tutorial: english paper piecing with large shapes

There are a lot of English paper piecing tutorials in bloggy land but I haven't found any that address using larger shapes... until now!

English paper piecing (EPP) is a traditional method to piece a quilt by hand. Fabric is wrapped around paper (or sometimes plastic) templates and basted, and then shapes are joined together to make the quilt top (or project).

EPP is great because it's highly portable and a great project to work on anywhere. I've done several projects with EPP and you can see a couple here and here.

I bought a pack of 3 inch hexagon templates (which means that each side measures three inches) and they seemed massive to me since I'm used to EPPing with 1 inch hexies! I discovered that I needed to use different techniques to wrap the fabric taut enough to get the same crisp lines as a smaller shape and thought I'd share them here.

1. Place the template on the fabric (right side down) and cut parallel to the shape's lines about 1/2-5/8" out. With smaller shapes you can use smaller seam allowances, but with shapes this size it's less of a hassle when you have more fabric to work with. Your cutting doesn't have to be perfect.

 

2. Using Clover Wonder Clips (or other binding clips), anchor the fabric at opposite ends of the shape. With a 1-inch hexagon I would just pin once in the middle, but here that method created too much distortion in the fabric and template, and also left a lot of fabric hanging with nowhere to go.

 

 

3. Working with one corner at a time, fold the fabric and use clips to hold the fold. Make sure the fabric is taut (but not stretched) across the template. This might seem like overkill, but it really helps the fabric stay put while you're basting and the shape stays flat, too.

4. To baste the shape, take multiple stitches on each side.   In the first picture you can see the knot on the right where I started basting. The second picture is the same shape on the opposite side. Make sure you tack down the corners! A thimble really helps here, too.

 

 

 

5. Use the Wonder Clips again when you are whip stitching the shapes together. When they are this large it's too easy for them to shift around. 
 

I hope that helps! I assumed some knowledge of EPP when writing this, so let me know if you have any questions. By the way, if you're looking for more projects with EPP, Hexa-Go-Go is one book I've really loved!

 

quiet book, part 2

As promised, here are the details of the quiet book I made for Emma. You can see the post with all of the pictures here. I looked at many, many quiet books (from Pinterest and the Quiet Book Blog) and made a list of the pages I wanted to make:

• Front Cover Page (includes Emma's name and buttons)
• Zipper Page (Emma loves zippers!)
• Barn and Barnyard (two page spread)
• Felt doll and dress up clothes
• Shape Page
• Color Matching Page (with flowers and snaps)
• Back Cover Page (embroidered with the year)

I went to JoAnn and chose the polyester felt sold by the yard. I bought a quarter yard of almost every color they had, which was more than enough to cut out the pieces I needed. I did buy two and a quarter yards of the white felt since that is the base of every page. I have enough felt left over for three or four more quiet books, but it was cheap and I don't mind adding felt to my stash. :)

Other notions I bought include buttons, snaps, binder rings, and velcro. (I originally intended to use the buttons on an interactive page but scrapped that idea and used them on the front cover instead.) My embroidery floss stash also got a workout with this project!

My pages are 10x10, but I've seen them made in all different sizes. As far as templates, here is a list of what I used and made:

• Barn, barnyard, and finger puppets: I used the templates from Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows
• Felt doll and dress up clothes: I drew a doll inspired by this tutorial and freehanded the clothes.
• Shape page: I printed some shapes using Microsoft Word and used those as templates. (I did the same with Emma's name on the front cover.)
• Color matching flowers: Used the template from Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows (link above).

Quiet book tips and tricks:

• I used scotch tape to tape the templates to the felt and cut around them. They stayed put and it made it really easy to get crisp cutting lines in the felt. I also leave the tape on the paper template, which laminates it in a way and makes it easy to use repeatedly.
• Label your template pieces before you cut them out! That makes it easier to distinguish them should you want to use them again. I note what the piece is, how many to cut out, and from what color.
• All my used templates are now stored in Ziploc bags in case I need to replace any pieces or want to make another book.
• I used a layer of interfacing between two layers of felt for removable pieces. This made the pieces less floppy. (see pictures below)
• I also used interfacing between felt pages that were sewn back to back. Cut these pieces 1/2 inch smaller than your pages. My pages measure 10x10, so I cut my interfacing 9.5x9.5.
• GO SLOW when sewing your pages back to back! Pinning didn't work well for me (um, I actually didn't try it, lol) and sewing at a moderate speed produced uneven edges. Sewing slowly ensured my pages looked nice!
• Binder rings made it easy to bind the pages, and it will be simple to remove/add pages in the future. I originally intended to use grommets but ran out of time (I finished it at midnight the night before our trip, lol) so I just cut little slits in the pages.

