MSQB: June Block for Sandi

Sandi chose a really beautiful hexagon log cabin quilt block for her quilt and requested purple and gray with permission to use a few other "pops" of color.  We sort of used this tutorial, but I will admit it's more of a guide than anything.  It looks waaaay easier there than it really is. That's not in any way meant to slander the blog author!

I'm a little hesitant to show you this block because I feel like I kind of cheated in making it. In reality though I just had a little help from a friend.

My first go at making Layer One of the hexagon looked more like a diamond--not really a great start!  I quickly checked the discussion in the MSQB group to see if anyone else had started this block and was having problems, and sure enough Toni said her first try didn't work but she used her ruler's 60-degree angle feature, and that really helped.

First off, I didn't even know my quilting ruler had a 60-degree (or any degree!) angle until she said that.  I asked her to post a few pictures, which she did here and here, and that made all the difference.  Once I knew how to trim my fabrics after adding each pair, I was able to do this block sans problem.  The key is to trim every time you add a pair of fabrics rather than waiting to just trim up your hexie after each layer.  (If you're attempting this block, what I am saying will probably make a lot more sense than if you're just casually reading!)

So, after my first layer, I was thrilled.  It's so much better than the first try and even has six full sides!  All in all I think I spent about 3 hours on the block, including starting over after the first attempt and ripping the seams on two of my triangles when finishing the block.

I have to admit, I'm pretty pleased with how this one came out once it did!

I probably wouldn't recommend this for a bee unless you have a more detailed tutorial or are in a bee with geometry nerds, but if you feel comfortable with a good challenge, this is a great block for it.  I can see this turning out many different beautiful ways depending on the color and fabric combination used.