Since I started working with hexagons I have been saving my used paper pieces in plastic containers. I now have about ten gallons of one inch hexagon papers, and I think it is time to memorialize them with an aesthetically pleasing photo shoot, and then quietly let them go. It is time to recycling them.
I started saving these pieces because I thought I might use them more than once. I actually did use some of them more than once, but not too many of them. I used to pierce my papers when I basted my hexagons, but no more. In spite of the fact that I believe that piercing the papers is the best way for beginners to learn to paper piece, I am no longer a beginner. If I were not a blogger I would probably continue to pierce my pieces as I baste because it is easier, and I would probably reuse my papers at least once. However, I have come to enjoy the way my progress photos look with no basting stitches to mar their appearance. For that effect I need nice new flat papers each time. I cut them myself too rather than wasting money on them.
After I gave up the idea of reusing my papers I continued to save them for awhile because it gave me a feeling of satisfaction to see them piling up, but at this point I don’t need that kind of feedback anymore. I know how hard I am working and what kind of progress I am making, and my used paper pieces are just taking up space. So away they go…
Now for my progress this week on my English Paper Piecing…
I decided to take a break from the Batik Flower Garden Quilt because I am nearly out of the burgundy thread I am using to piece my flowers. I’ll be going to the Pennington Quilt Works this coming Tuesday for a guild meeting, so I decided to wait until then to replenish my supply of burgundy thread.
Last week The Missouri Star Quilt Company had a deal on Windham Fabrics Ivory Basics Jelly rolls. I decided to buy one, and it has already arrived. These fabrics are a collection of low volume prints.
They ran the same special last summer. You can only buy one of the special at the reduced price. I bought a roll at that time too, and cut the entire roll into 2.5″ squares to be made into one inch hexagons. I’d seen so much about “low volume” work that I wanted to make some low volume hexagons even though I wasn’t sure how i was going to use them.
Here is the photo of my first jelly roll cut into squares. I had posted it at the time of the U.S. Go Congress:
I spent the majority of my week basting these squares into hexagons. I have basted about a third of the first jelly roll. By the time I get done with the second jelly roll I will have quite a collection of low volume hexagons. Then I’ll think about what to do with them.
I basted 116 low volume hexagons this week.
I’m a big fan of basting hexagons with no particular purpose in mind. I sometimes stitch together units with no particular purpose in mind. I just have faith that the ideas will come.
The patterns in this collection are often subtle. The photos below show the back and front of one of the fabrics.
In addition to my low volume hexagon basting, I also based burgundy and crimson hexagons for the Batik Flower Garden Quilt. I could do that without the burgundy thread on hand.
Wow! You certainly have gone through a lot. I love the idea of storing them up so you can see your progress!
It is fun at first to collect them. At some point though I realized that I was only feeding my husband’s false belief that I am a hoarder. If I can’t bear to part with useless pieces of paper might he be right?
Wow. That is a lot of paper. You are making great progress on your basting.
Thanks. I love having those pre-basted hexagons on hand. It’s like money in the bank… if time were money.
Amazing amount of paper!! I love the low volume colors and can’t wait to see what you turn it into!
I do have something specific in mind for a low volume quilt for my queen sized bed. I’d like to base it on the pattern you see in the solid looking burgundy area of the Batik Flower Garden Quilt. That area is composed of three colors yet it gives a nearly solid appearance because the three colors are close in value. It is the same concept as low volume, but it is a different value range. Instead of low volume “light” it is low volume “dark” on the burgundy borders. I’d like to carry that idea over to a low volume “light” project allowing patterned flowers to have a common solid hexagon center and to be joined with a another common solid hexagon color. Those solid hexagons would march across the entire surface of the quilt. This concept is likely to get it’s own blog post some day soon, but you “heard it first” right here in the comments section 🙂
I am so glad that I’m not the only one who doesn’t know what to do with all that paper! I had thought I could recycle it but it is just too flimsy the second time! May have to start a special “hexie paper” box to take to recycling!
You would be surprised how little space they take up once you decide you don’t care about them. I started throwing my papers into a standard brown grocery bag thinking that I would need two of them. But as I continued to add more, and stuff them down, I discovered that I could fit all ten gallons into one grocery bag.
Wow! 116 hexagons basted in one week, you made a lot of progress. I agree, it’s hard sometimes to throw out patterns and supplies. I have some that should probably go!
It is hard to let things go. My tendency is to hold on, but I have to whip my studio space into shape, so this was a first step… kind of a show of faith to my husband that I can do it.
Terri I love following your posts. I make (print and cut out with scissors) my own papers too and don’t pierce them either and thought you might benefit from this suggestion: buy “card stock” paper.. easily found at any office or printing supplies store.. and use it to print your papers on. it’s about the same thickness as a recipe or file card. sturdy enough to hold up to repeated use. I buy it by the package, same as you would computer printer paper. It’s a little more expensive than copy paper but WAY cheaper than pre-made EPP papers.
Thanks for the suggestion about card stock paper. I may give that a try. I have considered getting a paper a bit heavier than 20 pound, but had not considered card stock. The one thing I might be concerned about is the ease with which they fold when joining units. I like the way the 20 pound paper gives easily. But, of course, I can’t know until I try. Thanks for the suggestion. I can’t imagine why anyone would buy pre-made EPP papers for a shape they can print off with accuracy. Do you use the pdf from Texas Freckles?
I’m not familiar with Texas Freckles. I took a screen shot of some 60 degree diamond graph paper at a website called Incompetech, then cleaned up the screenshot on a photo editing program, then imported the photo to a Microsoft Word blank page, then centered and resized the photo till I was happy with the resulting print result. I’m sure there’s easier ways to do this lol! but the end result is a Word document I saved as a computer file, and whenever I need more diamonds I just open that file and print as many pages as I want to. I’d be happy to email you the file if you like?
At the site http://texasfreckles.com you can find hexagons papers in two different sizes. Just click on her download link. I have used the one inch size, but not the 1.5 inch size. I don’t do diamonds yet, but I would be interested in your file for future reference. You can send it to “terrischurter at mac dot com” I’ve seen people show their emails this way on the web to avoid spam. I wonder if it really works. I guess the idea is that a spider won’t capture it that way.
I too have containers of used hexagons, though I must say not as many as you!
I find that when working on a large project it’s often easier to baste through the hexagon as there is no way that papers can fall out before you want them too!
Happy basting to you!
Yes. The larger the project the bigger the problem of hexagons falling out unintentionally. I have noticed it with my Batik Flower Garden Quilt. As it has grown in size and I add on more borders it drags on the floor at my feet, and I do find that some papers get dislodged to the extent that I really have no choice but to pull them out. Luckily I have gotten really good at joining pieces with no papers to stabilize them. If it weren’t for the blog I definitely revert to piercing my papers.
I like your basting without a final project in mind- sounds so peaceful! I look forward to seeing what the low volume pieces become.
Don’t toss them just yet …. give those templates a pressing with a hot iron (no steam) and they will flatten and stiffen up just fine for another use. I have done that many times, even with the ones that are pierced and are good for re-use 2 more times and then they are tossed.
They are already gone. This sounds like a good idea though. Maybe I will try it.