Candied Hexagons Quilt top complete

Ah…..I’ve just breathed a sigh of satisfaction!  My Candied Hexagon quilt top is all done.

I was caught up in the hype of this design during 2010 and it is so far out of my comfort zone I am still amazed I started it, let alone finished it!  My original plan on seeing the photograph of the original quilt in Quilters Companion Magazine was to use English Paper Piecing and make it my portable project for 2010.  Once I had my copy of the pattern that changed dramatically.  I realized that cutting all the foundation papers was not going to happen, and after I read the instructions I saw the quilt designer Kerry Dear machine pieced hers after using a set of Marti Mitchell templates to rotary cut the fabric.

I thought “Hey that’s doable!” I Ordered the template pack and borrowed my friend Gail’s turntable cutting board, and off I went.

Without even realizing it I had set in motion what has become my mantra for 2011

“Don’t count the days, make the days count”

It is my usual practice to go gangbusters on a project, looking ahead to the finish line rather than checking out the fabulous scenery that I’m madly passing!

This project was a little different, I worked on a section at a time, with no pressure to finish anything other than the part I was working on, enjoying how each block was coming together, unpicking if necessary, redoing a block that didn’t meet expectations, fondling the fabrics and marvelling at how they worked with each other.

My local PW&Q store had some meterage of the same fat-quarter pack I chose to work with and I added some of them to the mix. I also found a real bargain in the range at another store and I got 3 metres to use for my border.

All this I packaged together in a beaut 12” square box, I chose to work on it on a whim, or even with a plan, simply enjoying the process.

This it looked like yesterday before I added the borders.

Today the finished top!

The satisfaction I feel is a far cry from the relief that often accompanied the completion of a large project, for me.

Thanks for visiting,