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| A "no sew" hexie hack... |
It makes me happy if I can avoid hand sewing — a task that's been mentioned here several times that I'm not fond of — and this method of hexie creation does exactly that.
I'm sure other people have found ways to cut out the hand sewing step, but maybe not via this method. (Who knows? After the idea came to me, I did not go online to check if it had been circulated by anyone else.)
Remember this item from my sewing and crafting tips and tricks post?
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| This silicone mat gave up a slice of itself to a higher cause... |
It's a thin silicone mat that's meant to save your counters from hot glue drips. Note the word thin, as this is not the thick material commonly used for bake ware. As such, it's cheaper; I got this at a Dollarama for $2.
In fact, when I got this idea to make hexie (and "pentie") templates out of silicone, my second thought was to go out and buy another mat. Then I realized that the mat didn't need to be that big, so I simply cut a strip off its length. (After I rounded off the corners, it looks restored to its normal appearance, albeit more of a square than a rectangle.)
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| Tracing templates onto a silicone strip... |
My paper templates were created via Paint Shop Pro. Both are standard shapes that can be generated by any graphics package, and if you hold down the [SHIFT] key while carrying out the command, all of the sides will be of equal length.
And I don't know if there's a "standard" size, but I made these ones to my preference.
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| Ta da! Two silicone templates for hexie and "pentie"... |
I suppose they are about 2.5" high if I go by this photo.
Of course, the whole point of using silicone is that I can press it with a hot — and steamy — iron and it won't be damaged...
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| A template that's heat safe... |
... meaning that I can simply fold my fabric over the edge of the template and press (and steam) without the usual hand stitching.
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| Turn it over, blast it with some steam and it will NOT need to be sewn... |
Check out the crisp edges on this hexie! Absolutely no hand sewing required... I'm so happy!
[NOTE: Not having previously used hexies for anything, I don't know whether the lack of stitching around them will make their ultimate use less precise. I guess that will come to light once their ultimate use is determined.]
You did notice that the title of this post indicates hacks in plural, right?
Well, my second method of no-hand-sewing-required hexie creation is based on a technique I've used for other projects. To create hexies that pop out with an added dimension, use permanent templates made from scraps of Peltex.
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| No sew hexies created with Peltex templates... |
Keep the fusible side of the Peltex up when you wrap the fabric around its edges. Then you can go to your iron and carefully press the edges, fusing them to the templates.
While you certainly wouldn't make hexies for a quilt this way, these are useful for creating 3D pieces or for adding dimension to a finished project.
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| My no sew Peltex hexies... |
I know that some people love to take their hexie hand stitching on the road and actually find the activity therapeutic. (Yeah, I'm talking about you, Pam. :-D) More power to you if that's the case. Unfortunately, the thought of repetitively hand stitching around a small shape does not appeal to me at all, so until now, I've avoided diving into hexie waters.
So why am I suddenly wanting to make hexies (and penties)? I've finally begun accumulating some scraps of quality and can see that making these are one of the more efficient ways of using them up. The pieces you see here are all from Robert Kaufman fabrics.
That said, I have no idea what's going to become of my little polygon pieces. What's important is that I can make them without the accompanying dread of hand sewing. Which is great for my Quick Craft Mondays when there's nothing else on the go. I can just stand in front of the TV with a hot iron.
And you can bet that when I do find a use for these, it probably won't involve hand sewing them together!
Love both methods, the second method makes for easy placement on a bag, placemat ect.
ReplyDeleteExactly, and the resulting raised surface adds texture. Thanks for the comment.
DeleteVery clever - both methods!!! I don't see why the lack of hand sewing with a template would affect the precision of what's to come. You have a nicely defined crisp edge - as far as I know, that's what's important. Looking forward to seeing what you do with them, especially given that I'm fairly certain it will not involve hand sewing - you don't know what you're missing... LOL!!!
ReplyDelete