Honeycomb Hand Piecing

I've always thought I would like to make a quilt that was just beautifully quiet. I've been thinking about it long before the words 'low volume' were being bandied around in quilty internet land.

Several years ago I started collecting fabrics like these.

I think at the time these were all the rage the 'look' was called 'shabby chic.' I'm not really sure any more.

I have looked at them over the years thinking I would like to make a quilt with them but as time has passed I've also fallen out a little bit of love with them, thinking they were a wee bit boring and a little bit too safe.

Enter some more, hopefully 'different' fabric, to spice things up a bit. Still trying to keep with the same values but just to add a bit more of a zing.

Hopefully.

It's another hand-piecing project so this time I chose the honeycomb shape.

If it is to work successfully it requires a fair degree of accuracy.

So I cut myself a template.

I marked the intersecting corners 1/4" from the edge with a fine tip pen. I then took the little thingy (I have no idea what it is called. It was given to me during my very first quilt lesson), heated the end for about 20 seconds on a naked flame (I used my gas hob) and then centred it on to each pen mark, applied some gentle pressure which melted the plastic and allows you to push the end bit through to make your marking hole.

It's then a bit of a marathon to trace round the template (not forgetting to mark through the holes) and cut each individual piece out, especially if you choose to fussy cut as I did in some instances.

But once it started coming together it was definitely worth it.

I have no tips to impart on the technique for sewing honeycomb shapes together, other than to say it is Y seams all the way but really not difficult.

And this time, I do have a plan.

Linking up to WIP Wednesday

I'm going to make the honeycombs a sizeable central rectangle and then I'm going to make my own medallion quilt with lots of different rounds of who knows what.

That's my plan.

Edited to add: No, these are not EPP'd. I don't do EPP! They are just cut out and then I place the two pieces of fabric, right sides together, and sew from point to point with a small running stitch.