Hexagon Tutorial

Hexagon Block
Hexagon Block

Here is the next block in our Sampler Quilt Class. These directions are for machine sewing your hexagons.

Supply List

  • Hexagon Template
  • mechanical pencil
  • thin Pigma pen (or similar)
  • template plastic
  • glue stick
  • foreground fabric
  • 12.5″ x12.5″ piece of background fabric
  • Perfect Piecer ruler by Jinny Beyer
  • Small rotary ruler such as the Creative Grids 4.5″x8.5
  • Fabric scissors (see note on using a rotary cutter**)
  • thread
  • pins
  • Design wall or sandpaper board
  • Wooden kebab stick or similar item you can use with your iron
  • sewing machine

Optional

  • Mary Ellen’s Best Press
  • hand sewing needle
  • hand sewing thread

Important information:

  • Block is 12.5? unfinished, 12? finished
  • These directions use a quarter inch seam allowance.
  • You will be creating Y seams.
  • Chain piecing is not part of this tutorial.
  • Respect the bias.
  • Do not sew into the seam allowance.

Templates

1. Prepare pattern for your hexagon template by printing two copies of pattern.

Place one copy of the pattern in your binder, but you can use it as reference first.  Rough cut the hexagon pattern out of the other pattern.

Add Seam Allowance if it doesn't Print
Add Seam Allowance if it doesn’t Print

Nota bene: Sometimes the seam allowance don’t print out, so you may need to add 1/4″ seam allowance to the pattern before rough cutting.

Glue the paper pattern (with seam allowances) using the glue stick (or other suitable adhesive) to the template plastic.

Fine cut the paper pattern you have adhered to the template plastic so you have an accurate template.

Gather your fabric and press it all. You can rough cut some pieces and press it with Mary Ellen’s Best Press to help deal with the bias.

Cutting

Place Templates Face Down
Place Templates Face Down

Place your template face down on the wrong side of the fabric and trace carefully around your template directly on to the fabric.

Cut using scissors.**

**Do not cut around your template plastic template with a rotary cutter. There is not enough protection for your fingers. I want you to be able to finish the block with no blood.  A rotary ruler gives your finger some protection from the blade of your cutter cutter. If you use a rotary cutter, you may want to use a hexagon ruler, such as the Fons & Porter Hexagon ruler. The smallest hexagon on that ruler is larger than my template, but 19 of those will still fit in the 12.5″ block. You can also cut using a rotary ruler and rotary cutter by lining up the ruler on the line you drew around your template.

Cut 19 Hexagons
Cut 19 Hexagons

Cut 19 hexagons from your fabric.

Mark your hexagons
Mark your hexagons

Marking

Now, mark your hexagons so that the Y seams will be easy to sew. As mentioned in the supply list, I use the Jinny Beyer Perfect Piecer.

 

Hexagon Markings
Hexagon Markings

Line up your ruler in every angle and  in every hexagon and make a dot.

You can also make a cross at the seam allowance by lining up a regular ruler along your cut edge and drawing a line near the angle. See the tutorial called Hexagons -Preparing to Sew, which gives more information.

Sewing

Remember: you will sew between the dots only NOT into the seam allowance. This is how you sew Y seams and we have done that in other tutorials.

Arrange Hexagons
Arrange Hexagons

Arrange your hexagons in a pleasing manner on your design wall or on a sandpaper board.

Hexagons right sides together
Hexagons right sides together

Take two hexagons, that will be next to each other in the final block, place them right sides together.

Put them under the presser foot, lining up your Perfect Piecer mark under the needle

Sew a few stitches, then backstitch.

Sew the entire seam to the second Perfect Piecer mark. Backstitch to secure.

Nota bene: You want to backstitch even though it is a bit tedious, because no other seams will cross the seams stitching the hexagons together. If you do not backstitch, there is a chance your stitches will come out before you get to the quilting part. You can also leave long tails and make a knot at every intersection.

