The craft challenge for the months of February and March didn’t quite pan out as to be expected, with craft challenge 2 taking up half of February and all March. Maybe the idea of a craft a month isn’t as easy to complete in reality, however I will still continue to give it a bash. So what have I been working on???
My nimble fingers have been frantically........or not so
frantically working on English Paper Piecing. For those not in the know this is
a quilting technique which uses paper templates and hand sewing. Quite simply you use a template such as a hexagon or square, tack the fabric onto the paper template and then join them together. The paper template helps acts as a support when sewing the shapes together which you remove along with the tacking thread once your project is complete. A lightweight piece of card works well as a template but you can also use paper. When I first started my mum gave me a set of templates which she bought online, however you could just find templates of shapes online and print them out, with a little use of a photocopier you can also resize them to a size that suits you. Easy!
My mum has a
fantastic talent when it comes to quilting but I find the science of being
exact quite hard and need a helping hand. English paper piecing appealed to me
as it is simply sewing fabric around a shape and then sewing them all together.
There are two things I value the most
when it comes to crafting and that is relatively quick projects and projects I
can do whilst being mobile, chatting or watching TV. Don’t get me wrong a
project which I need to concentrate on and that takes longer to complete isn’t
completely off my radar, but I like the satisfaction of a quick make,
particularly as I take my time with things (cue my beautiful unwearable Fairisle jumper I
was knitting for 2 years).
English paper piecing is a craft I have tried before,
however in true Camilla fashion I launched straight into the project without actually knowing what I wanted to make as the
end product. This approach didn't work as I got to the point where I
looked at the hexagons I had sewn together and thought “now what?” This then spiraled into a cloud of uncertainty and the hexagons ended up where so many other projects do, in the "I'll finish it later" box. This time around I wanted to make sure my hexagons would be part of a finished product one day!
As you now know from my blog I enjoy making jewellery and I cannot help but think with everything I make “could I make this into some to wear?” This didn’t stop with the paper piecing project and the idea of joining the hexagons together to form a sort of necklace was born.
As you now know from my blog I enjoy making jewellery and I cannot help but think with everything I make “could I make this into some to wear?” This didn’t stop with the paper piecing project and the idea of joining the hexagons together to form a sort of necklace was born.
Here is what i have been working on :
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| Sewing the hexagons together |
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| The necklace takes form! |
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| The hexagons are sewn onto felt to reinforce the necklace |
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| Metal eyelets fitted ready for some ribbon |
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| Finished necklace complete with ribbon |
And here is project number 2! Slightly larger hexagons sewn together with the aim of making a cushion! I'll let you see the finished product...............one day! Until then happy paper piecing!
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| Project 2 - Bedroom cushion |
