Hexie success

At the start of last year I signed up to the Pile O Fabric Skill Builder BOM. Actually I signed up to a few BOM clubs but the others quickly dropped by the wayside. This is a really fun BOM. Alyssa is a real perfectionist and master of technique and I learnt so much in just the first few months. Starch, glue basting, careful piecing. Lots of video tutes and lots of detail. Now I have to admit that I am still way, way behind on this BOM with many blocks still to be done. I keep considering abandoning it but just can't quite do so. I feel there is much more still to be learnt. Not least FMQing the blocks which is the whole reason I joined in the first place! Not a single block quilted as we type ...

Where I really ground to a halt was on the April blocks, the Chev 'n' Hex and the Diamond Carat. Hand sewing. English paper piecing. 

Picture from pileofabric.com

Picture from pileofabric.com

I am definitely a machine sewer. I lack patience, and application and I am not particularly skilled or experienced at hand sewing. But the whole point is to learn new stuff of course, and having abandoned crochet I was keen on developing a hand sewing project for long car journeys and holidays.

Over the next few months (yep, months) I basted all the pieces, sorted my layout, and got to sewing those hexies together. I think I made things harder for myself by using the monofilament thread that Alyssa suggests, but I just wasn't happy with the visibility of my stitches using cotton. My hexies were all such different colours that nothing blended with them all.

It took forever. I wouldn't say I hated it, mostly, but I certainly didn't enjoy it either. Boring and repetitive, yet too tricky to be able to switch off and just sew like I can with hand binding. 

Anyway during a long drive last Friday I posted such thoughts on Instagram, and was met with lots of encouraging voices telling me to just give up, leave it, it wasn't worth it. Just the kick up the bum I needed. My completer-finisher tendencies kicked in. I WANTED to finish this block. I want to finish the whole sampler, one day!! And so over the weekend I cracked on. Actually picked this little hand sewing project up rather than just leaving it for car journeys. 

And the Chev 'n' Hex block is done.

The good news is, I never have to EPP another hexie ever again if I don't want to.

The bad news is I still have the Diamond Carat block to piece ...