Best laid plans....I was all ready to leave for my day of quilting. One last check in my bag and I realized I screwed up. The fabric I bought for the base of my string piecing was ivory, not white! A quick check confirmed my worst fear, my white strips looked dull when placed on top of the beige. I didn't want to spend my day just eating and talking so I needed to think fast. I remembered an English paper piecing kit I had been given a couple of years ago, so i grabbed it, a pair of scissors and thread and I was off and running.
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| Pin paper to fabric, rough cut 1/4"seam allowance. |
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| Fold fabric over paper and baste. |
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| Align 2 pieces and whip stitch edges together. |
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| Couldn't resist laying out a few pieces to see what it will look like. |
I think this will be a good technique to do while watching tv. I have to be careful with 3 dogs running amuk that there aren't a lot of needles that could be lost, or eaten. This is small, portable and only requires a needle, thread and a couple of pins for holding the papers to the fabric. (I've been doing a bit of reading on tips for this technique and found you can use freezer paper, which eliminates the need for pins. For right now, I'll do it the way the kit instructions say to do it.)
I received a little surprise gift on Saturday too.
A whole bag of buttons and a CD of Van Morrison! I was thrilled.
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| Buttons! Buttons! AND MORE BUTTONS! |
My dearest friend is having a rough time going through chemotherapy and I've been searching for something she could do on her treatments days in the hospital or when her energy level is low. I showed the paper piecing technique to her and she loves it! Now we have never done anything quilt related (except I've talked her ear off about projects, fabrics, etc.) as she is not a sewer or quilter. But last night all that changed. We picked some fabrics from my stash for her to make a pillow out of hexagons. The rest of the evening was spent sewing together. A day that started out in a panic ended up being a perfect day and night!
3 comments:
Love the buttons! That paper piecing looks really interesting.
Your English paper piecing is fantastic. Glad to read your friend is able to enjoy paper piecing while receiving chemo. The buttons are fabulous. And I'm loving your blog.
I've been wanting to try paper piecing. Love the fabrics that came with your kit.
Making a pillow with your friend is a wonderful way to help her through chemo and low energy times.
I also wanted to thank you for your super fun comment on my destashing post. It made me smile and laugh and really made my day.
Happy Birthday tomorrow and hope you have a blast doing the green thing by going fabric shopping. :o)
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