I’m a sucker for anything I haven’t tried yet, so when a friend offered to show some of us how to do English Paper Piecing (EPP), I went for it. Actually, a couple of friends were involved in teaching and they made two important innovations to make it easier on our hands:
- The pieces were bigger (those hexagons finish 3.5″ across!)
- Instead of pinching the pieces together and sewing the edge, they held everything flat and did something similar to a ladder stitch to catch both sides alternately. Seriously.
It turned out well, and everyone had a good time. One of the friends is an EPP fiend, having made Tula Pink’s diamond quilt. That’s a LOT of intricate blocks!
In my case, one flower is enough! However, I appreciated the experience. Now I am trying out different backgrounds for the flower, which will eventually be part of a larger quilt.
On to the next project! And it’s great to have friends to teach me things!
Zippy Quilts 
Good move. More than once I have learned a technique that I didn’t particularly like doing, “just in case” I might want it in a project someday. Never hurts to know how. . .
http://knitnkwilt.wordpress.com/
I’ll try most anything once, and in this case once did it for me!
I’ve done some EPP and my stitches are NEVER invisible. I would benefit from in-person instruction, I think.
Indeed, I never would have tried it without in-person instruction. It’s good to have friends who know more than I do!
I love making the flowers (though my stitches are never that neat), but I hate sewing the flowers together into rows. I think the applique onto a background is a good approach
And the applique on background means having to make only one flower!!!
I like those bigger hexi’s. I’ve been doing EPP as a travel project for the last 15 years, doing 1″ hexi’s. My intention was to make a king size quilt. I have about 30 “double diamonds” done, all scrappy and have been in a quandry about just how much fabric to buy to make the connection pieces. I want to do a light grey and add some uniformity to all the crazy diamonds I have. I don’t think it will ever be a king size, but more likely it will be a throw.
Wow! I don’t know that I’ve ever stuck with a project for 15 years!!! Good for you even if it’s just a placemat!
It looks great! I haven’t ever done EPP and I don’t think I will, but I do love the look of it!
I enjoy seeing other people do EPP! A neighbor is doing a very complex one with lots of shapes and it looks great.
Are you addicted yet to EPP? You can’t just make one flower, ha!
That one flower looks great though 🙂
Ha! I CAN make just one!
There is something very satisfying about doing EPP — in small doses.
I love ladder stitch. Thanks for the tip, will try it
Yes, I can imagine you doing EPP with all your hand stitching!
The title made me laugh. I felt that way about fusible fabric collage. I did go on to make an entire table runner because evidently I’m not as quick a learner as you. But I do like your giant flower and it will be a good-looking block wherever it lands. PS. I vote NOT blue. 🙂