Stitches to sew hex's together
 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]315984[/ATTACH]I use a tiny whip stitch to sew hex's together for GMFG and also for little dresden plates and am wondering what kind of stitches others use. You can see mine even though they are tiny. I don't even know if it is supposed to be okay to see the stitches or not. So I need some help please, need suggestions, ideas. Thanks a bunch. [ATTACH=CONFIG]315982[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]315983[/ATTACH]

I also use small whipstitches (probably about 12 per inch) with cotton thread 50 wt. (which I use for both piecing and FMQ as well). I TRY to snag just 1 or 2 threads in each hex as I whipstitch them together - more than that and the stitches will show quite a bit. Matching thread to color that dominates each hex also helps ALOT. I've read where some folks use silk thread of a finer weight for handwork like this which virtually disappears but I am practical, using what I have lots of which is cotton.

I have been hand sewing a GMFG together for awhile now. I do a tiny running stitch with about a 1/4 to 1/8 inch seam allowance. When my grandmother first started me sewing; it was sewing the dresden plate wedges together on the sewing machine (that only did a straight stitch). Just had to share. Hope it helps. Teresa

Great job fussy cutting the peacocks!

I use a ladder stitch for exactly that reason, and have been much happier than I was with the whip stitch.

I agree with Patches1900-I use matching thread, not white or neutral for all, and take tiny whip stitches, making sure it is pulled tight enough not to pucker. There is nothing wrong with cotton thread, silk may disappear a bit more, but it is also very expensive and harder to work with. I am also making a GFG, and my stitches hardly show, using matching threads and taking tiny whip stitches (only 2 or 3 threads).

Here is part of a project I made using the ladder stitch. Can you see the threads? :)

[ATTACH=CONFIG]316028[/ATTACH]

Here is an illustration of how to do the ladder stitch:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]316115[/ATTACH]

And here is a link to a video tutorial, it might help to watch someone actually do it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CjOXMuTFXo

Hope this helps!

That is how I do it too. I take tiny whip stitches, as well. I will use the ladder stitch when sewing openings shut after turning, and that works as well. But my GFG I use a tiny whip stitch and it barely shows using matching thread

Peggy, that is awesome work. I've never tried the ladder stitch but I watched the video and am going to give it a try. Thanks for the tip

Suzy

I put right sides together and sew a 1/4 inch running seam, starting and ending 1/4 inch from each end (by hand). As long as you keep that accurate, it's a piece of cake.

Thanks all for your great input. At the time I made these that are pictured I didn't have matching thread, hard to believe by looking at what I have now. I think I will give the ideas a try and see what works best for me, again thank you.

I use silk thread and the ladder stitch. I also butt each hexie up to the next one and tape them flat to stitch them. The stitches show less then if you put them right sides together to sew them together. My stitches don't show at all.

These look beautiful! The first one, it looks like maybe you were pulling the stitches a little too hard, but the others, you can hardly see the stitches at all. Good job! :thumbup:

If you use a fine thread (50 or 60wt) in a neutral (gray or beige) of the same value as the fabrics you're sewing, even whip stitches will be much less visible - and even disappear.

I think you'll find that after the quilt is sewn, quilted and laundered, the bits of stitching that you can see now will sink into the fabric. :)

I agree with Peckish the ladder stitches do hide very well...sometimes, since I have a background in crazy quilts, I join them with a whip stitch and then put feather or chain stitches or something "crazy" over where the stitches join.<shhhh don't tell the quilt police!>