Looking for opinion on preference for using freezer paper for hex or using precut hex. I want to start my gfg and can't decide which way to go. The toss up would be freezer hexes can be ironed to the fabric and the precut hexes may provide more accurate shapes??

I'm currently working on a GFG and I used file folders to cut my hexi's. I found it easier to handle and sew. My hexi's are a little bigger than the norm 3 3/4. I used this tute as a quide. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB2krboL-FU

I am using the precut.

if i were to tackle such a huge, once in a lifetime quilt, i'd want to make sure my results are good. so i think i would go for the commercial plastic templates. jmho

Don't use June Tailor simple shapes from Joann's they don't work well going back and I will have to figure out how to get quilt Paties instead.

I don't use paper to sew my hexes. I cut the hex shapes from fabric (I use my Go) and then hand sew them together with 1/4" seam. At 1/4" from end, I add another hex. The benefit of this is no basting and then no whip seaming. No thread shows at all. I'm not a good handsewer but once I saw this method I haven't used paper again. It saves so much time.

I am working on a 3/4" hand project and using pre-cuts. Someone also posted a tip here, to whole punch the centers. Sure makes it alot easier to pop the paper out~

I use my junk mail and those little cards that fall out of magazines to make mine. Baste the fabric to them, then sew together, no problems.

I've tried both. For me I love the freezer paper method because once they're ironed into place they don't move. I have trouble getting the pre-cuts to stay where I want them! That's only me though! You may end up loving the precuts :) Everyone's different and most of it is personal preference. Happy Quilting.

I made a GFG using pre cut paper pcs. I love the way it worked out. Also ordered Dresden plste paper pcs from same company. Did not want to cut my own. Was looking for uniformity.

I am over half way though mine and use paper pre cuts. They are working great for me.

Just watched a Fons and Porter TV show, they used mylar hex templates from Brandys, you get one for the cut size and then 50 or so of the 'heat resistant' templates. What the girls did on the show, not saying right or wrong, was cut the hex out of the fabric, spray it well with spray starch, then iron fold the edges of the hex, every other one, around the template.....let dry well...then pop the template and sew. They sewed on the machine with invisible thread....can look us the episode if you want...

I am in the process of making hexazon quilt also....I cut my own from freezer paper and some from the paper in my printer.....The printer paper worked much better for me as it held its shape better than the freezer paper.....

I made my first GFG out of 1" hex's and used freezer paper. I like this because you could take them with you and not worry about loosing anything. The one I am making now is of 1/2" hex's and I print out hex's on card stock. I enjoy all parts of this, I cut and sew while watching TV with hubby in the evenings. He likes it too because I'm not in another room on my sewing machine. When I finishe this one I want to try one a little smaller just to see how it will go together. Not sure how big it will be.

I wouldn't dream of cutting all those paper pieces...you all are awesome for doing your own! I purchase mine precut from paperpieces.com. I use 1" sides. I also purchased precut 2 & 1/2" strips which I rotary cut to 2 & 1/2" squares. I baste my squares to the paper pieces so that the project can sit for a while. This will take years after all! A quick start to my lifelong English Paper pieced GFG! Good luck.

I printed my own on card stock and let my mother and sister cut them out. You can also use those little post cards that always fall out of magazines when you pick up the magazine to read it.

I am making a GFG out of my scraps. I love this tute http://sewmanyways.blogspot.com/2009...r-piecing.html

I don't cut the hexes though. I cut the 18" wide freezer paper in 6" stips, iron two strips together(shiny side down, shiny side down on a cutting board covered with foil, it pulls right off and leaves a side to iron to the fabric)
I then go the local grade school and use their die cut machine and and just stack 5 or 6 double strips together and MASH out hexes. Saves lots of time and they are all the same size. School dosent charge me. I just clean up my mess and try and leave the room cleaner then when I found it. No, I dont have any little ones attending. Yes, I have had to teach some of the teachers how to made GFGs :). Just spreading the love. PM me if you need clearer directions. HUGS!

