Category Archives: Sewing

WIP: Customizing My EPP Hexie Quilt

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This quilt is probably something I’ll share updates on every so often. I just keep thinking of neat ways to make it 100% perfect! I put it aside for a week or so to work on another quilting project, but once my new custom hexie fabric came in from spoonflower, I just HAD to start up on it again!

epp_hexie_custom_002Above you can see the fabric. I just printed off a hexagon like grid and doodled a bunch of quick designs using a brush pen. I then scanned it in and made it into a vector file. Then I replicated a few designs in different tones and added a few of my other fabric designs into some hexagons I left blank. I designed it to fit onto a fat quarter, and the hexagons are very specific to the size of my ongoing quilt.

epp_hexie_custom_003As you can see, it’s also very specific to my taste and my life in general. I included an illustration of my house that I did a few years back, plus my Daily Uniform fabric in different tones of black and gray. I want this quilt to be 100% ME, especially since it’s going to take forever to finish.

epp_hexie_custom_004 epp_hexie_custom_005Oh and of course I didn’t spare any time basting all of the new hexies. I just couldn’t wait to see how they would blend with all the previous fabrics I used!

Now I’m super antsy to get this thing done, I just want to cuddle with it all so bad!!!!!!

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WIP: My First EPP Hexie Quilt!

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epp_hexie_001Ever since I got into quilting, I have dreamed of making a hexagon quilt. I thought it took some fancy machine work with impossible Y shaped seams. I was half right. You CAN do it that way, or you can hand sew them all together.

There’s a process called English Paper Piecing,  EPP or Foundation Piecing (it gos by any of these names), where you take the pattern you want to make and have the pieces cut out of paper. You then cut out fabric larger than each piece, pin the paper to it, fold over the fabric and baste stitch (like my orange stitches shown in all of these photos). When you have enough pieces for your project or block, you then whip stitch them all together and take out the paper pieces. After all of this tedious work, you have yourself a quilt top.

There are loads of proper tutorials all over the internet. Heidi posted a tutorial and template for mini hexies this past week, and there’s a bunch on Pinterest. Plus if you search YouTube, I bet you’ll find some great instructions. Also, if you just want to start small but have an even bigger impact you could try something like Rebecca’s patchwork tote bag! (her IG feed totally made me want to start this project!)

This type of project is perfect for downtime, like watching TV, waiting at the DMV or when being a passenger on a road trip. I myself started it because I am being forced to rest a bit more. Plus it’s a quilt that I don’t have to sit at a sewing machine all day to make. My poor back needs a break from that.

epp_hexie_002I will admit now, I am NOT a strong hand sewer, and I am seriously not looking forward to whip stitching all of these together. For now I try not to think about it and just dream of what the finished quilt will look like… If I ever finish it!

I want to make a 70″ square lap quilt, and by my calculations, it is going to take 800+ hexagons to make. That’s a lot! I am able to finish around 30 a night, so if I work on it every night then it will take me a month. That’s a scary number to me btw, so I may just call it quits at 400 because I am also dreaming up a quilt that is just half hexies and the rest is solid colored gray. I guess I’ll decided when I get to the halfway point.

epp_hexie_003epp_hexie_004I’m happy I went with the 3″ size too! Because if I had done the normal 1″ size, it would have taken 2500+ hexies to finish a quilt. SCARY!!

Have any of you made one of these? Or are making one? Any helpful hints?

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My Modcloth “Make the Cut” Submission

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v notch dressModcloth does this thing called “Make the Cut” every so often, where they open up submissions for a new clothing design to be sold on their website. This time around they did something a bit different. They provided a template of an existing dress and asked for fabric designs for the said dress. The illustration above was my first submission.

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You had the option to submit five designs total and I figured “why not!”. I really liked the way they came out, so I also wanted to share them here. Submissions are closed and they won’t announce the 10 semi-finalist until March 3rd. I’m still on a mission to make most of my own clothes, so I figured no matter what I can use these sketchups as inspiration for my own dresses.

v notch dressLast night I came up with this design using my Daily Uniform fabric mixed in with some dark gray stripes. I’m thinking of sewing it up using a skater dress style pattern and some knit interlock fabric. For fun I used the Modcloth template to see how it would look first! I think this one is getting moved up the “to do list”, I really do love me some striped dresses!

Chevron & Stripes Banner

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Chevron_banner_001A few months ago I was browsing Instagram, like I do way too much, and I came across this awesome work in progress by Elizabeth of ohfransson.com (her IG username is @elizabethhagh ) It was just a small part of a Missoni inspired piece she had started a year or so before, but it looked great as is. I pressed like and went on my way!

The design seriously haunted me for months. I felt like I HAD to make it. It NEEDED to be a banner on my wall. I drew a paper pieced pattern of it into my sketchbook and put it aside for my upcoming “winter sewing months”.

Side Note: Apparently I prefer sewing in the winter, and knowing this has made my whole work schedule easier to handle. Sewing in the winter, jewelry & casting in the summer. It’s been working perfectly and I cast so much during the summer that I can continuously add to the shop all winter long!

So now back to the banner…

Two weeks ago I finally sat down at my computer and digitized the pattern i’d sketched up. It was a little big, but I didn’t mind taping together the paper. I went around searching for fabrics that complimented my house and then sat down to piece it all together. It took me about two hours total and I was so excited to hang it up!!!

Chevron_banner_002I just happened to have a nice blank spot in the library! I added some striped bakers twine and glued a little geometric piece to the screw holding it up. I love it!!

I figured someone else may want to make one of these for their wall too, so I put together my simple paper pieced pattern as a FREE PDF. You will need a basic knowledge of paper piecing to make this btw. If you are comfortable with sewing but don’t know this technique yet, I suggest searching for some videos on YouTube, that’s how I taught myself. Fresh Lemons Quilts blog also has a great tutorial if you’re not into watching videos

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If you do make a banner, I’d love to see it. Just send me a message!

 

 

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I’m Dreaming of Dresses and Fabric…

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dream_dresses_001I have been sewing up a storm lately. I have made my very first, second and third dress, and they all fit perfectly. Thats a first for me. (I’ll share actual photos of said dresses once the weather is a bit less unruly). I have also made a bunch of new bags, pouches, pillows and even new embroidered necklaces. I love sewing again.

Out of everything I’ve sewn, those three dresses were my favorite. I want an entire closet full. One in every colorway or pattern I can find. I’m finding a few fabrics I like here and there, but nothing is really catching my eye and making me think “PERFECT!” I keep doodling in my sketchbooks, but again, nothing was just right yet.

Well last night that changed. Instead of going right to bed, I decided to do a little bit of sketching. I’m so happy I did. I drew about a dozen new dress ideas (a few shown above) and a bunch of new repeat patterns for fabric (shown below).

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I’m excited! I’ve already ordered swatches of all the fabrics designs above plus some that include actual color. I’m thinking they will work well for dresses AND some pillows or small quilt. The repeats are actually rather large. Oh and I’ve started researching sergers so I can try my hand at one of those cardigans I drew up!!! I’m no fashion expert, at all, but I really do love the idea of making my own clothes. Who knows maybe one day I can make some for others too!!