It’s my turn on the blog hop for my darling friend Tacha’s new book, Hexa go-go! And what a book it is!
For a chance to win a copy of the book keep reading!
In my world, Tacha is the queen of all things hexagon. She was the first person to show me that hexagons can be modern and not old fashioned. We were in a few bees together when we both joined the online quilting world and I was so tickled to have a friend from Germany. I felt very cosmopolitan!
In a blatant copy even then of Tacha’s style, I made these blocks for a bee using epp.
Little did I know she would go on to write a book about this fabulous concept. I just knew that I needed to try my hand at it. Time consuming but absolutely worth it!
Just a glimpse at the back of one of those blocks I made.
Because I know Tacha a bit (as well as you can know someone you’ve never actually met and share an online hobby with!) I wanted to do an interview with her so you all can get to know her a bit better. I hope you enjoy it.
A: What made you decide to write a book? I know you have a super busy schedule with two girls and being a member of Fat Quarterly. How did you find the time?!
T: Good question. I can’t really remember what made me finally put together some of my ideas into a formal book proposal. My youngest daughter was just beginning daycare and I finally had time to gather my thoughts for more than a few minutes at a time so I started to put together ideas and it soon became clear that I was obsessed with hexagons! After a quick google I found that there weren’t many books on the market which combined hexagons with modern quilt designs so I thought why not write a book myself!
Time was a huge issue for me. I pretty much submitted the proposal to C&T at the same time as I was contacting the rest of the Fat Quarterly team to see if they wanted to work together somehow. Fat Quarterly had been up and running for only a couple of months or so before I heard that my proposal had been accepted. It was pretty full on and I had to plan my time to the minute to meet all my deadlines especially since all the projects in the book are EPP projects and therefore sewn by hand. The only way to make it work was if pretty much every waking moment I was stitching hexagons! But that is the beauty of EPP – it is really so portable. I stitched during car trips, took the hexagons on family holidays, to the park and pretty much anywhere that I went. Everyone got used to the fact that when they saw me I was sewing and covered in threads. When I look back now I am not really sure how I managed it.
A: Be honest. How long did it take to make that fabulous Union Jack quilt? Because I want one and I’m not British! lol
T: The Union Jack quilt took shape pretty quickly as I just couldn’t wait to see how it would look once finished! It was also one of the first of the quilts that I made which meant my hands were still quite fresh so the stitching went more quickly. (I could definitely feel myself slowing down by the time I tackled the last few quilts!) I reckon it probably took about a month from start to finish.
A: What is your favorite project in the book? And yes, I realize that is like asking you to pick a favorite child
T: Totally impossible to answer that! I think at some point or other during the process they all ranked up there. But I have to admit for having a soft spot for the Over the Rainbow quilt but shh don’t tell the other quilts! The rainbow quilt reminds me of all the people in Bee Inspired who stitched up blocks and there are so many different scraps of fabrics in the quilt it is like a library record of my stash about a year ago!
A: What can we expect from you next?
T: I was trying to have a rest but little ideas keep bubbling to the surface so I do have a few secret projects on the go. Hopefully I’ll be able to let you know more about them soon. In the meantime it is business as usual at Fat Quarterly. We are busily preparing for our second retreat next year and of course for our next issue!
Thank you Tacha for sharing that with us! and for more peeks at her book and hexagon goodness, keep following along on the blog hop.
I just bought a fq bundle of Gypsy Girl three days ago. It's for a quilt for my daughter and we can't agree on a pattern just yet. Maybe she'd go for something with hexies!
I went shopping yesterday!! I bought a few meters of some polka dots that I will use for bindings for baby quilts, some flannel for the back of a baby quilt, some black for the binding of a lap quilt for my husband and a new Stonehenge fabric with red maple leaves on it to add to my stash, (I am from Ottawa Canada…). I hadn't been to my LQS in a while… it felt really good!!
My most recent purchase was a few prints of Tula Pink's The Birds and The Bees. I'm going to have to go back soon and purchase the rest of the line!
