Sew it yourself

Printable hexagon templates and patterns to sew yourself

Want to make something with your hands again? Then start small, with a paper hexagon, a piece of fabric, a needle and thread. I’ll show you the rest.

Get the templates How English paper piecing works

One of my hexie flowers with a quote

My thank-you

Printable templates

Three pages of hexagons with sides of 1, 1½ and 2 inches (2.54, 3.81 and 5.08 cm), each with a 1 inch test square to check your print size. It’s best to print them on heavy paper (120 to 160 gsm), so you can use each template several times.

Here’s how to get them: sign up for my Letters from the Cottage. Once you click the confirmation link, you can download the templates right away, and I’ll write to you whenever there are new patterns, templates, classes or events.

One page of the hexie templates: seven hexagons with 1½-inch sides to cut out, with the test square at the bottom. — What you get: hexie templates in three sizes (1, 1½ and 2 inches) as a printable PDF, with a cover page and instructions in front.

Cover page of the hexagon templates: printing tips, a hexagon flower in six steps and a note from Caroline. — What you get: hexie templates in three sizes (1, 1½ and 2 inches) as a printable PDF, with a cover page and instructions in front.

The number is the side length: each of the six sides is as long as the one marked in pink.

1 inchfor small flowers and borders
1½ inchesa flower of seven hexagons comes out about 8 inches across
2 inchesfor a quick start and large-scale prints

English paper piecing

How to make a hexagon flower

This is how I sewed my first hexie flowers: seven hexagons, six petals and a center in a different fabric.

Cut out the papers
Cut out the hexies with your paper scissors.
Cut the fabric
Place the template on the wrong side of the fabric and cut around it, a generous ¼ inch (a good half centimeter) larger all around.
Pin
Pin the fabric to the paper so nothing slips.
Fold over
Fold the seam allowance over the paper, one edge at a time, and sew it down with a hem stitch.
Sew them together
Place two hexagons right sides together and sew them along one edge with small whipstitches.
Secure
Finish every seam with a backstitch and a knot. Six petals around the center, done.

The classic pattern made from flowers like these is called Grandmother’s Flower Garden. It was very popular in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s, and many of these quilts were made from small pieces of fabric and printed feed sacks.

Get the templates

In the works

Patterns in my own handwriting

I’m planning patterns, handwritten and illustrated, just the way I like them best myself. These topics are on my list:

Guide
Hand sewing
The stitches you really need for quilts, and how to make them nice and even.
Guide
Hand quilting
Big, visible stitches with thick thread, also known as big stitch quilting.
Guide
Sewing machine care
What an old sewing machine needs to run again.
Template
Appliqué alphabet
Write anything you like.
Guide
Sewing a fabric book
A book made of fabric for memories, small pieces of fabric and ideas.
Something to hold
Small things made of fabric
Little fabric cards with sayings in old typewriter lettering, curated fabric bundles, small quilts and mini quilts on canvas.

Waitlist open Tell me below what interests you. Then I’ll know where to start, and you’ll be the first to hear about it.

Waitlist

Tell me what you’d like to hear about

You’ll get an email with a confirmation link. You’re on the list once you click it. I only write when there’s something new on the topics you chose.

Common questions

What you might want to know

Why do I need to sign up for the templates?

The templates are my thank-you for signing up for Letters from the Cottage. That way I can write to you when there are new patterns, templates, classes or events. You can unsubscribe anytime with one click, and the templates are yours to keep.

How often will I hear from you?

Only when there’s something new: a new pattern, a template, a class or an event. I don’t use your email address for anything else.

I didn’t get an email. What now?

Please check your spam folder too. The confirmation link is valid for seven days. If you can’t find it, just sign up again, or send me a quick note.

At what size should I print the templates?

At actual size, which means 100 percent. The “Fit to page” setting would shrink the hexagons. Each page has a 1 inch test square: every side is exactly 1 inch (2.54 cm) long. It’s best to print on sturdy paper, 120 to 160 gsm.