Inklingo: Hexagons with Linda Franz
I’m happy to welcome a guest to Quilty Pleasures today. I’ve used Inklingo and I can tell you it’s wonderful. Read on and enjoy.
Inklingo Hexagons
by Linda Franz
The new issue of Quiltmaker is all about hexagons, so I was thrilled to be asked to show you Inklingo! My name is Linda Franz and I invented Inklingo (US Patent 7,814,832).
Print hexagons on fabric with Inklingo!
- Goodbye templates!
- Goodbye basting!
- Goodbye marking dots!
- Goodbye whip-stitching!
Sounds good so far?
- Hello to a more portable, relaxing way to sew!
- Hello to faster preparation and better results with no stitches showing on the front.
- Hello to easy peasy inset seams, even by machine.
- Hello to sewing by hand when you need a portable project and sewing by machine when you want something fast—in the same quilt.
If hexagons are not your thing, please keep reading. There is something for you too.
Quilters started printing hexagons on fabric with Inklingo seven years ago and many, many quilts have been started and finished since then—even UFOs that were started with English Paper Piecing and good intentions.
Inklingo Shape Collections are big PDF files which open with Adobe Reader, so you can print pages of shapes on fabric. Fabric goes through the printer just like paper when it is ironed to freezer paper. I draw the layouts of shapes to use fabric efficiently. You print them. It’s fun and it’s simple! Printing on fabric has huge advantages whether you are sewing hexagons or any other design. There are 3 simple little things that make it possible:
- Test Pages
- Custom Page Sizes
- Layouts of Shapes
1. Test Pages Print a test on a scrap of fabric so you can be sure the ink in your printer will wash out even after pressing. All 20 Inklingo colors probably will wash out. It doesn’t hurt to leave ink in the quilt, but you need to test to be sure it will not bleed or show on the front. Test Pages give you confidence.
2. Custom Page Sizes Inklingo uses a feature in the software of ordinary printers which allows you to print any size to use fabric efficiently and get exactly the number of shapes you need. Before Inklingo, I had only printed standard sizes and I did not know I could enter other sizes in the print dialog box. It’s easy, and there are step-by-step instructions on the website. When you have done it once, you are an expert. You can print the shapes for anything from Grandmother’s Flower Garden to Double Wedding Ring and Feathered Star!
3. Layouts of shapes I recommend an ordinary 8.5 inch wide printer for Inklingo, but all of the layouts are 13 x 19. This gives us many more options for printing exactly what we need without wasting fabric. Sometimes 11.75 or 14 inches is just right. This flexibility is great for yardage or for scraps and Jelly Rolls. It also means it is easier to see how much fabric is required. (Great for designers!) Inklingo PDFs have hundreds of pages because each layout of shapes is provided 20 times on 20 pages, each a different ink color and line weight to show on almost any fabric. When you have the lines printed on the fabric, you can sew by hand or by machine or a little of both in an Inklingo hybrid.
This YouTube video includes my best tips for sewing hexagons by machine in only 8 minutes.
This YouTube video is all about sewing hexagons by hand. (Only 4 minutes) English Paper Piecing RESCUE! Good news! If you have already started a hexagon quilt with English Paper Piecing and are disappointed that it takes so long, you can finish it with Inklingo. Rescue that EPP GFG UFO!
More Hexagon Designs There are many, many varieties of Hexagons, including Pieced Hexagons and Lucy Boston Patchwork of the Crosses.
Periwinkle Quilt – Free Lesson
Your timing is great because there is a new “reverse mystery” on the All About Inklingo blog for a Periwinkle Quilt with octagons—a refreshing alternative to hexagons. The lesson is perfect for Inklingo beginners. It could be your first Inklingo project.
Why Quilters Love Inklingo Hexagons There is a summary on the Main Hexagon Page. There is much more to see on the All About Inklingo blog like how to design with hexagons in Electric Quilt (free project files), combining hexagons and diamonds, Lucy Boston Patchwork of the Crosses (90° hexagons), and how to make a finger pincushion for your portable kit (video). If you know quilters who like hexagons, please send them over! Where to Start Order, download, and start sewing in the next few minutes. I always recommend starting with the free shapes (diamonds, triangles, squares). Quick Start (Always FREE.)
re you bored by hexagons? It’s okay. If you are tired of hexagons and prefer other designs, the Inklingo Smart Shopper’s Idea Book (free PDF download) is full of non-hexagon inspiration too. Thank you very much to Diane Harris at Quiltmaker for this opportunity to show you Inklingo. I hope you will start Inklingoing today, and if you have any questions as you go along, please ask. I am happy to help.
Linda & Monkey
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