Quilt dresses have taken the fashion scene by storm this year. As someone who has embraced this trend with open arms, the thought of collaborating with my friend Kelsey from White Rose Designs for her latest fat quarter bundle, Secret Garden, filled me with excitement. The opportunity to fuse her love for quilting with Sunflower Seams designs was irresistible. If you know Kelsey then you know she is the self proclaimed Hexie Queen and the idea of a hexie skirt for one of her daughters seemed like the perfect project. Today I will be sharing how to create this gorgeous look...it's easier than you think. (I promise!!)
What you'll need
- Half Hexie template
- Art Gallery Fabrics Secret Garden 16 fat quarters
- Violet Dress Pattern (or any Sunflower Seams dress)
- 1 yard ThermoWeb Tricot sheer weight fusible interfacing (may need more for larger sizes)
- Thread, sewing machine, iron, etc. (basic quilting supplies)
Choose a size
First we need to determine the width and the length of the skirt. (For this tutorial I am using the Violet pattern, however you can find these measurements in the cut chart of the pattern.) I am creating a size 3 dress so I will need a skirt pieces that is 13.75” x 62”. I determined the width of the skirt by adding both skirt panels together to eliminate additional seams.
Calculate the number of hexies you will need for your skirt
Once you know what width/length you want your skirt to be, you’ll need to calculate how many half hexies to cut out. To calculate the amount of half hexies you will need in each strip of your skirt, divide your skirt width by 5.75 ((this is the internal hexie block length minus seam allowance). To know how many rows of hexie strips you will need, divide your skirt length by 2.3 ((this is the internal hexie block length minus seam allowance). For example, using 13.75” x 62″ I will need 6 rows with 11 hexie blocks each.
WHY HALF HEXIES RATHER THAN FULL HEXAGONS?
YOU MAY WONDER WHY YOU MUST SPEND ALL THAT EXTRA TIME SEWING HALF HEXAGONS TOGETHER WHEN YOU COULD USE FULL HEXAGONS. HERE’S WHY: SEWING FULL HEXAGONS TOGETHER REQUIRES Y SEAMS. THOUGH NOT IMPOSSIBLE TO DO, THEY ARE MORE CHALLENGING FOR BEGINNERS.
Cutting the fabric
- Iron all fat quarters for your quilt top and get them nice and flat. *If you like to starch, do so before cutting.
- Stack fat quarters (2 to 4 at a time) and use a 45mm or 60mm rotary cutter to cut 2.75 inches x WOF strips from each stack. The cutting process will go quicker this way.
- Use the Hexie Template to cut as many 6.5” Half Hexagons from the strips as you can.
Sewing the Half Hexagons
This part may seem a little intimidating to a beginner, but it's really as simple as sewing a straight seam. All you need to do is know how to angle each hexagon edge before sewing.
My skirt will have 6 rows, with 11 half hexagons in each row. Yours may be smaller or larger, depending on the overall dress size you are creating. I suggest laying out each row before sewing.
- Place one half hexagon down with right sides facing up.
- Put another half hexagon (flipped the opposite direction) along the right edge of the first one and overlap points by ¼" along those edges.
- Sew along this edge with a ¼" seam. Press all seams to the right for Row 1, to the left for Row 2, and alternate for remaining rows.
- Repeat for remaining half hexagons in row.
*As you can see from the diagram below, the half hexagons are not placed directly ontop of one another at the same angle. It's very important to place them in the correct position before sewing.
Finishing your Skirt
There are 2 methods you can do here to finish your skirt. The first method is very beginner friendly but will leave you with one long seam down the skirt. Your second method is a little more advanced and will seamlessly connect the hexies.
Method 1
- Place row 1 and row 2 together, right sides together.
- Sew along the top long edge with a ¼" seam. Press all seams up.
- Repeat for remaining rows.
- Place row 1 and row 2 together, right sides together.
- Sew along the top long edge with a ¼" seam. Press all seams up.
- Repeat for remaining rows.
- Using a ruler and rotary cutter, cut the ends off creating one straight edge.
- Repeat this step on the other short edge.
- Lay the fusible interfacing on the wrong side of your skirt. Using an iron, fuse to your fabric.
- Place the short ends of the skirt together, right sides together.
- Sew along this edge with a ¼" seam. Finish the seam with a serger or zigzag stitch.
Method 2
- Place row 1 and row 2 together, right sides together.
- Sew along the top long edge with a ¼" seam. Press all seams up.
- Repeat for remaining rows.
- Place row 1 and row 2 together, right sides together.
- Sew along the top long edge with a ¼" seam, leaving 2” open at both ends. Press all seams up.
- Repeat for remaining rows.
- Fold the skirt in half, right sides together.
- Place one end of row 1 along the right edge of Row 1’s other end and overlap points by ¼" along those edges.
- Sew along this edge with a ¼" seam. Press all seams to the right for Row 1, to the left for Row 2, and alternate for remaining rows.
- Repeat for remaining rows.
- Sew the 2” openings closed.
- Lay the fusible interfacing on the wrong side of your skirt. Using an iron, fuse to your fabric.
From here you will finish the dress as stated in the tutorial.
Happy Sewing!
