I am the same way..I like to be shown then I know that I am doing it the right way. :shock:

When you sew a half hexagon together you end up with a piece that has two parallel edges and two edges at an angle. If you lay one of them down with the longest edge facing you, you can think of it as an "M" shape. If you turn it half way around you can think of it as a "W" shape.

You sew a row of alternating M's and W's into a long strip.

Lay it out so you can place the matching half hexagons in the right order next to it, so now it looks like a strip of full hexagons.

M W M W M W
W M W M W M

Pin and sew the second strip of half hexagons alternating W's and M's as you did the first strip.

You'll now have two long strips with long parallel edges that you can join together along the long edge, and hopefully your hexagon halves will be aligned in the right order so you end up with a full row of hexagons.

I am so glad the question was asked!! ANd thanks for this explanation. I finally GET it.!!

Thanks, Kathy, that I can visualize. Up until your post, I was having a hard time. Can I remember that when I make my first one? Probably not, so I will be back looking all thru the posts again. ♥

Thank you also. I couldn't understand either until I saw a picture. This board is amazing. :D :thumbup:

OK, so I don't have the book. I have looked and read every thing posted about OBWs. I can't even look at fabric and see the "repeats" or whatever to make the hex design. Suzi, I don't have a dog kennel - mine is go to the garden - but I've already been out there this morning, so am going to go try the 3-D pinwheels. My brain doesn't comprehend complications. And OBW is definitely complicated.

Suzi, I've had my hexagons on my design wall for MONTHS--too scared to start and thinking I'll figure it out the more I look at it. I think I've got it but I've decided to ask one of my quilt guild friends to come over and just walk me through it. She's wonderful that way and I don't want to have to rip anything out. I think it's one of the more difficult concepts to grasp (and I graduated with honors as well). A lot of good that does us when putting together a OBW! I have a quilt retreat in a few weeks and my intent is to have it together by then for "show and tell".

Love this fabric, but you need to only sew half the hex together first. Can you purchase a book or borrow one from a friend? Better plan on some frog stitches. Can I ask where you got the fabric and would you put up a pic of the original fabric. It is drop dead gorgeous

dunster, your diagram is excellent!

Just sew the two halves and pin them together in the middle. Then arrange on the design board and when you have the blocks the way you want. sew the two parts together on the angle starting at the top where it will be small and then coming on down. It just doesn't work if you sew the whole block together at first.