the Round Robin Edition 19 - English paper piecing -

* This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my full disclosure for more info. *

happy monday….

in the sewing room…

This past week I’ve been working on the Cricut Maker. It’s been fun to explore new options, and one that I am kind of testing out is cutting my own templates for hexagons!

So fun. In a local modern quilt group I attend we learned all about English paper piecing and tried a few new tips. I was able to cut out all the templates out for everyone….in less than 1/2 an hour! So quick. And much better than scissor work (though, that works great as well).

I don’t have anything made up using those hexagons…but maybe a new project will be coming!

Hope you have a wonderful week,

Becky

today’s topic… English Paper Piecing

tips…

Hole punch all your shapes so I can simply take out the thread and *pop* out the papers. This keeps the fabric shape nice and makes it easy to reuse the papers!
Try out thread basting and glue basting…and go for what you like best. I’ve tried both and I like the glue– it’s a bit quicker, but you might not be able to reuse the shape afterwards.
Dig into your fabric scraps first! Epp is the perfect project for using up the smallest of fabric scraps!
Directional fabric is fussy. Make sure you are lining your template up just how you want before cutting.
When you’re stitching your shapes together, use close & careful stitches and pull the thread tight. You can use a whipstitch along the side, or along the bottom– neat little trick!
If you want to save $$ with your epp, grab printable templates. Then you can simply print at home & cut your own shapes.
Use a quilters knot or backstitch in the same place a couple of times to secure the thread.

sew it…

In the evening, there are some times when I just need a little project to work on. Maybe something that I don’t really need to think about. It comes together fairly quick and there aren’t a lot of extra pieces laying around like a hoop and a bunch of thread.

Hexagons are just that for me. To me it is kind of mindless work that doesn’t require a whole lot of concentration or effort.

The hexagon flower is right now what I am obsessed about. There are a few other flowers hanging about – besides this little cutie. I am sure the pile will become large enough to do something with.