Back in February 2021, Kate Spain’s Confection Batiks arrived in the Quilt Barn, and even though I do not like batiks to sew with, this was KATE SPAIN batiks! So I had to make something with them of course.
I had just started doing hexagon EPP (English Paper Piecing) hand sewing whilst on a train trip a few weeks before and it had been enjoyable! So I thought I would make hexies from the charm pack using Helen Stubbings Iron On EPP shapes… makes things SO much easier for beginners!
I ironed 4 hexie shapes onto the back of the charm pack – making sure there was ample seam allowance space between them all.
Then glue basted them and started thinking about what to do with them.
I decided hexie flowers – sort of like a Grandmother’s Garden type thing. So I started putting them together into flowers of 6 hexies around a central hexie with the pinks in one flower and the aquas in another.
I liked them!
It was surprisingly quick to make a flower up and they started adding up as during 2021 I had quite a few doctors appointments.
However, with life and all the associated family time, it wasn’t until early 2023 that I finally decided what I would do with all of the flowers….. the pink ones were going to go on a dark navy square, the aqua ones on a light grey square and the quilt would be made up of alternating squares!
I loved how the bright batiks contrasted with the backgrounds. I just appliqued them onto the background with a coordinating thread colour to the flowers. It took a while to get them all done, but it was meditative!
And then yet again, this quilt got relegated to my WIP pile! It wasn’t until mid 2024 that I was able to sew the blocks together and to decide on a backing and then it has been sitting in my To Be Quilted pile since then!
But 2025 is my self declared WIP Blitz! And I have put it up onto Lily the Longarm and been slowly free motion quilting it over the past couple of weeks. With my wrist I need to be careful and do small amounts of time rather than large sessions. Slow and steady wins the race!
I was SOOO happy that my muscle memory wasn’t too bad and I did a swirl motif in the grey background blocks.
And for the navy background blocks I did some echoing of the hexie flower and outer edge and then some pebbles.
I quickly remembered why I don’t really enjoy quilting pebbles! But it looks quite good in real life, so I stuck with it.
And then I did some fun feathers all around the border. It was a half feather (ie only one sided)
There is always a moment I stop and admire the quilt as I pull it off the longarm!
Then there was a couple of nights binding… it was a bit tough on the fingers as I used double batting and there was quite a bit of quilting on there, but I think it was worth it!
I have hung it up in our sunroom, just above my reading chair and I LOVE it!
And the backing I hear you asking? I decided on a piece of Ruby Star Society wideback that I had left over and the quilting on it just looks amazing!
I might have to alternate between showing the front and the back when it is hanging!
So this is my first finish for 2025 and the first of my WIPs that I have completed as part of the UFO Challenge 2025 hosted by @jandidean over on Instagram.
I can’t begin to tell you how happy it makes me to tick off a WIP from my list, empty out a tub under my cutting table and start to entertain the thought of starting a new project! Hehehe… But not quite yet, I would like to finish a couple more WIPs before I start some new things!
