Millefiore and Millefiori

The New Hexagon - Katja Marek

Quilters who don’t want to sew with English Paper Piecing have been asking me for Inklingo shapes for Millefiore/Millefiori quilts. They prefer to print the shapes on fabric with Inklingo and sew with a running stitch.

Of course, I agree that a running stitch is faster and more portable and more precise than whip-stitching.

I finally received my copy of Katja Marek’s New 52 Pieced Hexagons book.

Good news! Most of the shapes for Katja’s 52 Pieced Hexagons are already Inklingo-able!

 

Print hexagons on fabric with Inklingo

A new Inklingo shape collection is probably not necessary!

If you love hexagons, you may already have the Inklingo 60° hexagons, diamonds, and triangles to print on fabric!

 

Millefiori Quilts - Willyne Hammerstein

CONFUSION – MILLEFIORE OR MILLEFIORI

Unfortunately, there has been quite a bit of confusion in the requests I have received.

1.  Katja’s Millefiore is one letter different from Willyne Hammerstein’s Millefiori (book published in 2011) and very similar to the original Passacaglia quilt on the cover of it. (I am still hoping to do a shape collection for Willyne’s amazing quilt.)

 

3 inch Pieced Hexagon

2. Another confusing thing is that Katja calls her Pieced Hexagons “6 inch,” but that is the measurement across the center from point to point.

I name my hexagons in the traditional way—by the length of a finished side—so some quilters did not realize the shapes for the Millefiore Quilt Along are already in the Index of Shapes under the Support & Goodies tab on the website.

Sizes are easy. All you have to do is measure the finished sizes of the 60° diamonds, triangles and other shapes in Katja’s book. Inklingo shapes are named with the finished size to make it easy. Main 60° Shapes Page

 

Freezer Paper templates

For the few shapes that are not Inklingo-able, I recommend tracing them from Katja’s book onto freezer paper to make templates.

This is the method described in my Quilted Diamonds books (2002 and 2004) and on the blog.

 

Choose the lightest, finest line.

Some shapes will be printed and some will have the lines drawn manually.

Easy, especially if you only need to draw the lines on a few shapes.

 

Draw the sewing lines

Draw the sewing lines on the fabric with a mechanical pencil and sew with a running stitch.

Using templates and drawing the lines is more work than printing the shapes on fabric with Inklingo, but it is much faster and more precise than gluing the fabric to templates, whip-stitching, and removing templates.

 

Settings for Pieced Hexagons

We have shared settings for Pieced Hexagons on the blog several times in the past.

Katja’s Millefiore is made up of rings of 3 inch Pieced Hexagons (called 6 inch Hexagons in the book), so you could substitute any of my 300 Pieced Hexagons for the ones in Katja’s book for the Millefiore Quilt Along on Facebook if you prefer to print all of the shapes on fabric with Inklingo.

 

Inklingo Pieced Hexagons Video

300 Pieced Hexagons Video

 

Inklingo Fussy Cut Star (Kaleidoscope or One Block Wonder)

FUSSY CUTTING

Both Willyne’s Millefiori and Katja’s Millefiore designs rely on fussy cutting to get fabulous effects, following the tradition of Lucy Boston Patchwork of the Crosses.

I have written about two Inklingo fussy cutting methods several times on the blog, for POTC, for stars, for hexagons and for other shapes.  This is a good place to start.
http://www.inklingo.com/blog/two-inklingo-fussy-cutting-methods/

 

VIDEO - Machine piece hexagons

QUILT ALONG ON FACEBOOK

Please feel free to pass this info along to anyone who would like to participate in the Millefiore Quilt Along:

  1. You can use Inklingo to print the shapes for almost all of Katja’s Pieced Hexagons and sew with a running stitch.
  2. The Pieced Hexagons are also big enough to sew by machine (video above).
  3. If you do want to sew with English Paper Piecing, there are 8 Good Ways to Use Inklingo for EPP.
  4. You can finish an EPP UFO with Inklingo. English Paper Piecing Rescue
  5. You can choose a different size! (300 PiecedHexagons below)
  6. Quilted Diamonds (my first book in 2002, pre-Inklingo) is still available. It includes detailed instructions for using freezer paper templates and sewing with a running stitch.

Inklingo 300 Pieced Hexagons

My 300 Piece Hexagon ebook includes the designs, but not the shapes to print on fabric, so you have a choice of sizes and designs for your Millefiore variation!

MILLEFIORE QUILT ALONG

I hope you will enjoy every stitch in Katja’s Quilt Along on Facebook, whether you use EPP, a running stitch or sew by machine.

There is also more info on Katja’s website. Let the fun begin!

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Thank you for visiting.

Linda & Monkey

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9 thoughts on “Millefiore and Millefiori”

  1. Linda
    After reading your post I went back to katja’s book. I am pretty sure that she refers to her hexagons as 3″ and has diagrams that support the position that the measurement comes from the length of one of the sides. Several people in the quilt a long have decided to elaborate on that measurement by pointing out that the height is 6″. But katja measures it the traditional way as both you and I do. I’m sure that you do not want Your comments to be taken in the wrong way

    Reply
    • Hi Mary, Thank you for writing.
      Unfortunately, on the back cover of the book it says: Select from 52 patterns for 6″ blocks.
      That text is used in descriptions on websites that sell the book too. I think that is why so many quilters wrote to me asking whether I would be creating a new shape collection.
      Some quilters said they did not want to buy the book unless the shapes were Inklingo-able, so they were just going by the sales description. It is an unfortunate and unnecessary confusion. I’m glad you wrote.

      Reply
  2. Well I guess my question and reply goes with Darlene as to with inklingo you wouldn’t have to have a monthly package since there are just so many pieces that are being repeated in the hexies correct .we bought katjas book she did say possibly add ones I don’t know what that means..but couldn’t a person who had the collection of 300shapes just print out the ones they need for each hexies? I so don’t know since I have not done it yet

    Reply
  3. Linda: Would be so nice if you could provide a package each month such as paper pieces has done. The quilt along is fun but there were 35 blocks in the first rosette. This was just month one and so interesting but lots of tracing. I am an “inklingo” convert and would love to use it for this interesting QAL.

    Reply
  4. Hi, I was just attenpting to draw them myself in EQ. Not all succesfully, but I just need practise! And I used your ebook 300 pieced hexagons to try to make them more difficult! I also want to give this quilt along a try and was looking for other ways to sew instead of EPP, although I love doing that it is expensive to buy all the templates and making them myself isn’t very precise!

    Would the CD with shapes also be good for this size hexies? As it is impossible to buy now new collection in europe.
    I hope I can figure it all out!
    Thanks for this post!

    Reply
  5. Hello LInda,
    Im working on the “La Passacaglia Quilt” by Willeyne Hammerstein,
    you will find some pictuere on my blog.
    I like it, it`s interesting to use the differnt templates. 😉

    Reply
  6. Wow are you kidding? I know I am joining in on that one and everyone has been calling them 3″hexies I just browsed through the book quickly. I just told a friend of mine the other day I was thinking of asking you if it would be possible to get the shapes done on inklingo!! Oh my gosh! Do you have those blasted kites and everything? I didn’t have to do all that blasted tracing to save money!!!! Oh Linda Linda Linda

    Reply
  7. thanks for the info Linda I am thinking of making the Millefiori quilt by Willyne but really do not know if I want to try my hand at EPP!! I have only done one little thing that way and I will look through the rosettes in the book and compare with my Inklingo collections and see what there is that matches.

    Reply

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