2 weeks ago bought Bungle Jungle Jelly Roll for my friend who now serves in Afghanistan. I hope she will finish little quilt for her boys. Thank you for the opportunity! I love your blog!!!
A layer cake of Mama Said Sew. And one of Dear Mr. Claus. With all the holiday sales going on right now it will be hard not to buy more.
Ohh thanks for the opportunity. I just cant get my hexies to be a consistent size!
My last fabric purchase was a bolt of Kona red about a month ago.
My latest fabric purchase was over two months ago: eight fat quarters of soft cuddly flanels, to make a welsh inspred quilt for a dear old lady in a nursing home. It was a very good excuse to go out and buy new stuff, as I have been using mostly from my stast for the last three quilts I made.
Lotte van der Linden
lottelinden@hotmail.com
Just last night I ordered some fabrics from an Etsy shop.."children at play". "a windy day" to name a few. I am really liking my Zakka style sewing book that my daughter gave me and I have been working on some projects from there.
Lets see, my most recent fabric purchase was some basics – a nice black & white, large scale white on red, and a cute pumpkin print that I couldn't pass up. I'm trying to use the stash, but sometimes you need a little something to freshen it up, right? Loved the interview & thanks for the chance to win a copy of Hexagogo!
Most recent – Heather Ross prints from Spoonflower.
I bought some fat quarters online that I am waiting to receive in the mail. They were kids prints.
Last night! Bella was calling my name 🙂
Last night, 1 yd fall fabric for a friend. 2 yrds of mustard for me plus 3 misc fat quarter. jillfroelich@yahoo.com
I purchased about 12-15 yards of fabric at the thrift stores yesterday. Woohoo! One piece was over 5 yards, and only cost $1.21. Some of this fabric will be used to make preemie quilts for the local hospital. Some will be used for Quilts of Valor quilts. Some will just go in my stash for future use, or shared with quilting friends. All is good, quality quilting cottons from name brand manufactures.
I just got a package in the mail an hour ago! I've been working on a Grandmother's Garden Quilt and recently decided to use low-volume text prints as the garden path (I uploaded a picture to flickr today with an initial mock up user:Caryn211). I ordered a bundle of text fabrics from Sew Me a Song to add into the mix. I also bought Japanese prints for a charm swap and several extra FQ's that fell into my cart.
I primarily hand sew, so I've been drooling over this book for awhile now. Thanks or the chance.
3 days ago, i bought more than i needed… as usual. i can't help it! i'm a fabric hoarder!!
My most recent fabric purchase was probably for months ago and it was some cream fabric with blue flowers to make my daughter a skirt, which is still on my list of things to do. eatkin85@ yahoo.com
I haven't bought anything in a while -been trying to do scrappy stashy projects, but I did pick up some white on white on sale a few months ago.
i ordered [five days ago] and am waiting for arrival [tomorrow!] yard and a half pieces of kona solids in coal, medium grey, iron, steel, pepper and ash with a 20% coupon! the day before, i sent for hexie paper pieces in five sizes … i am that excited over the epp project i'm doing now! surely, one of the patterns in this book could be worked in shades of grey! would love to win a copy and give it a try.
A few weeks ago I made the mistake of taking my husband with me to pick out some fabric for a quilt for his friend's new baby. He ended up not caring about the fabric, but he was able to see the true cost of quilting which he was not happy about. 🙂
Yesterday I bought some fabric as a backing for a quilt for my brother.
Ughhh…this morning. I bought Bella, Field Study and Sew Mama Said… so much $$$$! LOL
My most recent purchase was yesterday. I bought 6 yards of Kaffe Fassett stripes! Wheeee!
I just bought some DS Quilts at JoAnn's a couple weeks ago. And some Kona Ivory yesterday. Thanks for the chance to win this book – your bee blocks are lovely!
I just purchased a yard of fabric yesterday. It was from the Loulouthi line! It's going to be the binding for a current project!