For removable pieces: Cut out one piece using template. Embroider/decorate as desired. Layer with the piece on top, interfacing in the middle, and the backing felt (larger than the original piece) on the bottom.

Sew around the piece. Using a piece of felt on the back that is bigger means that shifting will not be an issue while sewing.

Trim away the excess interfacing and backing felt.

quiet book, part 1

When we fly with Emma I like to bring something new to entertain her. Last year I made one of those little taggie blankets with bits of ribbon sticking out on all sides.. she loved that! This year, though, we need something a bit more interactive. It also needed to be relatively quiet and not a hundred pieces, since we'd be on a plane in tight quarters.

I went back through my Pinterest boards and looked for something she might like. I had pinned a quiet book a long time ago and went back to the link at Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows to check it out again. It met my requirements and looked like something Emma would enjoy!

Here are the pictures of the quiet book I made. I have more details about how I made the book coming up in another post.

Front cover

Dress up doll

Snappy flowers

Zippers

Shapes

Barn

Barn with doors open, and the barnyard

Back cover

Emma and the quiet book in action on the plane

quiltcon recap

It's been a couple of weeks since I've been home but it's taken me that long to write this post and get pictures taken. QuiltCon was AMAZING! I was so grateful my hubby could stay home for a few days to watch the baby so I could go. The next one is in 2015 so anybody who couldn't go this year should start saving now!

We (I flew and roomed with my lovely friend Michelle who needs to put a post on her blog so I can link to it, lol ;) ) got to the Convention Center early Thursday to check in with the registration desk and we got a HUGE goody bag with lots of fun stuff! Fabric, thread, lots of flyers, a project pouch... it weight at least 10 pounds.

I started the day with a workshop with Mary Fons of Fons & Porter fame. The class description said "Learn patchwork fundamentals as you make a darling, super basic Churn Dash block — or two! Also discover excellent tips for teaching beginning quilters of any age or background." (from quiltcon.com). I thought maybe I could pick up some good info since I'm basically a self-taught quilter, but I already knew everything she said... good that I know the fundamentals but bummed I didn't learn anything new.

There was a materials fee and we were supposed to get three fat quarters and the Fons & Porter Half and Quarter Ruler. I was disappointed because the fat quarters were most definitely not my style (very traditional fabrics) and we weren't able to take the Half and Quarter Ruler home because she wasn't able to get enough rulers for both of the classes she was teaching. We left our addresses with her so she could mail us the ruler. On the plus side, I brought my own fabric to play with and I really did like the ruler ... I made HSTs that didn't need trimming and my block turned out nicely.

ETA: Mary Fons was unable to get enough rulers for our class so she refunded everyone's materials fee and sent along a free copy of Quilty, her magazine! I thought that was really great of her!

Thursday afternoon I didn't have a workshop, so I wandered through the quilt show and vendors with friends. There were some beautiful quilts hanging in the show!

It took me a bit to see the image in this pixelated quilt. I was standing too close! A passerby suggested I move back, and I still couldn't see it until I looked at it through my camera. That's when I saw the beautiful eye... and really understood the amazing quilt I was looking at! Then, the owner of this awesomeness happened to walk by so I snapped a picture of her with her work! The quilt is called Don't Blink, and it was made and quilted by Caro Sheridan. That's Caro up there!

Friday was SUCH a good day! I was particularly excited to be in Lizzy House's Mini Quilt class, mostly because she's one of my favorite designers. She's so passionate about art in all forms and it showed when she was talking about quilting and design. It makes her work even more meaningful!

