English Paper Piecing

 This is english paper piecing.  Everything is done by hand.  It is slow but not really that difficult.  I wanted to give it a chance.  First I went through my scraps and cut hexagons out of the little bits of fabric I had.  there were a lot of scraps that didn't really go with anything it was just left over.  Then I used a paper punch to punch out the hexagon shapes out of index cards.  i felt like i had so many shapes but i used every last one on this quilt.  

then I put the fabric on the back of the hexagon shape and basically sewed the fabric around it.  once each hexagon was covered with fabric.  I had to stitch the hexagons to each other.  Once the hexagons were joined to another one I could then remove the paper in the middle.  

 I chose this project because I wanted to give it a try and I was pretty pregnant with Gus and it was something that I could do sitting on the couch while I watched the kids play.  it was all by hand so there was no big machine.  just a needle and thread.   I ended up stitching it to the front of another piece of cloth and then sewing around it.  Then I tied it to finish it.  since this picture the ties have gotten a little frayed and maybe someday I will retie it with string instead of yarn but it is a soft comfy blanket.  Rhys calls it the flower blanket.   While I think sometimes how much time it took to make it i am happy when he asks for that one, for his choice of blankets at night.

(the above picture is baby Gus with the flower blanket)