I am the same way..I like to be shown then I know that I am doing it the right way. :shock:

When you sew a half hexagon together you end up with a piece that has two parallel edges and two edges at an angle. If you lay one of them down with the longest edge facing you, you can think of it as an "M" shape. If you turn it half way around you can think of it as a "W" shape.

You sew a row of alternating M's and W's into a long strip.

Lay it out so you can place the matching half hexagons in the right order next to it, so now it looks like a strip of full hexagons.

M W M W M W
W M W M W M

Pin and sew the second strip of half hexagons alternating W's and M's as you did the first strip.

You'll now have two long strips with long parallel edges that you can join together along the long edge, and hopefully your hexagon halves will be aligned in the right order so you end up with a full row of hexagons.

I am so glad the question was asked!! ANd thanks for this explanation. I finally GET it.!!

Thanks, Kathy, that I can visualize. Up until your post, I was having a hard time. Can I remember that when I make my first one? Probably not, so I will be back looking all thru the posts again. ♥

Thank you also. I couldn't understand either until I saw a picture. This board is amazing. :D :thumbup:

OK, so I don't have the book. I have looked and read every thing posted about OBWs. I can't even look at fabric and see the "repeats" or whatever to make the hex design. Suzi, I don't have a dog kennel - mine is go to the garden - but I've already been out there this morning, so am going to go try the 3-D pinwheels. My brain doesn't comprehend complications. And OBW is definitely complicated.

Suzi, I've had my hexagons on my design wall for MONTHS--too scared to start and thinking I'll figure it out the more I look at it. I think I've got it but I've decided to ask one of my quilt guild friends to come over and just walk me through it. She's wonderful that way and I don't want to have to rip anything out. I think it's one of the more difficult concepts to grasp (and I graduated with honors as well). A lot of good that does us when putting together a OBW! I have a quilt retreat in a few weeks and my intent is to have it together by then for "show and tell".

Love this fabric, but you need to only sew half the hex together first. Can you purchase a book or borrow one from a friend? Better plan on some frog stitches. Can I ask where you got the fabric and would you put up a pic of the original fabric. It is drop dead gorgeous

dunster, your diagram is excellent!

Just sew the two halves and pin them together in the middle. Then arrange on the design board and when you have the blocks the way you want. sew the two parts together on the angle starting at the top where it will be small and then coming on down. It just doesn't work if you sew the whole block together at first.

Ding, ding, ding. The bell rang in my head, too. How simple! And I was trying to make it so hard. Thank you everybody!!

i noticed that you have a lot of hexes with the same fabric grouped together. I think they should be scattered to create more interest. Just a suggestion.

This post is so good! I've had my OBW fabric sitting there, staring at me, for several weeks. I haven't cut into it yet because I could not understand how I was going to sew all those "whole" octagons/hexagons together. - Thanks for giving an "AHA" moment to many of us.

I've been more worried about stacking and then cutting it wrong. Can't wait til the 15th for my course!

So glad you are on a roll with the OBW now. But I have to ask! How many dogs and what kind?!

Ok I think I have the how to lay out and the sew and I have some fabric but what and how do you start to cut it out

Does this help? This is my quilting challenge for the quilting group I'm with. Not a typical OBW but the concept it the same. I thought I'd be slick and sew the hexs together then join....oops....not going to work so I had to ripe out the center seam and lay out like I should have in the first place. Good luck!!! PM me if you need to talk this through, I'll help as much as a newbie in OBW can. Helen

You sew three triangles together to make a half/hex (HH). Sew the other three triangles together to make another HH. Do not sew the two HH together, you can either tape them together with scotch tape or pin to make a full hex (FH). Put the FH on your design board. Keep making these units until you have all your HH made and pinned or taped. Now arrange them on your design wall with the taped/pinned unsewn seam running up and down on all blocks. When you have them arranged the way you like them best, take the tape/pins off/out and sew the rows together from top to bottom. Then sew the rows together from side to side.

Ahh I am so glad I read this now. It makes perfect sense and I haven't started mine yet. :-) Now if I can just remember this when I do get around to doing it.

WOW !!! For some reason of the many OBW quilts pictures I have looked at and still could not understand the process of connecting the pieces, this particular picture that you posted amma, finally turned on the "Got it" light.

Oh Suzi, I understand oh so well the frustration of trying to figure this problem out. I too am visual but, now that I see it, all the wordy responses make total sense.

I am humbled by the wisdom that is expressed on this board and the fact that everyone is so willing to help. Thanks to all!

