Once I had my sewing machine set up for quilting Pulsar, I stayed focused and only worked on finishing the quilting. That means that when I finished up the quilt, I was 2 months behind in the Old School Block of the Month sew along. Grateful to have smaller piecing projects to focus on, I started by turning my attention to the April block by Missie Carpenter from Traditional Primitives: an EPP hexie block.
April Hexie Block Preparation – Old School BOM
I printed out templates, made a fabric plan, and got to work glue basting the hexies. As the Carolyn Friedlander prints I am working with for the BOM don’t really lend themselves to fussy cutting super well, I opted to piece enough hexies to fill in the center (one of the two options that Missie presented).
Glue Basting Hexies in the Orchard
After a long day at work, my husband asked me to join him in the orchard before dinner. I told him that I’d love to have a way to sit and glue baste my hexies while he worked and we chatted, so he pulled out the lawn mower for me to sit on. 🙂
Glue Basting Hexies in the Orchard
It worked so well that I had all my hexies prepped by the end of the day! I had also used my 5″ OLFA snips so much that day that I wore a blister on top of my thumb that is still healing (oops).
April Hexie Block Layout
That evening I arranged the hexies in the order I want to sew them together in and snapped a picture in case they get scrambled. I have started sewing them together (the hand work is perfect for the time spent in zoom conversations with family on Sunday night or after dinner).
The January through May blocks have all been shared, and you can find them at the links below.
2021 Old School Block of the Month
January 12, 2021 – Kim Lapacek (Persimon Dreams)
February 12, 2021 – Nancy Scott (Masterpiece Quilting)
March 12, 2021 – Quilt Jane
April 12, 2021 – Missie Carpenter (Traditional Primitives)
May 12, 2021 – Natalie Santini (Sew Hungry Hippie)
June 12, 2021 – Kerry Goulder (Kid Giddy)
July 12, 2021 – GoGo Kim
August 12, 2021 – Lee Chappell Monroe (May Chappell)
September 12, 2021 – Yvonne Fuchs (Quilting Jetgirl)
October 12, 2021 – Pat Sloan
November 12, 2021 – Katy Cameron (The Littlest Thistle)
December 12, 2021 – Sherri Falls (This and That Patterns)
Those are beautiful colors! I’ve never done EPP on a lawnmower before. Very clever. I hope your thumb feels better soon!
OK, definitely not the typical garden seat one might expect, it’s good to think out of the box. Hexies in modern prints are especially delightful.
I love your orchard workroom. This is « necessity is the mother of invention » in action. 🙂
Love the photo of you on the mower! Enjoy your stitching!
Sorry about the blister, but the good news is they tend to heal quickly. This definitely wins as the most unique recommendation for prepping EPP!
LOVE the photo of you on the mower! Hexies are very pretty and cute, but I’m too lazy to do hand-sewing so I avoid them.
Your orchard is beautiful; what kind of trees are they?
Well that’s a combo I never thought I’d see! Too funny. So if you were sitting on the mower upon what was your husband sitting? And why do you have long sleeves and pants and big boots on? I thought it would be hot there no? Inquiring minds want to know…
Great block – but I really like your stitching set up!!! Too cool!! and what kind of trees are in the orchard?
Such fun photos out in the orchard!
What I really like about this is how your choice of fabric makes an old-fashioned thing (EPP, hexies) look really contemporary. It’s very you, very fresh and clean looking.
What is the black and white linear ground fabric? My son and his wife told me about your quilting work. He worked with you in the aerospace industry. Your work is so original and engineered precisely.