Hey there! Jennifer here. Today I want to give you a quick update on my English Paper Piecing project that I started at the beginning of the summer. You can see my original post about this project here.
I’ve done a lot of traveling since I began this project. That means a lot of time sitting in airports and on planes, a lot of down time in hotel rooms, and quiet days at sea where I’ve had my stitching in hand. I have to say, I’m loving it!! I love everything about English Paper Piecing!
I have basted about 400 or so hexies, although I am SO NOT counting. I just know that I have MANY to make, so I just keep basting. I thought I might grow tired of this project, but I haven’t! I have a good system down, and it’s going well.
Here’s a peek at my process:
I have all the patterned and solid fabric precut into 2.5″ squares (except white, I’ve only cut about two of the seven yards). You can see all the cut squares in the top photo. My plan is to baste all of the patterned and solid fabric first before piecing them together into hexie flowers. This will give me a little more control over how the patterns are paired together.
I started by punching out 1″ hexes from card stock (I find I like the thickness of card stock more than just plain paper) with this awesome Fiskars Extra Large hex punch. I don’t know what I’d do without this punch! It has saved me lots of time and energy by not having to trace a template and hand cut out all these hexagons. I can’t even imagine!
Since I am thread basting only (instead of using glue for basting) I attach the paper hexie to my 2.5″ square with a paper clip. I do a ton of these at a time, so when I’m in the mood to baste I can stitch a bunch all at once. Basting is a great activity to do while watching TV, talking on the phone, or even sitting with other people. It doesn’t require a lot of thought.
There are times when I’m wanting to really stitch something. That’s when I reach for some of the white squares and a solid color to stitch into a flower. I know I need a ton of these for the pattern, so I’m working on these randomly. Piecing the flowers together requires a little more thought on my part. I at least have to pay more attention, and I have to wear my reading glasses (a new thing for me) because the stitches are so tiny.
I’m loving this project because it’s so portable and there are a variety of steps I can work on depending on my mood.
Speaking of being portable, I’ve been using these cute bags from Freckled Fawn to carry my supplies with me. Freckled Fawn is a scrapbook embellishment kit club. I get a new set of embellishments and a new bag each month.
That’s it! That’s my process for now. I just keep basting and stitching whenever I have a chance. Now that school has started, I’m picturing taking this along with me in carpool line and while I wait for after school activities. I’m sure my process will change as I start piecing together the flowers when they are completed, too.
Do you have any long term projects you’re working on? Please share it with us! We’d love to know what you’re up to!
