Another year for the Focus Cutting Sew Along 2021. A huge part of my sewing life for three years now I am jumping in with a full heart for the fourth year in a row. This year it’s the half hexagon and I must admit to be enjoying heading back to the hexagon shape and all it’s possibilities!

My 2018 quilt was finished off last month and it felt like such an achievement to get it done after so long. Plus with a swift finish of my 2020 blocks at the end of last year has left me with the need to do similar this year.

For the Focus Cutting Sewalong 2021 I have planned out my design from week one. I’m going quilt this year and have worked out I need 53 four inch hexagons to complete a decent sized quilt.

I was given a bunch of Lewis and Irenes bumbleberries fat quarters for Christmas from my family and have chosen to use them in each block alongside the focus cut shapes. So far they are looking epic!

Here follows are my January blocks with the theme of Grey/Yellow the Pantone colours of the year.

Week One

Choosing an identifiable motif. I hit my scraps for this one and knew I had some sewing related bits to fit. I’ve used a half inch half hexie on the inner round with some little sewing motifs. Followed by some scissors on one inch half hexies. rounded off in grey to form my final shape.

It was a real buzz introducing my plan at the start of the month. People have got used to me sewing the tiny shapes so to reveal something so big was fun! The best thing about this though is that it is so flexible and if you follow on you’ll see my plan emerging…

Week Two

Pick an obscure section. Sections has to be my favourite style of Focus Cutting. You can create magic by selecting and repeating an image in a round. It’s good fun!

I used a section from a bird on grey fabric to make my hexie shape. Repeating across the half inch and one inch round makes a really cool cathering wheel type effect and topping it off with a bit of red bumble berries makes it sing.

Week Three

Pattern matching! I’ve had plenty of practice on matching patterns on my hexies and I am really glad the brief suggested the need to match over two shapes, not specifying matching around the round.

Using the same bird from week two I matched my bird across the hexagon to give it something different. It was fun! The final colour used was some greens and the first time mixing up two colours. Happy with the result.

Week Four

Freestyle! This week allowed a bit of playful fun. Anything goes as long as you use focus cutting techniques in the block.

My centre half inch round is an identifiable motif of a small triangle pointing in and I have followed with a kind of hazzard effect in the outer two half hexies with co-ordinating fabrics. I’m very please with the effect.

There you go, the first month of the Focus Cutting Sew Along 2021 complete. These 4 blocks will form the top row of the quilt and I can’t wait to see this baby grow throughout the year.