How To Draw Hexagon For Quilt Block

I can’t remember if I learned this technique of drawing hexagon during primary school, but I definitely remember the way my mum taught me while making hexagon quilt blanket for us… using a compass to draw… My first lesson to sew a hexagon flower quilt block is to draw this cardboard hexagon templates. Till today, I still hear my mum’s voice mumblings in my ears…

“a perfect hexagon flower quilt block comes from precise hexagon templates”…..

Until I was a little older, I learned to use an angular ruler to draw a hexagon in my formal education, like divide the 360° into 6 part in a circle, etc…. But, I still love my mum’s way, with just a simple tool, a compass…. so straightforward and foolproof!!! If you are using computer-aided software to generate hexagon template, this is one of the simplest methods…. just replace the compass with circles.

Draw your own size of hexagon template by using this tutorial to make your hexagon quilt.

How To Draw Hexagon For Quilt Block

Tools:
1. Drawing Compass
2. Pencil (sharpened)
3. Ruler
4. Cardboard
5. Scissor

Draw a circle on a cardboard with a drawing compass of your desired radius.
The radius is, in fact, the width of one of your hexagon’s edges.
The widest width of the hexagon is the diameter of the circle, which is 2 x the radius.
Mark the first point arbitrary on the circle.

With the same settings on the compass, place the compass needle on the 1st point and mark the second intersection point on the circle.

Rotate the compass to the other side of the circle, mark the 3rd intersection point.

Repeat the process by moving the compass needle to 2nd point and 3rd point to mark for the 4th and 5th point respectively, then later the 6th point.
You might want to counter check if the marking is correct, for example, when your needle is on 2nd point and you are marking for the 4th point, rotate your compass to the 1st point and see if the pencil still touches the same point.
After you have all the 6 points marked on the circle, draw a straight line segment in between the immediate intersections. With 6 equal segments on the circle, here is your hexagon.

Cut the hexagon out from the cardboard. Used it as a template and start tracing out hexagons for your paper piecing quilt project.
Check the shape and size consistency. If needed, draw another new hexagon template if the first one has worn off after doing some tracings.

Draw another bigger template for the fabric. Add another 1/2″ to 3/4″ to the radius for the fabric template, repeat the hexagon drawing technique to create the fabric template. You need only a few of this for just tracing the hexagons on the fabric.

Different sizes of hexagons, starting from 1″ to 3″ width.
Get enough pieces of them (1 size) for your planned quilt project and sew them together.