OBW Hexagon Dragon Floral Couch Quilt
I machine pieced this quilt on my Bernina 240.
I quilted this quilt on my Janome QMP-18 long arm.
Finished size: 70" x 70"
Finished size: 70" x 70"
(click on photos to enlarge)
⬡FINISHED QUILT:⬡
Front piecing: This couch quilt is made using the "One Block Wonder (OBW)" method. It contains over 670 equilateral triangles (each 3.5" tall), arranged in 112 hexagon shapes, joined up in 19 columns/32 rows. This is my very first time using the OBW method, and not only did I learn a lot, I also thoroughly enjoyed it!
Border: A 6" wide solid black border surrounds the entire quilt. I added a few scattered, appliqued hexagons so it would appear they are spilling out from the center of the quilt and floating onto the border.
Backing: The back is three yards of gorgeous fabric from the "Vienna Nights by 3 Sisters" for Moda Fabrics. I bisected the backing diagonally with scraps left over from the quilt's front so that the yardage would be wide enough.
Quilt Stitching, Pattern: I quilted using edge-to-edge "More Square Drama" from Wasatch Quilting.
Quilt Stitching, Thread: I used "Chianti" (So Fine 50 #529) thread for both the front and back of the quilt.
Label: I embroidered a short message, my initials, and the year right onto the binding, one of my favorite ways to label a quilt.
Binding: I used a grunge maroon fabric for the binding for this quilt, attached by hand.
⬡PROGRESS PHOTOS:⬡
Construction-Hexagons:
Back in 2018, I purchased this fabric that I found on clearance in a quilt shop that was closing. It was a little over 3.75 yards. I knew I wanted to use it to make a "One Block Wonder" quilt, although I'd never made one before.
I measured the repeat of the fabric, lined up 6 identical layers, and then cut 3.5" strips into every single equilateral triangle I could with the amount of fabric I had. I ended up with more than 670 triangles.
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Then...the triangles sat, all organized in their project container, waiting for me to turn them into matching half-hexagons. I had so many other, higher-priority projects to finish first. They waited patiently for almost 5 years before life finally granted me the time and mental bandwidth to make this quilt!
In 2023 I opened the project box and began. I started making half-hexagons with no plans other than to join like triangles together until I ran out. I did have some extra fabric left (strips and smaller pieces), that I was also going to try to somehow incorporate into the final quilt.
I found it so exciting to see how every hexagon would turn out! Each one different, but equally lovely to look at.
I've seen so many tutorials, blogs and Facebook groups explaining the OBW process. So very helpful to learn from others' experiences! One suggestion I read was to only sew three triangles together (creating half-hexagons) that you then tape together using painter's tape or paper tape. This gives the look of a whole hexagon for purposes of planning and designing the quilt spacing and layout, but still allows the quilt to be built more easily by joining columns together, thus avoiding any partial seams.
Construction-Arrangement:
I took a small piece of fabric that wasn't able to be cut into triangles, and put that on my design wall to use as a guide for color placement. Then I roughly sorted the hexagons by color, and began placing them around the fabric piece, radiating outwards. I treated the arranging of the hexagons as if I was using a fabric panel, even though it was only a vertical piece of yardage measuring approximately 12" x 17".
When I decided I was happy with the placement of the hexagons by their designs and colors, I began to join the half-hexagons into columns.
I started this project in one location, but halfway through arranging and construction, I had to take it all down and relocate to another location. Not all of my half-hexagons were sewn into columns yet, so I carefully numbered every column with painter's tape, taped together any unsewn pieces, and then set it all back up again to continue sewing.
When joining all of the hexagons/columns together, I followed Jackie O'Brien's tutorials. She superbly explained the entire process, including the concept of building four different sections.
Construction-Applique:
Before adding the borders, I had to square up the quilt top. Here it is back on the design wall after I finished trimming some uneven edges, *finally* measuring evenly top-to-bottom and left-to-right.
This quilt was also my first deep dive into Turned Edge Applique. I've done appliqueing on my embroidery machine many times before using a finishing satin stitch, but the turned edge method was a new experience for me. Loved the end results!
Julie Cefalu's tutorial was super helpful, especially her suggestion to use invisible nylon thread combined with a color bobbin thread, and her recommendations for blind-hem or vari-overlock stitching.
In Jackie O'Brien's tutorials, she shows how she makes hexagons that are slightly smaller than those in the quilt, and then appliques those smaller hexies over added fabric that was used to upsize the panel. See the white pointers in the photo on the right? There are 5 differently sized hexagons appliqued to the quilt top that beautifully camouflage and blend the edges of the panel.
