Hexies!

Calling all English Paper Piecing lovers (and those of you who'd like to try it)!

I admit to being other-than-enthusiastic the first time I was introduced to English Paper Piecing. I wasn't all that excited about the seemingly time consuming project, and my hand-sewing skills were poor at best. Eventually I gave in and tried it, and I was hooked. It's so addictive! It's a great take-along project, an excellent way to use scraps, and a source of endless project possibilities. It's also a great way to improve those hand-stitching skills.

Finding the right templates to use for EPP may well be the most important part of the process. Printing them yourself on copy paper isn't necessarily a great recipe for success (as I found out). Even if you print them on heavier paper, if your cutting skills aren't flawless, the pieces won't fit together well in the end.

Recently, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to test some new templates that have just been introduced by Renae from Gray Rayne Fabrics. They are excellent! The heavier paper is stiff enough to hold up well to hand-stitching & pressing, and they are sturdy enough to use over and over again. They're not too thick to poke the needle through. In effect…they're pretty much perfect. The price will make you smile, too.

Here's what I made with my templates so far: a travel bag set to take all of my girlie things with me to Sew South. Because let's face it: a girl can never have too many adorable matching travel accessories, eh?

If you're interested in trying out these fabulous templates, click here to get them at grayraynefabrics.etsy.com.

If you're new to English Paper Piecing, there is a quick tutorial on Craftsy. Click here.

Or …as they say… GOOGLE IT!  ;)