The ones I get are tag board weight. I get them in 100 or 600 packages. I have my pattern, cut the material, lay a hex in the middle of fabric and use fabric glue to glue the fabric to the to the hex. I get enough to put a flower togather then whip stitch them togather. I leave the hex in the outer ring but take the two rows inside out. When I will start the next color I will "glue" material to the hex and start going around the flower.

I did mine in English paper piecing.
I bought alot of papers from one of the online firms that sell EPP supplies. I used each hexagon 5-6 times before it was totally worn out.

Oh, I love the flexible, ironable ones from Brandy's too. Lots in the package, reusable. I have them in every size, have made four quilts. www.brandysquiltpatterns.com
Prices are very reasonable, shipping is quick

I printed my own on card stock and a laser printer, that way I got the exact size I wanted and as many as I could possible need as my gfg got bigger. If you go to this web site you can set the exact size you want for a hex and it gives you a PDF file to download onto your computer to print as many hexes as you want.
http://incompetech.com/graphpaper/

I use the freezer paper ones and stack about six pieces of freezer paper together and staple in the middle of each hex and cut them out. Can use the papers over and over. If you're making a lot of flowers you need a lot of those purchased items as you leave the last round in the flower until you sew them all together. Have made LOTS of GFG's and they've all turned out great using this method.

Use card stock & print in a printer. Works very well. I now have one almost a king size. It is so easy to do this. I purchased a package of 100 pre-cut just to make sure my hexies were straight. I posted my GFG on here last week if you would like to look at it.
The time spent cutting the card stock is done when I have to takle my Mothger to doc & in eve when I need down time. Very relaxing Enjoy whatever method you do, but do it by hand, much more satisfying. You don't have to rush to get this done. I am going to hand quilt mine also. Good Luck

Hi! I finished several months ago a queen size GFG. Took me over 8 years but I didn't work on it all the time. I used freezer paper (for quilters not on the roll)I had 2 acyrlic templates, one for rotary cutting the fabric, and one (1/4" less) for the freezer paper. I am now working on a small wall hanging and have ordered the precut papers. I find I can only reuse them about 4 times (others will say more) To me it's an OK method, but I like the freezer paper method better (no slip, etc) but I only have the acrylics in one size. But years ago they used newspaper, cereal boxes, whatever they had available and they turned out beautiful. Good luck!!! A great take with you project.

Thanks for sharing this tute, I love it!

I made my first GFG using the plastic tops of yoghurt and similar cans. I have done many hexagon quilts since then and since doing the uneven border is my least favorite, I have gone to framed hexies<see http://www.kiwiquilts.co.nz/Free+Patterns.html>
I find I can cut the large and small hexagons and felt batting hexagons easily enough and after I make all the hexagons, it is simple to seam them together<ladder stitch if I want it invisible, and I can do the seaming on my sewing machine if I am pressed for a birthday.> Doing them all the same size allows me to use them as "building blocks" for other projects such as the hexagon jacket I just made. It is very bright and colorful and I get stopped often for people to ask about it. Hope you find what works for you!

I use freezer paper but I guess I use it differently. I lay the dull side of the freezer paper hex on the fabric hex squares, which are cut 1/4" larger on all sides, then I turn the seam allowance over the edge to the shiny side and iron it down, so it is 'stuck' only on the seam allowance. (Clear as mud so far?) I have used the same ones for several quilts now. They are easy to take out as well.

Good morning everyone. Please share your pictures or links to your pictures when you have time. Thank you.

I like the cardstock because it seems to have a perfect shape.

I am using freezer paper to make my GFG quilted wall hangings. The hexie is 1/4 inch and it is working out quite good. I am on my 2nd wall-hanging using the "Quilts from Grandmother's Garden" Jaynette Huff's book. I use my printer to run the hexagons onto the freezer paper. It is time consuming to cut them out but I like the freezer paper method the best. I do put a hole in the center of my hexagons to help get them out ot the fabric easier.

I love using cardstock. I traced mine onto a plastic template material, then cut that, and use that plastic template to trace the hexagons onto cereal boxes. So I'm recycling at the same time.

