Patchwork Please - Happy Hexagon Trivet

Thank goodness I've got Bloglovin'...

otherwise I may not have realized that

this week's Patchwork, Please Zakka 2.0 Sew Along

is all about the Happy Hexagon Trivet!

This sweet project was one of my must-makes,

from the first time I paged through my copy of the book.

I see that it is rated 2-stars on the difficulty scale.

There must only be 2 stars on that scale,

because I found this project to be

a lot more complicated than I expected.

I made the mistake of trying to blend

regular paper piecing and freezer paper template

techniques.

{Note to self:  Don't ever do that again!  Try just the normal paper piecing.}

That being said,

I'm super excited about the way

my new mug rug turned out.

I'm showing off one of the three Cath Kidston

mugs I purchased a few months ago.

{They are among my most loved possessions.}

Let's get to the "likes" and "dislikes" for the project...

dislikes are always first.

Right off the bat,

I was highly disappointed that the paper

piecing pattern requires enlarging.

Oh.My.I.Hate.That.Part.

In the end, the entire pattern still fit on a single page of paper.

Why couldn't the publishers have printed it at actual size???

I was going to bind my project as described in the book,

but my outer fabrics would have been nearly covered

by the thick binding.

That's most likely because I didn't remember

to cut the outer edges plenty large enough to allow

for a decent seam allowance.

That brings me to the Likes.

I used my own tutorial for Machine Binding,

with a 1 1/2" single fold binding.

It worked pretty well, even on the angles.

{Like:  new skill acquired.  I had never bound a hexagon before.}

Also, I really like the size of this project.

There's plenty of room for a large mug and a snack.

Alternately, a little tea pot would fit perfectly on this trivet.

I also like the way it looks on the back...

just as cute as the front, really!

Most of all, though, the best Like for this project

is that it is such a beautiful design.

Ayumi's gifts are being shared all over blogland.

Her version is exquisite,

and I love every variation I've seen so far, being made by others.

I love cherries in the kitchen,

and this project was great for using

a variety of cherry prints and polka dots I've been collecting.

Maybe time will help me to forget

all of the labor pains I withstood,

to end up with my lovely mug rug.

A nice cup of tea will also work wonders!