I bought 2 fQ's from spoonflower on err Monday but my delivery of Quilt blocks arrived yesterday and they are yummy ;o)
Just last week I received a nice supply of aqua prints, and a sale-priced print for a backing from Hawthorne Threads. Nice stuff! Receiving fabric in the mail is THE BEST! (Thanks heaps for the Heather Mulder Peterson prints I won through your blog from Sprightly Fabrics!)
Nursery Versery last week 🙂 LOVE!
I'm in NYC so I treated myself to some fabric and B&J! I got some really pretty liberty of London!
I recently purchased (last month) some Curious Nature by Basic Grey. It's already made up into a quilt for an Uncle's 90th birthday.
About 3 weeks ago I bought a Sew Stitchy charm pack by Aneela Hoey. I have been so busy I haven't had time to shop.
Thanks for the great giveaway.
My last fabric purchase was this week at JoAnn's – couple of fat quarters so could keep sewing until visit the quilt shop.
I literally just got home from purchasing fabric! JoAnn's is Labor Day sale began today and I figure it was as good a day as any to fill up my stash! Lots of fat quarter bundles and even some corduroy to make a messenger bag for my sweetie. =)
I was at my parents' house in North Carolina a few weeks ago and visited Mary Jo's for the first time. I bought a few half-yard cuts from their modern section (wish it were bigger), but I bought a ton from their scrap bin – I really love my scraps. And guess what I used them for… HEXAGONS!!
I actually just bought 5 yards of Kona White today! Got to have the basics. 🙂
Lol! I already told you I spurted today 🙂 Bought some minky, Essex linen, fiddlesticks by Erin McMorris to make myself a dress and some ghastlies to finish up that quilt in time for Halloween. Of course this adds to the pile of AMH voile and Field study I bought earlier in the week, and Nursery Versery…yup, a good week!
It was 8 days ago and I bought a yard and a half of fabric to replace some I messed up in the middle of a quilt I'm making.
The last I bought was some Batiste for smocking.
Just yesterday I bought fabric at a shop hop. A pink floral for a sewing machine cover, 3 random fat quarters and a charm pack of Oh Deer by MoMo.
The last I bought was some of Denyse Schmidt's new Richmond line at Joann's — lovely stuff!
I went to Joannes yesterday and bought a leafy print to make potholders for my niece. fran.daoust@yahoo.com
I bought some Denise Schmidt and a great pink multidot print by Alexander Henry. Thank you for a chance to win.
As of right this second the last fabric that I purchased was a few from random lines at the local quilt shop. Moda and Kona mostly, you know the basics. However tomorrow I will be traveling out of state and hope to stop at some shops along the way.
Thank you for the opportunity for the book!
I have just recently begun to play with Hexagons so it would be great to have some inspiration.
Mine was last week. But since this is a holiday weekend in the US, I'll probably buy more. Can't resist a good sale. 🙂
ginger c at gmail dot com
The last fabric purchase I made was several yards of Pure Organics in steel to back and bind a wedding quilt I'm making for my brother and his fiancée. Thanks for the chance to win such an awesome prize!
I bought some of the new Kona solids. Yum! And the rainbow hexi quilt is one of my favs too!
About an hour ago I bought way to much Oh Deer and Madrona Rd. 🙂 Looks like a great book! Thanks for the chance to win!!
I bought some polka dot fabrics yesterday for a polka dot exchange I have coming up. I also bought some striped fabric for a patriotic quilt I need to put together.
It's been quite awhile since I made a purchase. I've got so much fabric in my stash, I've been spending a lot on thread and just bought the new Singer One machine.
HA! I resisted placing an order from one quilt shop today because I have a gift certificate for another and I'm hoping they have a labor day sale, so it's been a whole week since I made an order (uh three orders same day…cough) and there was some heather ross, amy butler, madrona road, AMH, flea market fancy, and er, lots more.
It is not my fault so many great lines just came out! Thank you for the giveaway, I am just about to cut some fabric to do my first paper pieced hexies finally!