Wednesday, August 24, 2016

EPP ~ WIP ~ AMH

Believe it or not, I did not touch my sewing machine yesterday!  Not once!  Instead, I cleaned the screen porch and basement/garage.  Fun stuff!  It's amazing how much schmutz accumulates.    

Today I thought I'd share with you my EPP ~ WIP ~ AMH project!  Translation: English Paper Piecing, Work in Progress, Anna Maria Horner.  

I'm always on the look out for a new EPP project.  The hardest part for me is finding a design with templates I can print myself.  When I saw that Jodi from Tales of Cloth was doing a Shape Family Design Challenge, I jumped in.  

The first thing you need is a pile of shapes.  I purchased two Hexie Shape Family packages (100 pieces per package).  What's great about these is that all the pieces work together. You are only limited by your imagination.  



I played around with all kinds of designs until settling on this one.  Deciding on fabric presented far too many options!  Do I use prints?  Solids?  A mix?  In the end I settled on two prints.  Anna Maria Horner's 'Pretty Potent', which are so perfect for EPP.  Any of her fabric works well!

 

Once I figured out which parts of 'Pretty Potent' I wanted to use, I carefully cut the shapes needed.  It was tricky, but I was able to get what I needed from two fat quarters.

I basted each shape with thread, my preferred method.  There is glue basting, but I find that it's harder to pull the templates out when the piece is finished. 



The joy of fussy cutting!  The center came together surprisingly quick.  I really wanted to use Kona Wasabi, which coordinates with the center.  The bright pink...I couldn't resist throwing that in the mix as well.



All my pieces were basted before I stitched them together.  I used three different print areas from the pink fabric, so it was a bit complicated and confusing.  Having the basted pieces done first, I could make sure each section around the center was in the right order.



I wasn't sure how I should group the shapes around the center.  I ended up making sections and stitched each one before putting the puzzle together. 



I may have went a little crazy on making sure I had each piece it the right place!  I numbered each section so they would be in the right order, I only had to redo one piece!  And then number each section to its proper place on the center piece.  



This is where it stands.  The big question(s)...what to do next?!  I could applique it to a piece of fabric.  I could add more pieces.  What color for the background?  What will it be?  

I was thinking of making it into a pillow.  I still have three 'ugly' pillow covers from my couch that need to be changed.  I'll stew on it for a bit...it will be something...some day...soon!   

 

Do you have a favorite fabric you like for fussy cutting?  One that has the best designs and shapes that no matter how you slice it, it's perfect?  Anna Maria Horner comes to mind, and Denyse Schmidt too!


LINKING:

29 comments :

  1. I love this, EPP always make me happy. The colours are great together. This has been the year I have made lots of cushion covers, so I would absolutely appliqué it onto a background to become a cushion cover. I would probably pick out the turquoise as my background. x

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    1. I was drawn to the colors as well! I love how bright they are!

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    1. It was probably the only time I didn’t fret over what fabric to use, AMH is perfect for EPP!

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  3. Nice project, love the design and fussy cutting!

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  4. Your AMH was perfect for this project.

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  5. I haven't done much fussy cutting as it is too fussy for me I guess LOL -- I only recently started to EPP -and I find it addictive - usually I would just draw seam lines on or use Iklingo and print the templates directly from the computer using my printer - I have not heard of this "hexie shape pack" and will need to look at it. I like how fast glue basting goes but I agree it is too hard to get the papers out so I thread baste instead. That is very pretty fabric you are using.

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    1. The more you do EPP, the more adventurous you will get! Don’t rule out fussy cutting! It is very addicting, which surprised me when I first started. My intention was to learn it, and never do it again!! Glue basting has a place in EPP. I am not a fan of wrestling with getting the papers out using that method!

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  6. LOVE this! I've always imagined that the medallion print is perfect for fussy cutting. I love some of the Cotton and Steel prints for fc, though I don't EPP.

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    1. I knew you would like this one! AMH is one of my favs and any time I can use her fabric, I’m a happy girl! Maybe one day you will try EPP…don’t rule it out!

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  7. yikes. This is out of my ballpark but it sure is gorgeous!

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  8. I love this! I haven't done EPP yet, but have spent the past week watching youtube videos and perusing web sites and blogs! You are so creative and your color choices are spectacular! Hard to go wrong with AMH! The fuasy cutting is perfect!!!

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  9. I haven't started to EPP yet, but it's on my list. Very nice!

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  10. This is going to be beautiful finished, not matter what you decide. I've never tried EPP. I've often thought about giving it ago but just haven't yet.

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  11. I love the shape of this one! And your colors are spot on. I can see a gussetted pillow in this shape with pink piping on the edge. Very retro!

    I am sure whatever you make will be brilliant!

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  12. I love how the grey makes the bright colors glow! A pillow like this will definitely be an attention grabber (unless your whole room is like this))) Don't forget to show the finished piece!

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    1. I think it will make a nice addition to my very, very drab furniture! I’ve been making slow progress of changing out the ugly pillow covers with some bright fun quilted ones. They certainly help a lot! I will show a photo of the finish, which is in the process of being finished up now!

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  13. It's beautiful Jayne ! I love your choice of prints and colours. As has already been said, I would applique it on a turquoise background and make a pillow cover. But what do you think about a round pillow ? I think it would be great with this layout.

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  14. Ok, as a newbie, I was looking at the first pic that you had decided on the layout. I really like the colors of the brown and white. I thought they would make a great subdued quilt. Then I kept reading and saw what fabric you chose. It is beautiful and colorful and will make a great quilt. But I'd love to see one with a monochromatic color scheme.

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  15. Oooh, this is lovely. AMH (and EPP!) are just the best!

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  16. This is looking gorgeous! I haven't given EPP a try yet, but it is on my list and I hope to tackle an EPP project soon :)

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  17. Wow Jayne. You even knock it out of the park with English Paper Piecing. It's very beautiful.

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  18. These are coming together beautifully! Love the slightly spinning feel from the color blocking.

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  19. I love EPP to look at but haven't done it: I fear I'm not patient enough! You have made great use of your fabrics and colour scheme - really striking.

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  20. Beautiful EPP design! I love the fussy cut pieces and how the design fits together.

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  21. Beautiful combo of AMH and EPP... and I love that solids you've mixed in too, everything gels so well together with this!

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  22. Great job with fussy cutting! They are very pretty.

    -Soma

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