A New Magazine!!

 A few days ago, I stopped by my local Barnes & Noble bookstore to see if the new Quiltmania publication, Simply Moderne had arrived.  There it was!!

I retired to the nearest chair and flipped through it to see what it was all about.  I don't profess to be a "modern" quiltmaker, but a good idea is a good idea no matter where it occurs.

It didn't long for me to decide it was worth the investment as it includes three designs that I can piece by applying the chain-piecing technique from my DVD, Set-In Piecing Simplified!!

Each design has instructions for a quilt size project, patterns, and beautiful color photos.  It was my intention to share my thoughts on each of them with you today but I got so stimulated by this one from the gals at Moose on the Porch Quilts that the others will have to wait for another day.

It's always interesting when circumstances converge and provide an opportunity for me.

I've had this booklet, Simple Hexagons since it came out last spring but never did more than read through it.  (There are some great ideas!!)  

I really shouldn't start a new LARGE project at this point (many, many oars out of the boat already).  I need a small gift for a wedding next week.

While teaching Baby Blocks for Beginners yesterday, I shared my string pieced hexagon tabletopper (check it out HERE) with the class. 

 

So when I went up to my studio at 9 a.m., all that was rolling around in my head. 

 I opened the magazine to start prepping to write this post and an idea appeared!!

A tabletopper using the Gemstones would be perfect -- nice photos for a blogpost, a small quilt, and a lovely gift for my niece! 

 

 To the stash!!!

 

I like to give newlyweds something Christmasy and so that was the pile I went through first.

This beautiful print offers interesting fussy cutting options.

Partridge in the middle, pears all around -- yes!

I "fussy-cut" six pears for the centers of the "gemstone" units and then began to audition for coordinating prints and the placement of them.  If you follow my blog, you know I work with Marti Michell's templates most of the time and for this one, I used the large hexagon and half hexagon from Set G rather than the patterns included in the magazine just because the cutting was faster.

 

Here's a little tip -- to do all the marking necessary, I lay out a batch of pieces wrong side up and then mark, mark, mark -- seems faster than picking one piece up, laying it down, marking it, moving it, picking one up, etc., etc., etc.  It feels more efficient.

By 9:45, I was piecing -- chain-piecing -- through the "gemstone" units.  No pressing yet -- waiting until the unit is completed means it's easier to keep the seams out of the way which is necessary with set-ins.

10:15 and all six are assembled half way!  Zoom, zoom!!

At 11 a.m., I cut the partridge hexagon (used Marti's Multi-size Hexagon Ruler) and started to assemble the units into the tablemat. 

 

Whoa!!  Moving too fast!!  That's not right!!!

When I left the studio at noon, I had the piece together and up on the workwall to audition whether I will add a 60 degree diamond in each "corner" to make it a big hexagon or leave it with the "zig-zag" edge.  Either seems fine and I'll finish it with a "fall" print on the back (so it's multi-functional) and the no-binding finish I wrote about HERE last fall.

I pressed my units different than the instructions because as I set the first pair together, I decided I wanted the seams to be opposing.  If you used the same fabric all the way around each hexagon as in the magazine pattern, you could rotate the units and achieve that.  This is the way they advised pressing each unit.

I could have pressed three like this and the other three opposite (does that make sense) but I didn't see that until just now?!?

 

This is the way I re-pressed mine (because I didn't want to unstitch anything).

It's important to look at all styles of quilting, not just your favorite style -- I consider myself a traditional piecer, but I look everywhere for ideas!!  I'm glad each of these designers were willing to work with Quiltmania and provide so much inspiration. 

I look forward to future issues of Simply Moderne!!

Have a pieceful weekend!!

Mary Huey