Quilt Education

I have decided there is at least one hole in my quilt education.

When I first came across patchwork in the seventies, it was all about hand pieced hexagons, or English Paper Piecing as it is also called.  I was not the least interested in this,  and was not hooked on patchwork till I made my first Log Cabin block in the late eighties.  Much quicker, and much more fun, as I could use my sewing machine.  I have always loved my sewing machines, and have not sewn or quilted much by hand during the last 20 years.

So I never did English Paper Piecing.

But this is about to change.  I have decided to give it a try, and educate myself, so to speak.

There are lots of examples of beautiful designs out there using English paper pieced hexagons, – and other shapes for that matter.   “Everyone” who is hooked on this technique boast how easy and portable this is, – you can take it everywhere and sew a few stitches here and there, and before you know it, you have a double bead spread.  This sounds so good, so I have been wanting to try it for a while, only I have waited for the right opportunity to actually do it.

And I have decided that this opportunity is now.

I will be going into hospital in a day or so.  I know there will also be a long rehabilitation period when sitting by my sewing machine might not be so comfortable, – so I think that this is the perfect time for a portable hand sewing project.

I also intend to be totally selfish during my rehab, at least for a while,  – doing the training that I have to, of course, – but other than that, I will only do what I want. And this is one of the things I will want to do.  (Hhmmm, – come to think of it, there are lots of other things too … )

I already bought a packet of ready cut 1 inch hexagons, and picked some scraps from one of my scrap boxes.

I must check that the scraps are wide enough, then I will iron them and put them into a ziplock bag along with the tools that I will need: scissors, thread, needles, pins, and a thimble.

Cindy at CD Designs also recommends using tape when basting, so I will have to pack a roll of scotch tape as well.  Someone else recommended using paper clips, so I must find a few of those too.

Somehow I associate paper pieced hexagons with roses, so I found some scraps with roses on them:

 

They are actually leftovers from another hand sewing project of mine: a going-to-be-something-some-day-quilt in the Japanese folding technique with fussy cut centre pieces.

This is very old, but is still a WIP  (work in progress), – not a UFO (unfinished object). I have arranged the patches with different centre motifs medallion style, and adding the last two “borders” was my chosen hand sewing project during my last rehab period five and a half years ago (not quite finished the last border), and it had been started quite a while before that.  But I am totally relaxed about that, – this is something I do when I want to, – it does not have to be something, or finished, at any fixed time.  I am only doing it because I enjoy the process.

So, – maybe the hexagons will be the same, – a more or less eternal work in progress.  Or maybe I will aim for something smaller that can actually be finished.

Time will show.  I will do what I want, I will learn something new, and that feels very good 🙂

Eldrid

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