English Paper Piecing ~ A New-to-Me Adventure

English Paper Piecing ~ Fresh Lemons Quilts

Every summer, around this time, I start to get the itch. You see, in the summer my kids are desperate to get outside and play. And I can't blame them ~ when you live somewhere that gets so cold in the winter, you really appreciate the warm weather months. But being outside every day means I'm not in my sewing space every day. I know you all are creative people too, so you understand what I mean when I say I need to do or make something. It's almost like breathing to me.

So, I've decided to take up some hand work. Specifically, to learn english paper piecing. I can work on projects while being outside with the kids, sitting outside at camps, and going on road trips. Everything is small and travels well. Perfect! (I feel like I'm the last blogger in existence to start down this path, but better late than never, right?)

I was never super interested in the hexie craze that happened online over the last several years. I did love the quilts I saw...I just didn't really feel the urge to make one. But then I found Jodi from Tales of Cloth on Instagram, and I was incredibly inspired. I love the mixing of shapes! (I even ordered one of her Shape Family sets so I can play around with my own designs at home.)

So far I've made a whole 3 "block" units. But I'm only one day in, so not bad, right? I'm not sure what I'm going to do with these yet, but I'm going to keep going. I am using 1" hexagons and 1" 6 point diamond pieces from Paper Pieces. Side note: I guess I didn't realize just how small 1" was when I ordered these! It's small! I also ordered some books - to learn techniques, see patterns, and generally be inspired. These are All Points Patchwork by Diane Gilleland, The New Hexagon by Katja Marek, and Quilt Lovely by Jen Kingwell (affiliate links).