English Paper Piecing

I have long been interested in trying English Paper Piecing (EPP).  The portability of it, the high cuteness factor of the finished product, the idea of sewing something entirely by hand, these are all factors in my fascination.  The thing that finally made me start was finding out that I’m having surgery in August and the realization that I will go crazy after 3 days in the hospital without something to do, and packing a sewing machine is not feasible.

So, ever in character for me, I started to do some research.  What size hexies did I want to start with? (Hexies are measured by the length of each side, not their width or height.)  How would I get/make the templates I would need?  I decided to go with 1″ hexies: not too big, and not too small.  I read about lots of different ways to make templates, and also places that you could buy templates, and in the end, I decided to buy a Fiskars easy-squeeze XL hexagon cutter.

This has worked perfectly for me. It cuts 1″ hexagons and saves me so much time with scissors. It is also more accurate than I could be with scissors, also a bonus. I got it at Michaels, with a coupon. I think Joanns in the States sells them as well.

I figured I should probably make just a few test hexies to make sure I actually enjoyed this project. Well, as some people have said, they are addicting, and ‘just a few’ has turned into 4 full flowers and many, many more extra hexies after just a few evenings of work.

 

Are they not just so cute?  I’m using 2.5″ squares of fabric, which fit wonderfully around the templates.  They are so quick to make, and the hand-sewing is very relaxing.  Also, awesomely portable.  And Thing 1 wants to learn how to make them already.