I’ve been bitten. It’s also contagious, I’m sure of it. I fear there’s no cure. It’s the dreaded hexie bug!

To be clear, it’s not that I’ve never heard of hexies. I knew about them long before this latest fad hit the quilting community. 25 years ago, a coworker was busy making a hexie quilt, and she was kind enough to share the method with me. In all the years since, every time English Paper Piecing has come up, I’ve thought to myself, “Eh, not really my thing.” Seems I may have been incorrect on that point. 😉

I was having these thoughts again… these thoughts about “What the heck would I do with all of this fabric if I don’t make quilts out of it?” My stash is larger than it once was even, because every time I do start to make things again, I go to the quilt shop and buy more fabric! It’s not that I don’t like the fabrics I have, but if you’re making a project with a mind toward patterning it or including it in a book… well, current fabrics are “necessary” and all that despite the fact that much of the new fabric doesn’t really grab me the way designs from ten years ago did. Hmfph. I shouldn’t even start down that ranty road.

Anyway–thinking about all this fabric, a wild (and not entirely serious) thought crept in: I could cut it all up into hexies and sell it. Oh, not all at once, because that would be a ridiculous number of hexies! But heck, add some papers, make up a cute pattern, sell it as kits… why not, right? Except then it occurred to me that I’d never made a hexie in my life, and it seemed like I should at least have some knowledge of the technique if I was to do this silly crazy thing (not that I was really considering it seriously…).

So I downloaded a template from here, grabbed a basket of leftover 3″ squares from Dimensional Weavings (yes, those scraps have been hanging out for twelve years and have been moved to new homes three times!) and made a hexie.

And then made a few more. And then a whole bunch. They’re like potato chips or M&M’s only healthier. I think. Somehow EPP is kind of my thing. Surprise, surprise!

Surprise #2 followed closely on the heels of surprise #1: LittleOne (DD#2 who is actually not all that little anymore…) showed up and said “I want to make some hexies!” This is the child who hasn’t been interested in anything to do with quilting or sewing for years, and really wasn’t all that hip on it all when she made a pillowcase years ago. Suddenly she wants to play with fabric?? 😯

Yes, apparently she does. We’ve been happily making hexies together, figuring out the “best way” to do the basting and the sewing, and planning to make a few pillows. I’ve had it in mind to make pillows with these scraps for the living room for years since that’s where the quilt hangs. Hers will be for her bed. She enjoyed pawing through those scraps and sorting them by color and value. She’s remarkably good at judging value and creating a colorwash considering that she’s never done much of this sort of thing!

Will there be bigger EPP projects or quilts coming? Perhaps. We’re still making hexies though we have many more than needed for a few pillows! It’s an odd thing to suddenly have a quilting buddy. I don’t suppose it will last with college and all of the other demands on her time, but I will enjoy the company and the creative energy it sparks while I have it. Perhaps needless to say, I’ll likely be keeping all of this fabric… even the scraps! 🙂