Sewing these little diamonds into hexagons is a fun and easy project for sewing on the go.

We traveled for the holidays so I took my repurposed candy tin with me, filled with  cut diamonds and everything I needed to make my star hexagons.

Everything I need to hand piece on the go is in this repurposed candy tin.

Before leaving, I pre-cut a lot of little sets of diamonds. Bagged with a postcard to keep them flat and unmoving, they’re ready to sew at a moment’s notice.

Pre cut and bagged diamonds for hexagon stars.

My kit has small, sharp scissors for trimming threads and fabric dog ears, my favorite needles, a little sandpaper board, the diamond template (in case I find a new perfect print to use in a star), and my pin box. I like to use up my almost-empty spools of thread from machine piecing for my hand piecing. The tin lid serves as a nice workspace.

The only things needed to make one hexagon star is a needle, thread, scissors and one pin.

Let me show you how to hand piece this little diamond hexagon with set-in seams in less than 30 minutes using a needle, thread and one pin! I made the hexagon in these photos while waiting to board one of our flights. In the gate area one passenger was knitting while another woman was working on embroidery. We stitchers like to take our work with us!

Begin by placing two diamonds right sides together. Mine are marked with a finished size template to create a sewing line, and then cut precisely 1/4” from the sewing line. Pin match the far corner of the seam to be sewn. Flip the pieces to the back to make sure the pin is spearing the same corner on the back.

First pin match the far corner of the sewing line.

The diamonds are marked with sewing lines and cut 1/4” larger.

Make sure the pin spears the same corner on the back side.

Use your needle to pin match the first corner and begin the line of stitching with a knot and a backstitch in the marked corner. Hand piecing is not sewn raw edge to raw edge like machine piecing but rather from marked corner to marked corner.

Use the needle to match the first corner and begin stitching.

Sew with what is called a piecing stitch. Take a needle full of stitches and pull through. Start the next needle full of stitches one stitch back, thus putting a backstitch in the middle of your running stitches. This makes for a strong seam.

Continue to the far side of the seam and stop with the needle coming up precisely in the corner. Finish with a backstitch and a knot.

Finish the seam with a backstitch and knot.

Sew the six diamonds into three pairs. Then sew the three pairs together to complete the star. The seams are short so it doesn’t take much time to sew these little gems. Mine was done in less than ten minutes. After a good finger pressing, we’re ready to set in the cream colored diamonds that finish this star into a hexagon.

A star is born!

Begin by laying a cream diamond onto the star side where it belongs. Just as above, pin match the far corner and use the needle to pin match the first corner. Stitch the seam as normal. Park your needle in the seam allowance out of the way while you prepare for the next seam.

Pin match the far corner of the seam. Use the needle to pin match the first corner. Begin stitching with a knot and backstitch.

Complete the seam and end with a backstitch. Do not cut thread.

Pivot the diamond onto the next side where it belongs. This looks odd at first so don’t worry. Pin match the far corner.

Pivot the light diamond over to the adjacent side and pin the far point of the next seam.

Unpark your needle and stitch this leg of the set-in seam just as you did the first by beginning precisely in the first corner and ending in the far corner with a backstitch, leaving the thread uncut.

Stitch the seam. Stop in far point with a backstitch.

Park your needle in the seam allowance and place the second diamond onto the next side. Pin the far corner as usual.

Position the next set-in diamond on the star side. Pin far point.

Unpark your needle and bring it up from underneath into the point of this new seam.

Bring the needle up from the back into the corner of the new set-in diamond.

Backstitch and sew the seam as usual.

Sew to the opposite corner and finish with a backstitch.

Continue sewing, pivoting, and backstitching to add all of the set-in diamonds to the star. When done, finish by running the needle through the point of the last corner where you ended to the point of the first corner where you started. Pull snug, and place a backstitch and knot in the seam allowance on the side where you started. This prevents a gap between the first and last set-in diamond.

Finish the last point by slipping the needle through the seam allowances to where you started. Pull tight to prevent gaps on the front. Backstitch and knot.

Done in less than thirty minutes and just in time to close my tin and board my plane!

All done in less than 30 minutes.

Do you have a travel kit and project to work on? It’s amazing how much you can get done in found bits of time here and there……….

Best Stitches!

Donna