Scrappy Hexagon quilt progress

The Scrappy Hexagon quilt is progressing. HOW-TO post is the one before this.

 I'm digging through the final 1-1/2" scrap strips to make enough triangles to complete the top.

I took a little time away from the quilt to make a mug rug. Ever feel the need to just have a finish? Me too. 

I had a pile of little short scraps collecting on the cutting table. I was ready to toss them in the garbage when it occured to me they might make a scrappy block. I don't need just one odd scrappy block so I decided on a new mug rug....can't have too many of those.

 So now I'm at the final part of the top. I have 5 rows of hexagons. The quilt is about 60" long and 70 wide. 

I've been looking at it, trying to decide between a top/bottom border, no border with an extra row of hexagons or something else.

My daughters both said NO BORDERS! Well, I guess I'll take their advice and do one more row of hexagons, which kind of throws off the symmetry that I usually do. The top will now end with a row that has diamonds on each end. Personally, I would of liked DIAMOND rows to be interior rows. But to do that I would have to a 7th row after this addition. Too large for my purposes and for the amount of scraps I have left.

I'll add the 6th row today and see how I like it. (I call it the 6th row even though it's really the 11th and 12th rows...2 pieced triangle rows needed to make a hexagon row)

I'll let you know how it goes🙈

Scrap Happy Quilt Tutorial

Scrap Happy Hexagon Quilt

I had a pile of 1-1/2" scrap strips and needed a quilt to use up some (so that I could close the box😂). I guess I could have found a bigger box as someone suggested...

Well, this is the quilt I came up with. It uses the strips, a solid background and one template. (This picture, above, is sideways)

Today is NATIONAL QUILTING DAY so in honor of that, I'm posting a FREE tutorial here to make this quilt.

 

This is a Fons and Porter template that measures 6-1/2' high. All sides are equal (60° angles). Any 6-1/2" equilateral triangle template will do. 

I DO sort my scraps a bit. I make my scrap quilts using LIKE scraps...either all brights or all muted or vintage...I rarely mix civil war, for example, with brights. I just dont feel they belong together. If a scrap doesn't FEEL right to you, dont use it. And if you really don't like a scrap, get rid of it...you probably won't like it in your quilt. 

So to start I dig through my scraps and sew the strips together until i have a tall enough piece...i lay the template on it once in a while to make sure everything is long enough. 

Another option if you have LONG strip pieces, is to sew them together lengthwise into one long scrappy strip (at least 6-1/2" tall and 8" wide).

After sewing enough strips, press them all one way.

Now cut your triangle pieces out.

The hexagons are made up of 6 of these triangles. Three are stitched together then a background spacer then another three.

 The next row will complete a hexagon WITHOUT you doing any Y seams.  But pay attention to the direction the triangles are placed. 

NOTE: Row 1 & 2 are identical, just flipped. Row 3 & 4 are also identical.

For the background, cut 6-1/2" wide x W.O.F. strips. Cut out triangles using the same acrylic template.

For the edge pieces (beginning and end pieces of each row), you need to cut 1/2 triangles BUT make sure you use the line 1/4" from center so that you have a triangle with a seam allowance. See below.

It takes two rows to complete the hexagons. Each row makes either the top half or the bottom half.

 I staggered the third and fourth row by starting with a single triangle...this will create a diamond at the beginning and end of row 3-4. You can do it the same as I did or just repeat row 1 and 2. If you repeat 1 & 2, your hexies will be all in a row stacked on top of each other. Just depends on the look you want. 

I'm making 5 large hexies across... So my quilt should be about 70" wide. The hexagons are about 14" wide when finished. I may add an extra 2 rows to get a bit more length ...this will depend on how many scrappy strips I have. 

I'll add some extra pictues tomorrow showing piecing of triangles. Right now it's just a bunch of pieces on my "design" floor.
Update:

I'm sewing together row 1. I have five 1/2 hexagons made, a bunch of blue background triangles and 2 background 1/2 triangles (to start and end this row).

If you've sewn triangles together before, you know the points need to stick out and that the stitching is done "ditch to ditch". It's very important to line up the edges correctly. 

If you HAVEN'T, go to Google...key in "sewing triangles together". You'll find some helpful videos.

 If any part of this process is unclear, just let me know. I'll be happy to add details.