Machine Quilting: Interlocking Hexagons

The GIVEAWAY is still going on through 1/12/13 11:59 p.m., to enter for a chance to win, click here!

Now, take a look at this quilt and let me know your first initial thought:

 Oh, and a small little note - this customer wanted the sashing to be the focal point. Honestly, at first I was dumbfounded. There's no squares! The colors are absolutely amazing and I was super excited to work on this quilt but it took a good while of thinking to come up with the appropriate plan.

 I started out by quilting the "blocks" and borders both with a tight woodgrain effect. To distinguish the two I quilted the blocks vertically and the borders horizontally overall. This type of quilting then lends itself as a texture to let the sashing show later on.

 Then we had to fill in the brown border and Jeanne suggested pebbling to fill in the weird sizes and shapes of this border. I used a matching thread so it didn't take away from the sashing either.

 Did I ever mention I LOVE my new camera??? I love being able to take pics like this one!

And then I moved onto quilting the sashing. After much brainstorming I rattled my brain over this idea and that. One night after perusing some ideas I typed in honeycombs into an image search engine and the best idea ever came to me. Bees! This design reminds me so much of a bee hive so why not try to incorporate a bee-like shape into the sashing. And that's what I did. 

 This quilt was so challenging to me on soooo many levels. Not only is it "modern-ish" in shape, but the colors are rustic. This quilt was such a juxtaposition of sorts that I had to really ponder on the design to get the right balance of organic, modern and rustic and I think I did it!

 I just love it when a plan comes together, don't you?

 As with many quilts that I have shown you, this is Jeanne's entry into the Quilts 2013 Show at Lake Farmpark starting next month. I'm really excited to see this one hanging in the show because depending on where it hangs and how the lighting hits the quilt you'll see different things.

If you couldn't tell from the slight change in the colors of the pictures, I started this during the day with lots of sun and finished up at night in the dark. The best part about my quilting room is the light and the worst thing about my quilting room is the light...

Alas, Jeanne did a wonderful job with this quilt and her fabric choices were spot on! This quilt is absolutely amazing in person and I swear these pictures do not do it justice at all. Come see it at the Farmpark Show!

If you're wondering what pattern this is, this is actually one of the patterns from the Marti & Me Club offered at Cottonpickers I've been telling you about. This is called the Interlocking Hexagons and uses Marti's Hexagon Ruler. If you're in the Marti & Me Club and haven't made this pattern yet, this is in the third or fourth session.

If you've never heard of the Marti & Me Club or ever used these amazing templates designed by the Marti Michell, you should try them out. They take all of the guesswork out of the cutting process making the piecing process soooo much more simple. In essence, they make you a better quilter - simple as that. Ask about them at your LQS if you're not in the Northeast Ohio area.

Maybe I can convince Miss Gayle to do a small demonstration video for you... Maybe :)

So sorry for the rambling, not enough coffee yet today. But here's a recap of this posting for you:
* Amazing quilt - give Jeanne some love, leave a comment!
* Interlocking Hexagons pattern by Marti Michell from the Marti & Me Club (uses the Hexagon Ruler template)
* Lake Farmpark Quilts 2013 Show - Over 200 quilts hanging in one building and there will be around 15 vendors also in the building March 1-3 (Friday - Sunday) for your shopping pleasure. Also, there will be demonstrations going on all day, each day of the Vendor Weekend. And I will be there signing books all weekend! Say what?! For more info on the show, click here.

That should do it. What a fun filled rambling that was! Well, I'll be back with more posts in the near future. Stay tuned!