Suzi, I haven't done one of these, but I have sure been in your position. Sometimes it is really frustrating. Hang in there, and all of a sudden it will happen,

Not necessarily - look at my Critter Kaleidescope. I grouped the browns and dark colors in different areas, put in some Cubes and swished some whites through the center. I think it works.

Every OBW is different. A design wall is where you make decisions what looks best to YOU. 2 people with the same hexes would decide on entirely different arrangements.

Oh sure, it always comes down to what each individual likes. It was just my 2 cents worth. I thought the piecing and fabric choices were great! I love it!

I've been more worried about stacking and then cutting it wrong. Can't wait til the 15th for my course![/quote]

QuiltE: Is your course online or at your LQS? I've been looking for one to go to.

QuiltE: Is your course online or at your LQS? I've been looking for one to go to.[/quote]


LQS .... why don't you come?
(yes, a tad long of a commute! :))

LQS .... why don't you come?
(yes, a tad long of a commute! :))[/quote]

LOL. Thanks for the invite (I've been known to do some crazy things - but my free flying priveleges don't take me to Canada

:)

Thank you for the explanations. I think I would have had the same question, now I know ahead of time.

I did a you tube tute on joinging the rows together because although I think the books are excellent and very clear, I can imagine that the row joining could cause problems. Anyway, you seem to have got the hang but otherwise, take a look... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUnPDdjHZdE

:-D :-D :-D

Re the design layout - I personally think they work best when like hexes are grouped together - doesn;t have to be in blocks, can be diagonally or whatever - it varies with the fabric and the blocks you get but scattered doesn't really give the impact that this technique requires and you can just end up with a busy mess. I'd advise you to really read and take in the tips in the book on sorting your blocks and grouping them together on the wall. Then play around with them, over several days if necessary, and take photos and look at them on screen (that clarifies the layout for me always). Until your happy with it. Your eye should flow around the quilt, perhaps pausing here and there at outstanding blocks but never completely coming to rest in any one spot. Good luck - the design can be challenging but a successful OBW is a thing of beauty! Joanne S's (she posted the link to it above) is a fabulous example as it's a limited colour palette but VERY striking in design terms. :-D Here's the link to her's - sorry, she hadn't posted it but I'm sure she won't mind if I do! http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-113203-1.htm

I was looking forward to trying this one day and then reading all the instructions here had me thinking that it would be way to hard. Looking at your photo just explained it all. Thank you

k3n - thanks so much for the links to the tute and to JoanneS's OBW. Her OBW was the one that let me know I could go ahead with a muted fabric and hopefully create something enjoyable. I'm not using squares in mine though and I have very little light value showing .... am getting anxious to get this done (I only have 3 rows sewn - life keeps getting in the way --- ;o))

Thanks to all the women who sent encouraging PMs - this is just the most fantastic board populated by the most fantastic people. I will post a picture of the quilt when it's done along with the picture of the original fabric. Someone asked in this thread where this fabric was from and I honestly don't know. It's been in my small stash for awhile and was my 5th. choice for an OBW since the first 4, when laid out, just didn't work for me.

I don't know about the original questioner, but I finally got it with your picture. Before that it sounded like they were talking in circles. I must be visual too.

Thanks, AMMA. Looking at your picture I finally see how they are set together. Thanks again.

Amma is good. You will be sewing rows together not six sided blocks

And you are not dumb. WE learn things a little at a time and you haven't run across this method yet. Your mind was trying to put into some method you already knew or saw the six sided and was trying to put them together. We learn, but we learn in different ways. You definitely are not dumb

This all sounds like an alien language to me. Worse than Greek. Maybe Martian. I am glad I am not trying to put this together.

This is why I LOVE this board. EVERYONE is so kind in helping. No question is a dumb question if you do not know the answer. I learn so much by just reading.

Suzi and Amma...I love you both! Suzi for asking the question and Amma for writing such a clear explanation! I was torturing myself sewing each seam together separately until I was almost finished and I began squaring up the piece. All of a sudden....voila! The "sew three pieces together etc" hit me! Where have you both been while I was struggling??????? THANK YOU BOTH!!!! SIGH............................

I had to read the book on the pages where you put the halfs in rows before I understood. Your blocks are very pretty. You will get there!

Thanks so much for all of the help on this thread, i am still working with the hexagons and am almost done and read for my daughter to sort by color and then I be ready to sew halfs together. Suzanne

LOL. Thanks for the invite (I've been known to do some crazy things - but my free flying priveleges don't take me to Canada

:)[/quote]

Now wouldn't that be something if you could organize it! Take a look for Waterloo Airport in Kitchener, Ontario... it's very very close to the LQS. I would gladly pick you up!