Rescuing a Vintage Hexagon Quilt
Bringing New Life to a Rescue Quilt
Every so often I pull from my basket of rescue quilts. These are old quilt tops I’ve found at estate sales, thrift shops, and antique stores that still have plenty of life left in them. This particular quilt top immediately caught my attention with its scrappy pinks, florals, and variety of prints. It wasn’t perfect, with several small holes scattered across the top, but the design was so unique I couldn’t let it go.
Happening Now
Swayful Quilty Class – BEGINS JUNE 29
A new quilt is beginning inside Quilty Class. Swayful features a woven knot design created from rotating blocks and simple snowball construction. The pattern is fat quarter friendly for the foreground fabrics and includes a unique border that carries the movement all the way to the edges of the quilt.
We’ll begin on June 29 and work through the quilt top together step-by-step as new lessons are released.
If you’re planning to make quilts with us throughout the year, Quilty Club is the easiest way to follow along and access each class as we go.
Let’s make quilts…
A Unique Hexagon Design
The pattern is something I have never seen before. Small, hand-pieced hexagons are stitched together into giant hexagon clusters, and between each cluster sits a solid hexagon. The effect is unusual, playful, and unlike any quilt I have worked on before.
Watch the Process
I filmed the entire process of working on this quilt, from pulling it out of my basket of rescue quilts to choosing fabrics, quilting, binding, and finally finishing it up. You can watch the full journey in the video below.
Choosing the Backing
To give this quilt a new foundation, I added batting and chose Blossom Bonanza Minty for the wide back. The soft minty green geometric design paired beautifully with all the scrappy pinks in the quilt top.
Dense Free Motion Quilting
Because of the age of the quilt top and the presence of those tiny holes, I quilted very densely. I used toothpaste swirls that transitioned into petal motifs, and in the open areas I filled with pebbling. This dense quilting not only added wonderful texture, it also secured the quilt top and will help keep it sturdy for many years to come.
Finishing Touches
For the binding, I went with Kona Seafoam Solid and stitched it down by hand using the chunky thread method. I chose DMC #8, color 603, a bright pink that contrasts beautifully with the seafoam edges. This detail ties the quilt together and gives it a cheerful, handmade finish.
Products & Tools I Used
- Blossom Bonanza Minty Wide Back
- Kona Seafoam Solid Binding
- DMC #8 Thread, Color 603
- Bernina Q20 Sit-Down Longarm
- Chunky Binding Demo
- Aussie Sewing Cabinet
