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Decorate a fused seven-hexagon flower with machine stitching by stabilizing the background, testing stitch settings on scraps, and using the presser foot specified for your machine. The method comes from AllPeopleQuilt’s “Machine Minute: Hexagons Gone Crazy,” published October 13, 2016.
How the seven-hexagon design works
The tutorial arranges seven fused hexagons in a Grandmother’s Flower Garden layout: one center piece surrounded by six others. The center hexagon matches the background fabric. It looks like an open hole in the flower, but the fabric remains in place and helps keep the layers stable.
Once the pieces are fused, decorative machine stitching accentuates the short seams where neighboring hexagons meet, then outlines the center and the outside edge.
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Prepare and stabilize the fabric
Decorative stitches move the fabric in several directions. Stabilize the background to help limit puckering as the machine sews. The presenter uses lightweight sew-through fusible web; the tutorial transcript also mentions placing stabilizer underneath as an option.
- Fuse the fabric and cut seven hexagons for the flower layout.
- Arrange the hexagons with the background-matching piece in the center.
- Stabilize the background with lightweight sew-through fusible web, or consider stabilizer underneath as described in the tutorial.
- Before sewing the finished panel, test stitch patterns, thread weights, and needles on fused scrap.
Choose stitches, thread, needle, and presser foot
There is no single setup established as right for every machine or fabric. Jennifer, the tutorial presenter, says 30-weight thread and a 90/14 needle worked best in her sample. Treat those as her tested choices, not universal requirements; test your own combination on fused scrap.
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Use the presser foot specified for the decorative stitches on your machine. The presenter cautions that a quarter-inch foot with a round needle hole can cause a broken needle when the needle swings side to side. If your machine does not display the recommended foot electronically, check its manual before stitching.
Sew the decorative seams
- Choose a decorative stitch and position the presser foot’s guide at the intersection of two hexagons.
- Sew along the short seam, keeping the guide centered on the intersection. Slow down as you approach the center.
- Reinforce the ends of the seam with anchoring stitches.
- Continue across the other short seams where adjacent hexagons meet.
- Stitch around the center hexagon, then around the outside hexagon to finish the design.
Turn the stitched panel into a finished project
The tutorial suggests using the decorated panel for a pillow, bag, or framed picture. Choose the finish that suits the size and use of your panel.
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