She led us through several design exercises to get our creative juices flowing. I found them really helpful and ended up designing, piecing, and quilting this mini:

It measures about 11 inches square and it came out exactly as I'd envisioned. I actually have had this pattern in mind for a couple of weeks now and am interested in making it in a much larger size. The math was a bit tricky but worth it in the end!

I sat next to Rachel from Stitched in Color and we chatted about everything from her online classes to homeschool. She's very friendly and it's always fun to meet somebody from blogland!

Saturday morning I was in Lotta Jansdotter's Textile Printing workshop. Originallly I enrolled this class because I was mildly interested and thought it sounded fun. OH MY GOSH it was so awesome!!

Lotta started by sharing her story of how she came into textile design and then she demonstrated carving and using a stamp.

I went back to my seat with zero idea of what to do so I just started sketching.... one thing I've learned, especially this weekend, is that ideas don't just pop into my head. I need to see/create the evolution of an idea on paper. So that's what I did and ended up carving this stamp:

I did some stamping and we also created our own stencils... this workshop was only for the morning (and it went so fast) but I could have easily worked on these all day!
Saturday afternoon I ate some yummy barbecue and wandered the quilt show with friends again. I also sat in on a fabric design panel featuring Kim Kight, Kathy Miller from Michael Miller Fabrics, Laurie Wisbrun, a rep from Robert Kaufman Fabrics, and Amy Butler. It was very interesting to hear about the design process from the two designers as well as the production process from the fabric companies. This lecture and several others are available on Craftsy. I also met Laurie that evening and chatted with her about the panel... she was so nice!

By Saturday night I was pretty homesick. It was hard to not see Emma for five days when I spend pretty much every waking moment with her.

Sunday I had an awesome paper piecing class with my lovely friend Penny and her assistant, my lovely friend Tara! This was a design class, so the participants designed their own blocks and began piecing them. I spent a long time staring into space thinking about my design and finally got it down on paper. I'm excited to finish piecing this block!

The organizers of the event did an amazing job. Thanks to them and to Austin for being a great host city. Can't wait til next time!

If you're thinking of going (and you should!), here are my top three QuiltCon tips:
1. It's so fun to go with friends, but make sure you make new friends too! I  met some very sweet people at QuiltCon.
2. Don't be afraid to try something new! I didn't expect Textile Printing to be as much fun as it was. I'm so glad I signed up for it!
3. Pack an extra bag to bring home all your loot. ;)

wip wednesday: quiltcon here i come!

QuiltCon is finally here! My friend Michelle and I leave today for Austin, Texas... a city I've heard great things about. I'm excited to learn new things and hopefully make new quilty friends! I'll also be Instagramming all the fun too... I'm @seaschellquilts if you'd like to follow along!

I've been working feverishly to finish some things before leaving for Texas. 4x5 Bee blocks certainly needed to be done as the mailing date is February 23rd, right in the middle of my trip. I managed to squeak those out yesterday and ran them down to the post office.

But I'm most proud of this finish- a duffle bag to use as my carry-on! I loooooove it!

Unfortunately, I ran out of time so I started two other projects that didn't get finished: pajama pants and a bag to hold my cutting mat and rulers Those two WIPs are in pieces scattered around my sewing room, which currently looks as though a fabric bomb went off in it. C'est la vie!

And with that, I'm off!

Linking up with Lee at Freshly Pieced for WIP Wednesday!

 

 

ETA: I'm having trouble with the linky tool on Freshly Pieced, so I probably won't get the chance to link up this week!

qayg mini tote

I finished my quilt-as-you-go mini tote and I absolutely love it! It's a great size for me and I'm so pleased at how nicely it came together. I finished it late Friday afternoon and used it that night at a crafty party at my LQS.

This side is my favorite.

I love the Melody Miller typewriters, and it plays so well with the caramel solid (a bottom-weight cotton fabric from JoAnn that I bought as a remnant a long time ago) as well as the other prints... some of my favorites!

But I love this side, too!

I used to get nervous about combining prints from differnt lines, but I'm definitely feeling more confident now. I didn't use any interfacing... only batting and more of that bottom-weight fabric as backing to the QAYG panels. It stands up on its own very well.

