Hexagon alphabet quilt: My new project

One of the biggest projects I’ve taken on so far this year is starting a hexagon alphabet quilt – hand sewn from nearly a thousand individual hexies! For now I wanted to share some progress pics and tips, but I am working on a how-to for next week, so stay tuned!

I’ll be making the entire quilt top by hand in traditional English Paper Piecing – that means a LOT of hand sewing! I’m fully expecting to spend several years working on this project, and to me that’s part of the charm of EPP – that it’s not meant for fast-results, spur-of-the-moment type projects. To me, hand sewing is a way to slow down in a fast-paced world. It’s really quite meditative, prepping and sewing all those tiny pieces of fabric.So far, I'm working on a bunch of neutrals for the background color.

I did make one concession in the name of modernity, however: I invested in a Sewline Glue Pen. It’s such a life saver, allowing me to prep my paper pieces so much faster than normal and leaving all that hand sewing for when it really matters – joining the pieces. I’m sure that some quilters cringe at the thought of gluing on fabric, but I have tested the method on several smaller projects and found that most of the glue stays on the paper piece rather than on the fabric itself. And it’s water soluble, so whatever small residue is still on the fabric disappears when you wash the finished quilt. If you’re curious, this is an excellent YouTube video describing the process in detail.

Great, isn’t it? I’ve prepped about half of my hexagons so far, and it has been a breeze – the perfect craft for an evening in front of the TV! I’m looking forward to showing you the progress as I go along – I can’t wait to start sewing the pieces together!