Another Story Quilting Tips

I made my first version of the Another Story quilt in 2020 and have now made 6 versions of this quilt! In 2021, I turned it into a pattern so others can make it and ran a sew-along on Instagram that same year. In this post, I have summarised the sewing tips that I wrote as part of the sew-along.

The Another Story Pattern PDF can be purchased here.

Printed pattern and acrylic template available here.

The Original version

Templates

Firstly, decide if you want to purchase acrylic templates or make your own templates from template plastic/thick card. The templates are of a size that are commonly found in quilt stores. If you are having trouble sourcing them from your local quilt store, they can be purchased as an optional extra with the printed pattern here.

I am generally not a big advocate of buying lots of notions, however for this quilt, the templates are a relatively low expense and you will get a lot of use out of them. It will certainly make cutting the shapes a lot easier and more accurate.

Fabrics

First gather a wide range of prints - the more the better. You may even want to do a swap with your quilty friends to increase each other’s prints.

I have a soft spot for quirky prints and large florals so all my versions are a little similar : ) Although I have seen versions made in a Halloween theme, vintage sheets or using a Tula Pink collection.

Hexagons

TIP: Contrast between the prints will make the hexagons “sparkle” as the eye is cast across the quilt. Contrast can be created from variations in

Value - how light or dark a colour is
Scale of print - size of the images on the fabric - small, medium or large
Temperature of the colours - warm - reds, oranges, yellows or cools - blues, greens
Prints - I used large florals, novelty and some geometrics or pick a theme like Halloween , novelty, Christmas, vintage florals, Liberty fabrics etc or repurpose vintage linens

TIP: Cut two thirds of the number of hexagons, start building your quilt then decide what colours or prints you need more of before cutting more hexagons.

TIP: Keep your hexagons organised so that the straight grain of the fabric sits on horizontal. This side has less stretch and will help you match up your seams.

Background fabric

Next, choose your background fabric. I tend toward light coloured quilts so in all my versions I have used a low volume fabric with a small geometric print. The geometric print adds a bit extra visual interest.

Here are some low volumes I have auditioned in the past.

I have also seen this quilt successfully made with other backgrounds like a solid charcoal grey or orange and even a leopard print!

Border and Binding

To tie all your prints together, I suggest a border fabric that picks up the colours of your hexagons. For my border choice I went with a Kaffe Fassett stripe (Promenade Stripe in Hot colourway) and have used it in all my versions. I like the uneven stripe for that extra interest.

TIP: Press seams as directed in the pattern to reduce bulk.

TIP: Measure your quilt through the centre of your quilt in the horizontal and vertical directions and use this measurement when cutting your border lengths. This will prevent your quilt having wavy edges.

TIP: Using a long stitch length, stitch 1/8th inch around the perimeter of your quilt. This will prevent your quilt edges from stretching out of shape through handling.

Here are some of the versions I have made, in no particular order. Four of them have gone to new homes and two still reside with me : )

For other versions of this quilt, the best place to see them is to look at the #anotherstoryquilt hashtag on Instragram.

The Another Story Pattern PDF can be purchased here.

Printed pattern and acrylic template available here.