NEW Pattern to Play With! Polygon Quilts by Jennifer Sampou
Posted by Jennifer Sampou on Oct 5th 2017
A roadblock due to lack of supplies. And creativity came through . . . from hexies to polygons!! Plus, scroll down for a giveaway.
Hexie quilts have been all the rage, and last year I had intended to make one. What happened next is something different, unplanned. I'd like to introduce my new Polygon Quilts Pattern, which riffs on the hexie concept by making polygons (meaning multisided shapes) in an improvisational style. It's fresh, fun, and super easy to make!
I'll tell you the story:
A while back, on a Friday afternoon just as the kids were getting off the bus, my husband Todd and I were packing up "the brick" (our old red, beater SUV) to head up to the mountains. Rushing to get the dogs in . . . Is there enough room? The duffle just fell on Indie and Luna! (They put up with so much—love our dogs.) William, did you feed the chickens? Marky, lock the back doors . . . Is Tommy even coming? Todd was scrambling to get the last bike on the rack, and I was sweeping through my studio full force, gathering up my hexie weekend project and stuffing my supplies into my tote. Let's go! We'll beat the traffic!
The next morning, after waking up in the fresh mountain air, eating a big breakfast and hiking in the woods, I was ready to settle into my sewing project with my new fabric Studio Stash (2015) while the boys went fishing. Peace and quiet at last. Ahhhh.
Within minutes of unpacking my supplies, I realized I had forgotten a very crucial part of my project—CRIPES!! I was frustrated that of all the stuff I packed into that car, I had forgotten one little, perfect stack of paper pieces I had hoped would bring joy to my afternoon and aid my making.
Now what to do? Too lazy to drive into Truckee quilt shop and too irritated to buy another pack of hexies (these qualities drive creativity indeed!), I decided to mess around with my new 5" charm packs. Oh well. Let's see what comes of it. So I chain pieced a few HSTs (half-square triangles), cut them, and pressed. Felt pretty good. I love the repetitive process of making blocks, then playing with shapes. Then a few wonky polygons emerged (5-7 sided)! Cool! I like these! Within a few hours, I had amassed a pile of them. It was a super fun and forgiving process, plus each shape was slightly different than the one before. They each had little personalities! The creative juices were flowing, and I was in the zone.
Sewing, basting, and/or using a glue stick all work for making polygons. Just don't overdo the glue.
I played with spacing the polygons close together like a tight puzzle, as well are more spaced out, giving an airy feel and showing more background. I thought about minis too, wouldn't they be super cute?!
So there you have it. That's how this quilt and pattern came to be. Making these wonky shapes became a little addiction, and I had made multiple pieces by the time we were ready to offer the pattern.
We are tickled at the potential of this concept, and I hope you give this new pattern a try! Can't wait to see what you all do! Make sure to follow me on Instagram and Facebook and hashtag #jennifersampou #polygonplayquilt #polygonquilts so I can see your creativity at work!
I am teaching this new pattern in Napa Valley, California, from March 24-25. Sign ups open Wednesday October 11 at 9am PST. Please contact me if you'd like me to come to your guild or store. I do have children at home, so my travel schedule isn't huge, but I do love teaching and traveling to beautiful places!
And hey! Thanks to C&T for letting me chime in on their blog . . . and I would love to see you in Napa!!
Before I leave, I have a giveaway for you! A Polygon Quilts Pattern kit with everything you need to make a 44" x 44" Polygon Quilt (for a $55 value): the Polygon Quilts Pattern, background fabric, and fabric for the hexies. You can enter right here: a Rafflecopter giveaway. Open to US residents only; giveaway ends 10/12/2017.
