Glue Basting Hexies ~ My Way

August 7, 2013

The number one reason why I wanted to use paper templates with my diamond hexie quilt was the ease of being able to glue baste each of the hexagon shapes instead of hand sewing them. I thought I was going to have to give up that notion because I decided to switch back to the mylar templates. {I explained the reason for that decision in yesterday's post.}

Then I had a light bulb moment....They do happen from time to time. =) 

The mylar templates are heat resistant which means, in theory, you can use an iron to set the glue!! 
The question for me was, would the mylar pieces hold their shape after having heat applied to them? 

Let's give it a try, shall we? 

You can real use any washable glue you have on hand, but I really like Roxanne's Glue Baste It because the applicator is so precise. It only lets out a drop of glue at a time and because you don't need very much to glue baste the hexie, this is perfect for the job. 


You fold and finger press the fabric around the mylar hexagon template. You can't see it in this picture, but there is a straight pin holding the template to the fabric so it won't move and shift. Just under the fold, you place a couple of drops of glue.


Give it a quick press to dry the glue


Simple as that and the side is basted! 


Do the same thing with the other sides.  Add a bit of glue under the fold, 


and give it a quick press to dry the glue. 


Here is the hexie all basted. Take out the pin and you are done!

 
In no time you have a whole pile of hexies waiting to be joined together. 


None of my templates warped from the little bit of heat I used to set the glue. 

I am so glad this works It will make the process so much quicker than hand basting all of them. 

I hope this helps someone get off of the fence and give making hexies a try. =) 

Have a happy day!


19 comments:

  1. Oh I might have to try this. O.k. I hear ya I'm trying to get off the fence....lol

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  2. Amy that is awesome. Thank you so much for sharing. Maybe I will get started on my again? Thank you so much for sharing.
    Hugs
    donna

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  3. The heat set is something that I hadn't tried, but I glue baste always. Good informational share, Miss Amy!
    :-}pokey

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  4. Sounds like a great idea, but since I am a wee bit dense today do you remove the mylar piece after you heat set it or after you sew some of them together?

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  5. I hadn't heard of this way to baste hexies. I'll have to remember it, in case I ever get around to using my hexie papers one day. So many plans, so little time.

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  6. I've seen this basting glue in a quilting catalog. Good to know it is so precise. I wondered if it washed well.

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  7. So happy it worked out!! I will definitely have to give that a try!! xo Heather

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  8. You are really a genius! That is one of the most clever things I've seen in a long time. Do you know how often my thread gets tangled and knotted? I've basted close to 200 hexies in the past month, and while I enjoy the hand work, I don't like stopping to untangle things. I am going to try this TODAY! I am going to add this to my class notes (I teach EPP in a new cycle of classes) and I'm telling them my genius blog buddy halfway across the country came up with it!

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  9. I do this same thing from time to time. It's a great time saver! Love the colors you've chosen!

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  10. Thanks for the tips! I just saw so many hexie's online and now I see you have already started!!...I ordered 44 templates online on sale...I thought it looked like good therapy when driving to see kids, relaxing, etc!!...your tips are really well done! photos perfect! I am in Lori Holts Bakeshop right now! :) you understand....

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  11. Soooooooooooooooooooo clever!

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  12. I have that glue and I just took a class at our LQS on EPP and I was wondering the same thing, whether or not I could just glue the corners in place and take out the paper or the plastic template. I will try both ways but I'm guessing I'm going to go with the easiest - your method. Thanks for sharing this and I love the fabric you used.

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    1. Just to clarify, I don't take out the templates until after they are sewn on all sides, just like you would with any other EPP. =) I do find the glue in the corners make the hexies more precise and crisp. You will need a thimble to get the needle through the glued part, though. =)

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  13. I love this method! Now I just have to decide on the joining together pattern. Decisions, decisions that are all complicated because I love the look of the hexies standing up in circles on my large glass plates, looking like colorful little caterpillars.

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  14. gosh i think that is the easiest way i have ever seen to do hexies

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  15. THIS is the BEST way for me to do Hexies. I am a machiner, not a hand doer and this works great for me. I have just made a handful of these. I use Elmers School glue with a metal tip and press it. Kind of Sharon Schamber tip. I thank you for putting this on your blog.

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  16. This is the way I do it too, I don't use the same glue you use but I bought a couple of the fine tip bottles and just refill with washable elmers. I also use a cheap glue stick. I has arthritis so every little short cut helps.

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  17. What is mylar templates? Like mylar balloons, or is it stiff? ljbisme at msn dot com

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  18. Hi Linda. I saw your question from a year ago and didn't see a reply. Mylar quilt templates is my favorite way to sew quilt pieces together. They are sturdy but flexible plastic pieces in the desired shape of the pattern pieces. Easy to wrap fabric on as seen in the video and make precise quilting a breeze. If you want more information, you can contact me at johnston4696@comcast.net. I have published my website yet - but soon!

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