One Block Wonder: No Y Seams

My sister's quilt is still on the design wall.

 

I've started sewing it together.  The center is going to be bordered by hot pink, and where there are hexagons 'missing', pink will fill in the space. You can see I've added pink triangles to the zig-zag edges.  I will trim off the points and add a strip of pink to finish the border. 

 

Some people prefer to trim the hexagon blocks to get a straight edge, but my floral fabric was expensive, and I don't want to waste it.  Other people applique the zig-zag edge to another piece of fabric.  My applique technique is sorely lacking, so I just add the border triangles, trim and sew on a solid strip. This method has worked well  with my other OBW quilts. 

 

 

Someone asked a question about sewing the quilt without Y seams.  This is the way I do it.

 

1. Sew 1/2 hexagons together, being mindful of which way the seams go.  I like them to nest together.

 

2.  Keeping each 1/2 hexagon pinned to its twin, add them to a design wall.  Move them around until you are satisfied with the placement.  Add cubes now, if you want them.  Keep the cube bits in 1/2 hexagons, pinned to their  twins too.

 

3. Keep every thing on the design wall until the quilt is sewn together.  If you don't, you will have to do step 2 again.  Unpin the 1/2 hexagon twins in the part of the quilt you want to work on first, and SEW ROWS TOGETHER.  The hexagon twins will be in 2 different rows.

 

4.  Put each row back on the design wall and check to make sure you haven't sewn any of them in the wrong place. 

 

You can see in this picture a row that is sewn together.

 

 

5. After the rows are complete, sew them together.

 

I think this is an easy method as long as you stay organized.  I don't like to do Y-seams, and I feel like this way simplifies the piecing.

 

Linking up with Judy, who is also doing a One Block Wonder.  http://www.patchworktimes.com/2014/03/31/design-wall-march-31-2014/