Construction-Borders:
After squaring up the completed quilt center, I cut 6.5" strips of solid black cotton and joined them to add borders.
I slowly began arranging and pinning hexagons along the solid black border, some whole and others halved. I wanted it to appear that they are spilling out from the center of the quilt onto and off of the border. I used up every remaining 6-set of equilateral triangles I could cut from the fabric!
I used Julie Cefalu's suggestions and placed invisible nylon thread in the top of my sewing machine, combined with colored bobbin thread, and then attached hexagons onto the border using the vari-overlock stitch.
The white pointers show how the bobbin thread color just peeks out along the turned edge of the appliqued hexagons on the border. Looks so good.
Construction-Backing:
I looked through my yardage stash to see what I had that was at least 3 yards and would also compliment the quilt front's many different colors. Auditioning quickly revealed that the reds and blues in "Vienna Nights by 3 Sisters" line was the winner.
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But 3 yards of 41" wide fabric was not going to be wide enough to accommodate 70" x 70". So I referred to Lynn's tutorial for widening and/or lengthening a quilt back, a technique I've used before in this quilt and in this one.
Using scraps leftover from the quilt front, and pieces of solid black leftover from the 6" border, I chain-pieced and then joined several strips together until they measured long enough to diagonally bisect the backing yardage.
After some math calculations, I discovered the insert needed to still be wider, so I added more black strips to each side.
When the insert was finally long and wide enough, I carefully marked the top and bottom horizontal edges of the 2 diagonally bisected backing pieces, then sewed all 3 parts together to make a backing that was 78" wide and almost 80" long. Perfect amount of overage to be able to load onto the longarm!
Quilting:
With backing and batting now loaded, I float the top to be sure everything is squared and ready.
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I like to roll the loaded quilt back and forth between the back and front bar a couple times, which really helps to even and flatten everything. Then I baste the rolled quilt sandwich completely, down one side, across the belly bar, and back up the other side, advancing and repeating, before I actually quilt it.
It's a unique design that worked great with this quilt and stitched out perfectly. It was easily modified (resize, join, repeat, wrap, etc) in my ProStitcher software.
Beginning the first of 8 rows.
Just love how the Chianti-colored thread contrasts the stitch design against the solid black border. Seems to tie everything together so nicely.
The OBW method is so amazing. Each area of the quilt is so different yet it all looks so perfect when joined together.
Oof!!...
...Even though this is the 100th quilt I've created, and the 97th quilt that I've stitched on my longarm, I still ran into an issue where there was more fullness in some areas than there should have been. I'm sure it is because some of the triangles were cut on the bias. So I used the "soup can" or "water bottle" trick to gently ease the quilting across the fabric before and after the location of the fullness. Worked great!
I haven't even removed the quilt completely from the longarm, and I'm already so happy with the texture that the stitched "squares" has created.
Trimming:
I lined up my ruler to cut exactly 6" from the outer side of the inner blocks. That way the quilt's outer edge will be parallel to the squared quilt.
Binding:
I joined together several 2.5" strips of grunge maroon fabric I had left over from the Racing Wheels in Motion quilt, until I had around 300" of binding fabric. Then I ironed it in half.
First I attached the binding fabric to the front of the quilt, using my sewing machine and a 1/4" seam...
I then wrapped the binding around to the back of the quilt and hand-stitched it in place with an invisible stitch.
I used the leftover thread from the longarm bobbins, so that there's a perfect match to the quilt's colors, and nothing goes to waste.
Five hours later and the hand-sewn binding is done!
Washing:
I machine washed the finished quilt twice (cold water, no bleach) using dye trapping sheets (I use either Color Catchers or Color Grabbers).
After washing, the quilt is just wrinkly enough, it's scrunchy and so very soft. I never gift a quilt without washing it first, so its texture will show to the fullest and its softness can be enjoyed immediately by the recipient.
⬡QUILT SUMMARY:⬡
I machine pieced this quilt on my Bernina 240.
I quilted this quilt on my Janome QMP-18 long arm.Finished size:70" x 70"
Front piecing: Made using the "One Block Wonder (OBW)" method.
Border: One 6" wide solid black border, with some "floating" appliqued hexagons.
Back: "Vienna Nights by 3 Sisters" for Moda Fabrics yardage, bisected diagonally.
Binding: Hand-sewn maroon grunge fabric.
Quilting: Edge-to-edge "More Square Drama" from Wasatch Quilting. "Chianti" (So Fine 50 #529) thread used for both the front and back of the quilt.
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