no involvement with (not being a quilter). I also have a separate fabric line for FreeSpirit called: "Snow Leopard Designs". Looking at the actual designs in the Collective I would say that Kaffe tends towards the more ethnic inspired designs, sourced from antique rugs and textiles and Chinese pottery etc. Brandon goes for the more "whacky", which as well as his trademark fish and geometric forms, includes interestingly observed patterns in the repetition of houses and tents and even dancing girls. My own speciality is botanical and natural forms. Mainly floral but also including shells, feathers, fungi and any form that I observe which emanates great beauty.

The way the Kaffe Fassett Collective brand came about is also interesting, as it`s origins were quite organic, rather than just springing to life suddenly by design. Liza Lucy got Kaffe into the patchwork world in the early 90s after quite a bit of persuasion. At first they tended to use furnishing fabrics for the quilts as they could not really find what they wanted amongst quilting fabrics, which back then tended to be minute little patterns. So to get round the problem Kaffe started designing his own larger scale quilting fabric for the Rowan brand (Westminster Fibres in the USA). In 2004 Kaffe was visiting my studio in Dorset and saw the furnishing designs I was currently designing for Sanderson and thought that they would be great for quilting fabric. So I prepared him a selection of photos that he took over to Westminster Fibres in The USA and they said that they would be pleased for me to join the team. As I have always been a designer rather than a colourists, I asked Kaffe if he would mind doing my colourways, which he was delighted about. A few years later Brandon (who had been Kaffe`s studio manager for many years), also started designing fabric for the patchwork industry. So our group of three individual designers collaborating on fabric collections was born. I`m not sure exactly who came up with the brand name: "Kaffe Fassett Collective" or KFC. I first spotted its use while browsing ebay one day several years in. At a certain point in the story Westminster Fibres had been acquired by the Coats group, and Westminster had also acquired the FreeSpirit Brand. Early in 2018 the Westminster Fibres and FreeSpirit brands were acquired by Jaftex: a family company owned by Scott and Greg Fortunoff and their father Robert.

Under the new ownership our KFC brand has really thrived. It is such a wonderful artistic group to be a part of and such an interesting coming together of diverse talents. I feel that it will continue to thrive well into the future and am so happy that so many people around the world love the designs that we each create.

Trick for inserting the bobbin case