Tutorial - Removing Hexie Papers + A New Project

To say that things have been a little chaotic in our household the past few weeks would be an understatement.  But we had a little break in Victoria at the end of last week which helped immensely.  I am back at work now feeling a bit more refreshed.  I have been stitching up a new design in some brighter colours than I would normally use.

It is ready for the sewing machine to do it's magic now and then comes the horrible pattern writing - Not my favourite part at all.

I have been asked by a number of ladies about the gluing method of making hexies.  I first watched Sue Daley use glue and have found it to be wonderful.

You can use any type of fabric glue but I prefer to use Sewline glue pens.  Do not use too much and just fold and glue and then press down all the way around each hexie.  Then sew your hexies together to form a flower.  These flowers without centres are the type that I have used for my Lorraine's Flowers Table Runner which you will find in this month's Patchwork & Stitching Magazine.

As you can see the glue holds really well.

 Once you have joined your flower you can then begin to lift the fabric away from the cardboard.  I prefer to use a large florist pin to slide between the paper and the fabric.

As you can see it is much bigger than a normal sized pin.

Then once you have broken the seal on all sides of the hexagon paper you can use the pin to lift the paper out.  This avoids tearing of the paper which means thatyou can press it flat and then re-use it again.

There will be a few stitch marks where you have joined your flowers but the paper will be fine to re-use a few more times.

Once the paper is out press the folds down and continue all the way around removing papers.

Then press the entire flower flat to seal the folds.

To baste down onto your background fabric use some basting glue around the edges.

I prefer to use Roxanne's Glue-Baste-It



To ensure that nothing moves I also use tiny Clover Applique pins in the centre of each hexie.  Then you can sew down using your preferrred method (machine or needleturn).  I hope that these photographs have helped illustrate this easy method to you.

If you are wondering about the gorgeous fabrics I have used in the photo's it is Bubblegum Basics by Quilt Soup and this is a new quilt design that I have almost finished.  Hopefully I can show you it completed soon.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone and be sure to hold those that you love close to you.

Hugs - Fee XX