Hexagon Tuturial

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At our last guild meeting the program director asked if I would give a demonstration on making hexagon flowers.  First I was flattered and then I was nervous.  With some encouragement of fellow bloggers I have put together a tutorial of how I make my flowers.  What I have figured out when I was learning to make them, was that there are dozens of ways to make them.  I think you just have to find out what you are comfortable with and go for it.
Here goes:

Hexies

This is a great website about the history of the hexagon flowers: http://www.womenfolk.com/quilt_pattern_history/mosaic.htm
1. Determine the size of hexagon you would like to work with. Mine are 1.5” hexagons (measured on the outside edge). You can download templates for hexagons or buy pre-cut hexagons at your LQS. When I run out I cut my own by tracing onto card stock and cutting them out. There are also plastic templates.
2.  You need 7 hexagons to make a flower. You can use more depending on how many rounds you want your flowers to be. I am using just two fabrics, one for the center and another for the outside ‘petals’.
3. Cut your fabric into squares wide enough to have ¼” over your hexagon. For my example 3.5”squares work well. (also one of my Accuquilt Go cutter dies) You can also cut the fabric into hexagon shapes, but I find squares faster to cut.
4. Place the paper hexagon in the center of the square on the wrong side of the fabric. Some people will use a bit of glue or a pin in the center to hold in place, I just squeeze harder.
5. With an alternate colour thread (an ugly one you aren’t using) you are going to baste around the hexie. You can knot your thread or not, you decide. Holding a 1/4” fabric over the edge, I come up from the back in the middle of the straight side, through the paper and the ¼” folded over the paper. Go down at the corner which has been folded over the corner of the paper and held down by your thumb

6. Continue in this way all around the hexagon. Cut thread and continue with the next hexie. .
Once you have all your hexies basted you are ready to make them into a flower. (Oops missed taking a picture of the center hexie)

7. Take one center hexie and one petal right side together (or two petals). Using a matching thread, knot one end. Starting at a corner go through both hexies very close to the edge. This time DO NOT go through the paper. Make two close stitches together to secure corner.

The object is not to see your stitches on the front side. (After you do a hundred few you’ll get the hang of it!). So you want to take tiny stitches as close to the top edge as possible. Continue whip stitching along the top edge to the other side.
8. Stop, grab another hexie, right sides together with the center hexie and continue stitching with tiny stitches, catching just the back few threads. After that side is stitched you will have to go back and close up the side between two petals in the same manner.
9. Grab another hexie and attach it to the others until all the hexies are stitched together. When attaching the last one you may need to bend the paper in order to get the sides flat together, try not to crease the paper too much.
10. After all the hexies are together you may remove the basting stitches of the center hexie only and remove the paper. The remaining papers must stay in until they are either surrounded by other hexies or you use them.  (the papers can then be reused)
11. Since I have used squares of fabric there are some extra ‘points’ of fabric that you may choose to trim to ¼” to tidy up the back.

And Voila you have successfully made your first hexagon!

You can join your flowers together in many different patterns. Use them as an applique on bags, placemats, patches, blocks, or as a pincushion.