half square triangles + hexagons.

are you good at keeping your fabric left overs when you finish a project? i am no; usually i throw away my scraps. i know, i know. gasp! right? well i am happy to report i am getting much better at saving my leftovers. remember that mini HST quilt i made using my Outfoxed leftovers? see, i told you! 


after i finished my blocks for my x and+ quilt i shared yesterday, i had tons of leftover triangles! for each of those blocks i had enough leftover fabric to make 8 HSTs. so lets see....13 (new) blocks x 8 HSTs = ALOT of HSTs. 104, to be exact. making my grandmother proud, i sewed and pressed each of those little guys. that's when i reached the fork in the road, i had two options. option A: trim each of those bad boys to 2 1/2" square (yea, right!) or option B: figure out some something else. i obviously chose the second option. 

enter, english paper piecing. on a complete whim, i starting making some hand pieced hexagons with my left over HSTs. meticulously lining up my corners so that the diagonal is in the right spot, i am LOVING how these are turning out! although i'm not exactly sure what the end result may be, i do believe it's going to be pretty rad! 

for those of you who are interested in trying out hand pieced hexagons, here are a few tips. now keep in mind, these are just my suggestions on what i have found works for me. by not means do i consider myself to be an expert. :) 

• i like to trace and cut out my hexagons using freezer paper. that way i can press it to the wrong side of my fabric and then i don't have to worry about it slipping when i start hand-sewing. 
• need a template? right now i'm using this 1" hexagon downloadable template from Texas Freckles. but remember, i do still trace them out onto the freezer paper.
• thread heaven -- this stuff truly is magic. i like to run my thread through this before i sew my hexi's together. just trust me on this one, it's a great notion for every hand-sewn project! 
• while we are on the topic of thread, i prefer to use quilting thread when piecing my hexagons together because i've found it to be more durable. my favorite is YLI quilting thread. it's the same thread i like to hand stitch my bindings on with too!
• i like to use a whipstitch when sewing my hexagons together. just make sure your stitches are tight so you don't see them on the front side!

i hope you are all having a wonderful week!

xo, megan.