I like to to sew my hexagon patches together in groups of three, thus we will need to add the third hexagon to the two you just sewed together.

Add 3d Hexagon -seam 1
Add 3d Hexagon -seam 1

Lay the piece of two hexagons you just sewed on the table and place the third hexagon patch on top of top one, right sides together. Sew the third hexagon to the piece of two hexagons starting at the dot marked Start and stopping at the Perfect Piecer mark indicated as Stop. Backstitch as described above.

Remove from the machine and clip your threads.

Add 3d Hexagon -seam 2
Add 3d Hexagon -seam 2

Now you are ready to sew the last seam to make a piece of three hexagons. Line up your third hexagon with the hexagon you didn’t sew a minute ago.

Pin. I put the pin in a place closer to the stop mark, so I can fit the sewing machine foot on the Perfect Piecer Start mark.

Nota bene: I don’t normally pin small hexagons, but when I am sewing the last seam it is useful.

The second hexagon will be kind of rolled up. Just keep it out of the way of the needle. You don’t want to sew it to the underside of the other hexagons.

Sewn hexagons on the design wall
Sewn hexagons on the design wall

I keep my pieces on the design wall (you can also use a sandpaper board) as I sew them in order to keep them in order.

Sewing patches together
Sewing patches together

Keep sewing your patches together in chunks, then into larger chunks until you get all of them sewn together. Sewing groups of hexagons together is like sewing 2 or three together. Sew between Perfect Piecer dots. You just have to be carefully to keep the other, already sewn, hexagons out of the way.

Nota bene: It is useful to have a digital camera handy and take a photo of your layout in case of confusion while sewing. You can also number your patches.

More on sewing hexagons can be found in a previous post.

Press

For small hexagon blocks, I usually don’t press until I am done sewing all of them, because I want all the swirls to be orderly.

Press in a circular motion
Press in a circular motion
Press in a swirl to create mini hexagons
Press in a swirl to create mini hexagons

Press from the back, one seam at a time so all of the seams look like they are pressed in a circular motion. The center where the patches meet will look like a mini hexagon.

Pressed back of hexagon piece
Pressed back of hexagon piece

When finished the block will have a lot of mini hexagons on the back.

Applique’

In order to prepare for applique’,  you have to do something with the edges. If you want to do raw edge applique, you will need to trim the seam allowance off the outer edges, using the Perfect Piecer marks as a guide.

I suggest pressing the seam allowance on the outer edges in to make a clean edge.

Lay your hexagon piece right sides down on ironing surface
Lay your hexagon piece right sides down on ironing surface

Lay your hexagon piece right sides down on your ironing board.

Use the Perfect Piecer marks as a guide. Fold and finger press the outer edges in.

Press edges in
Press edges in

Get your fingers out of the way and press using a hot iron so the edges is pressed permanently in. You a chop stick or kebab stick to hold the edge under the iron.

Once all of the edges are pressed under you are ready to place your piece on the background.

If you have not already done so, cut a background piece 12.5″ x 12.5″.

Fold background into quarters
Fold background into quarters
Fold background into quarters
Fold background into quarters
Fold background into quarters
Fold background into quarters

Fold in quarters and finger press just so you can see the lines. DO NOT press with an iron.

Using your finger pressed lines, center the hexagon piece, right side up, on the background.

Finish Line

YAY! You have completed your block! Good job!

Finished Hexagon Block
Finished Hexagon Block

You can find more information in the Hexagon Clarification post.

Remember: no sewing into the seam allowances!

 

Author: Jaye

Quiltmaker who enjoys writing and frozen chocolate covered bananas.

8 thoughts on “Hexagon Tutorial”

  1. Great tutorial for sewing by machine and I will have to try your method for opening up your seams at the points. Never hear of Jenny’s tool, looks like a great one to own.

    1. It is useful for many kinds of shapes that require stopping before the seam allowance. See if your library has her hand piecing book. I think she talks more about its use in there. I look forward to seeing what you make. Thanks for reading!

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