Sunday, August 25, 2013

FINISHED! Hexies By Halves Quilt-Along

A few weeks ago I started the Hexies By Halves Quilt Along with Polly.  

Today I finished my quilt!!

It finished at 44" x 59" after washing.  

(I forgot to measure before washing but it was around 46" wide because 45" backing was not quite wide enough!)

I used a half-yard bundle of Red White and Currant by Henry Glass purchased from Sisters and Quilters.  (I did not use all the fabrics, and did not use the full half-yard of any of the fabrics).

Backing was purchased at Hancock Fabrics (I don't know what it is, but I labored long and hard over the decision).  I took swatches of the hexies with me and pulled and put back bolt after bolt.  I knew I wanted a gray color ... and I knew 45"would not be wide enough so it would need to be pieced.  So I got a mottled gray print that wouldn't really show the seam where I had to piece it.  

I finally finished the binding this morning.  On all (uhm, both) of my previous quilts I've machine bound both the front and back and loved the results.  I tried that with this one but was not hating the way it looked, so I ended up machine sewing to the front and hand sewing the back.  

Overall I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.  I did have one little spot on the back where there was a pucker that I didn't see until after it was quilted over.  It's really minor and close to one edge and I decided I could live with it.  

This is a great pattern and Polly's tutorials were very easy to follow.  Cutting the first couple of fabrics was slow (for me) because I was trying to be very careful and make sure everything lined up perfectly.  After I got a rhythm going it went very fast.  

Polly will soon be offering this pattern in her Etsy shop.  If I can do this as my third quilt, anybody can do it!  

You can see progress pics on my facebook page but here are the final pics.

These were taken the moment I finished the binding.  Indoors with very poor lighting.

Kid tested and approved!! 



We then moved outside, where she wanted the gray side.  (She seems to prefer the back of all my quilts over the front!)


 But she likes the front too!


All the following pictures were made after the wash.  I was sooooooo thankful those reds did not run! (I used two Shout color catchers and they were only slightly pink after the first wash, so I ran the wash again and used one color catcher that came out completely white.  Yay!)







 
(I've edited this post to add these pics made later with a different camera that I haven't used in years! What a difference a good camera makes!)
 


 

 I will be using the pattern again in the future.  I think these large hexies would really look great on a queen or king sized bed.

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Please remember to check the linky parties listed in my right-hand sidebar to see hundreds more great finishes and works in progress!  Thanks so much to everyone who hosts a linky party, and to everyone who shares.  You all inspire me every day!!

17 comments:

  1. It looks great Paula! I'm impressed its only your third quilt! The colors are wonderful and the layout works well. Congrats on your first hand binding. I still haven't sewn on a binding by hand yet...and that doesn't mean my machine binding is great either. One day, I too, will try binding by hand. :) Great job.

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  2. That's my favorite color combination ever. I LOVE it. Nice finish!

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  3. I love hand binding! (Hand Quilting too, but that's a lot of work) When I sit down to bind a quilt everyone leaves me alone because "I'm working", and if I have a little nap it's because "must be boring work" - love it - love it- love it!!D
















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  4. I LOVE how it turned out!! I'm so glad you've been quilting along with us!

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  5. Very pretty!! Don't you just love it when your quilts are kid approved!!

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  6. What a beautiful quilt and the fabrics are awesome! Thanks for sharing.
    Freemotion by the River Linky Party Tuesday

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  7. Wow, love the big hexies!! The fabics are wonderful.

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  8. You make hexies look easy! I really like the colors you used :)

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  9. I love the red and black! Your quilt turned out great; thanks for sharing!
    Julie @ The Crafty Quilter

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  10. Oh i definitely want to make a half hexie quilt like that. love the colors you chose!

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  11. Gorgeous quilt.....love the colour choice too. Thanks for sharing. Stopping by from Quilt Story. Marie

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  12. Oooh, I just love this quilt! The red white and black is a great combination for these blocks. I haven't tried doing half hexies yet but they sound like fun.
    xo jan@sewandsowfarm

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  13. Paula this came out beautifully and only your 3rd quilt! Congratulations.... You are a natural! Love it...

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  14. what a pretty hexie quilt, and I love the rich colors you used!

    Thank you so much for sharing at Needle and Thread Thursday!

    :) Kelly @ My Quilt Infatuation

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  15. Paula, so happy to see your finished quilt!! You did a great job! I love all the fabrics together. Way to go!!

    Sandra @ sistersandquilters

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  16. I know what you mean about a good camera, I have a quilt camera that I bought for holidays but decided it was too bulky to carry around, so it lives in my sewing room especially for quilt photography! Your quilt and pics look great :)

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