I'm just finishing up my GFG after 2 1/2 years of working on it. It's all hand stitched, I've only gotten the top finished. I printed my hexs out on my home computer, 1" hexs, cut them out myself, saved my alot of money, very expensive to buy pre cut ones. I left them all in as I've been stitching the hexs together for stability and to keep the fabric from stretching while I was working on it, adding flowers, rows between the flowers, borders, etc. I'm really glad I did because the quilt is very even on all sides, top and bottom and although I'm 'sceared' (lol) at the thought of having to start the actual quilting (this is my very first quilt) I think it will be easier to remove the paper pieces, spray starch it really well and then start to sandwich with batting and back and then baste since the paper peices are still in place and it's been carefully folded in between periods of working on it. I've come this far and I can't wait until it's done. I do have one delimma....what to do with the little tabs that hang off of the edges of the last row on the sides, top and bottom. I don't know if I want to cut them off and make it even, then add a binding....OR....I saw on Youtube where someone quilted the whole quilt except the edges, then she made extra hexs the same color as the backing and actually stitched them to the front hexs so that you have the tabs in place but there are hexs on both sides, the hexs on the edges are stitched back to back so that the pretty side of the fabric is showing on both sides. I hope this makes sense. I like that idea but I'm not so crazy about all those little tabs hanging all over the quilt. I'm hand stitching the whole thing so I guess I can wait until I get to that point to figure out what I want to do. After all, this is no traditonal looking quilt. I did not make the flowers traditional. I made symetrical patterns with placing the hexs evenly around the flowers but there are no circles of flowers like you see in the traditional patterns.Some of my flowers have 5 or 6 different pattern of fabric in them. When I started this quilt, it being my very first project, and I had no clue what I was doing. I found a website that really only showed how to make the hexs and stitch them together so I just started making hexs and making patterns in the shape of the flowers with a center and two rows of hexs. I think it turned out pretty well all in all. I didn't realize that there was so much history and general 'rules' when it come to making a quilt until I started looking at the tons of websites on the computer about quilting. I went into this project blindly. I've learned alot along the way. I have some raelly rough areas in my quilt and I considered taking it apart but I though, 'no', that will be something to tell the grandkids (if I'm even lucky enough to have any in my lifetime). There are areas where I doubled the thread when stitching the hexs together, again not really knowing what I was doing, and it looks a little bulky, an area where the hexs I printed and cut out where a smidge smaller than the rest, didn't notice the setting on my printer until I had made them and had sewn them together but you can't really tell because they are scattered around the quilt, so far I haven't noticed any puckers or weird looking areas.Next time, and I do think there will be a next hexagon GFG in the future for me, I'll know better and be more wise to what the 'quilt police' would see if they looked at my quilt. LOLOL Good luck with your GFG, I hope it turns out great for you........

I have used some precuts, when traveling & ran out of ones I cut myself. I mainly use the cards that come in magazines, you know, the ones that pull out & want you to subscribe. They are free & work great! Hadn't thought of file folders either, another good idea. I also cut squares, then trim them down as I stitch around the hex, & don't stitch through the paper, just double stitch at each crease around the edges & that will hold it, & make you papers last longer too... Love projects like this, enjoy!

I don't use either. I print my hexies from a site on the comp. (texasfreckles.com is a good one) using mostly junk mail paper, and cut them myself. I usually have a few pages printed up so I can cut a page or two at a time. I just stright pin the papers to the fabric, and baste. Goes pretty quickly. I think the precut would be nice, but don't think there was such a thing when I first started doing GFGs. Keep thinking to try the freezer paper, but just haven't gotten my round tuit yet! What ever you do, enjoy the process. WARNING it can be addicting. :)

You are so brave to do 1/2 in. hex's! Are you doing the "Insanity Quilt" ? I have done a few 1/2 in. to use in applique borders but don't think I would do a whole quilt. Happy Hexing!

Patti Mahoney, I hope you will post a picture of your GFG. It sounds like it will be awesome. What size will it be?

I'm doing my GFG with 1" hexies, and another will be done with 3/8" hexes

Boy make me want to put away my Apple Core and start on my Hex's.I have a baby GO and the die.Maybe make a scrappy FGF.