Wednesday, November 29, 2017

No Front Door Entry? Try The Back


Every quilter has that one sewing technique that is avoided like the plague... for some it's paper piecing, for others it's applique, Y-seams and partial piecing always make a list, and I'm sure that curved piecing has to be on someones don't-go-near-it list. For me that one thing is EPP - English Paper Piecing!


Aside from the fact that I can't do much hand sewing because of numbness in my fingers, somehow EPP just feels like mending sewing to me... it would be like asking a Picasso to paint your garage. Not that I'm comparing myself to Picasso, but I am a quilter who simply wants to sew and not mend things, despite how portable the technique is.


Well, with all that being said, I suppose it might be slightly confusing why you are seeing snap shots of EPP blocks in my feed.... hmmm. When @brimfieldawakening first shared their new #brimfieldblock, I instantly feel in love. Even though it was EPP, I kept coming back to study and examine it.... I kept thinking to myself that there had to be another approach to this block, and that my ever beloved starch applique method was just the thing!


I asked a friend, who had traveled to the States recently, if she could pick up a single block set for me, knowing that it would be light enough to fit into a purse without being noticed. I then traced the shapes onto freezer paper, and decided to triple layer them. Because of the sturdiness due to the extra layer, I should be able to finish a whole quilt with my one set of freezer paper shapes! It was critical to cut them with a ruler and my paper rotary cutter to make sure that the shapes fit when finished.


I've since added a couple more blocks and will join in on the sew-along that Brimfield Awakening is hosting. An all green quilt has been on my to-do list for quite a while, and I'm enjoying digging into my favorite color stacks in my stash.


One of the beauties of working on such a block is that there is plenty of room for fussy cutting. I've been saving this Heather Ross fabric for something special, and I love these Daisy Chain fabrics from Annabell Wrigley.


Do you have any "back door" approaches to quilting when you didn't want to go through the front door?

7 comments :

  1. What a great idea. I've just started seeing these blocks all over the place. Yours look wonderful.

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  2. So do you machine stitch the pieces and the applique them or just applique each piece to the background? I'm curious because I also like to applique but not EPP.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Lori,

      I’m a big fan of glue basting, so that is my method of choice. I do not stitch them ahead but simply glue them and then stitch them down. This really is a fun block!

      Warmest,

      Allison

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  3. Your blocks look perfect. Very neat and as usual great fabric choices :)

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  4. Thank you. I so enjoy your work. This looks like it will be another amazing blend of fabrics.

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  5. This is looking gorgeous,love all your fabrics. Almost Christmas wreath looking. I am just trying to sort out the cheapest option to get papers and templates to NZ for this.

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