The finished bag measures 9 inches tall by 8.5 inches wide, and 4 inches deep. The handles are 14.5 inches long. Perfect purse size for me!

I used a magnet closure, it's hidden under the lining. No pockets because I never use them!

That's one more project crossed off the QuiltCon list!

wip wednesday: getting ready for quiltcon

I'm so excited for QuiltCon! I've never been to Austin and I hear it's a great city, plus the chance to get away is always fun! My hubby has been so supportive and encouraging when it comes to this trip... I couldn't do it without him! Thanks, honey. :)

In the spirit of travelling handmade, I've got a couple of projects I want to make and take with me: a QAYG tote/handbag, and a duffle bag. I'm finishing the quilt-as-you-go panels for my tote at the moment.

 

 

And the duffle bag fabric has been picked out, (this is from MoMo's Oh Deer line) but I'm having second thoughts...

In fact, I just now went back to my sewing room and decided to use this next fabric, instead!

I'll use the same fabric for the handles. Not sure about the lining yet, but I'm much happier with my new choice. The first print seemed a little young for me to be carrying around... I still think it's adorable, though and I'll always love MoMo!

When I reflect on it, I think my original fabric choice has been the hold up on making this bag. I've had the pattern and the fabric since September, but I never jumped in. Now that I'm feeling better about this new print, I feel ready to tackle the bag! Does that happen to anyone else? Does a fabric choice hold you back because it doesn't feel quite right?

Besides my QuiltCon projects, I'm working on several bee blocks. Another round of the 4x5 Modern Quilt Bee has started and I'm working with HSTs...

Plus I joined the Sugar Block Club. This is my first time working with only solids and I'm excited to see how this quilt turns out! Here's January's block...

Are you going to QuiltCon? What are you working on?

Linking up with Lee at Freshly Pieced!

christmas recap

Happy New Year, friends! I hope you and your family had a lovely holiday and a peaceful beginning to 2013.

It's no fun to constantly say "I'm working on stuff for Christmas but I can't show you because I don't want to ruin the surprise." So that's my excuse for not posting the whole month of December. I can't believe I skipped a whole month!

But now that the presents have been revealed to their intended recipients, I can show them here on the blog!

Before I do, though, I wanted to share one thing I started last year that really helped me keep track of everything was a list I called "Project 2012". It's just a Word document that included all my WIPS, all my "want to make" projects, and my crafty commitments as well.

 I crossed things off as I finished them and things that did not get finished have been moved to my new "Project 2013" list.  All in all, it really helps me see what I accomplished last year!

Okay, here we go... Handmade Christmas!

My brother-in-law recieved this Super Mario pillow. The funniest thing was he opened it upside down and could not figure out what it was. I finally had to turn it around and pull it back from him a little bit so he could see the whole thing. He liked it, though! And he was gracious enough to leave it with me so I could show it at our quilt guild's show this month... now I just have to send it to him!

I used a tutorial from Cut to Pieces... I pieced the pillow with the individual squares but if I ever did it again I'd do it Angela's way!

I used Stitched in Color's Makeup Roll pattern to make this for my quilt guild's Secret Santa partner... I also made her a drawstring bag using In Color Order's tutorial. Both items were quick to make and I liked them so much I need to make both for myself!

Both my mom and mother-in-law recieved baked potato bags. There are tutorials all over the internet, but I based mine off this one.

I need to make one of those for me, too! Part of Emma's gift was supposed to be a doll and doll quilt... The quilt was finished a couple days after Christmas but the doll is still in pieces in my sewing room. Oh well... she loves the quilt!

I really love the back, such a cute fabric!

Honestly, though, my favorite part of the doll quilt is the binding... not the fabric itself, but the way it's attached!

I used Stitched in Color's zigzag binding tutorial and it looks so much neater than any other way of machine binding I've tried. Of course, nothing beats good old fashioned hand binding but by the time I've pieced and quilted and machined one side of the binding I'm ready to be DONE.

And last but not least, I made stockings for my mother- father-, and brother-in-law, because they were visiting us for Christmas and stockings are part of our family tradition.