A super quick and easy EPP gift, and some Show &Tell quilts!

 Hello friends, 

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In last week's blog post I promised a super easy gift idea....EPP coasters.

What the heck are EPP coasters, you ask? EPP stands for English Paper Piecing, not to be confused with regular paper piecing ( I am not a fan of that method at all!). 

In English Paper Piecing you sew fabric around a ( usually ) paper shape, which you remove once all your shapes are sewn together. It is very fun, very precise, and ( I think) very relaxing. It is also very portable and a lot of people like to have little EPP kits that they can take with them to appointments, or on trips, because you just don't need a lot of supplies.

Probably the most common EPP shape is the hexie that I used in these coasters. You can use hexies of any size. You may recall some other projects I was working on that used much larger hexies than these. I made a baby quilt with flannel 9 inch hexies: 

And I have another project on the go with 3 inch hexies, and this one, also with 1 inch hexies: 

By the way, the way you measure a hex shape is by measuring one side, like this:

So, to get back to the gift idea....for each coaster you will need 7 hexie shapes, one for the center and 6 for the outside of the flower. You can use whatever fabric choices strike your fancy. You can choose themed fabric, or just something that will go with the recipient's decor. 

You will need some hexie shapes of course, and there are a few different ways you can go about getting these. There are paper punches that you can use to make your shapes, like this one here ( click for link):

You can buy paper pieces online at various sources; you can trace your own from an original source; and you can use dies like this one ( which is what I did):

What I like about using this die, is that it cuts my paper pieces AND my fabric pieces at the same time, saving ME time. The downside of using the die is that you need a fabric cutting machine, but if you already own one, or are thinking of buying one, this is a great way to go ( click).

If you would like to use this method, I am offering to send you either just the paper pieces ( 12 shapes cut from recycled junk mail) for just $3 ( including shipping), OR I can send you the fabric and the paper shapes for 4 coasters ( this will include 12 paper shapes ( which can be reused multiple times), plus 28 fabric pieces for $15 including shipping ( USA only). This does NOT include the felted wool, just the cotton fabric for the flowers. The fabric choices will be mine but you can indicate a color scheme and we will make sure you are happy ;). If you are interested just send me an email at farmhousequiltsinlancaster@gmail.com.

If you don't know how to EPP I don't want to go into too much detail because there are plenty of sources online that can teach you how to EPP, but I will give you a quick overview of how to make a hexie coaster:

1. grab a paper shape.

2. baste your chosen fabric to your paper shape. repeat 6 more times.

3. sew your finished hexies into a flower shape. 

4. press your finished flower hexie.

5. remove the papers. 

At this point you would place your flower shape on a wool felt shape that is slightly larger than you flower and sew about 1/8" away from the edge of your flower. 

 Then trim the felt to between 1/8 and 1/4 inch around the outside, keeping your distance the same all the way around ( you could draw a line with a pen to follow with your scissors, but I don't think it will be necessary.  

And voila, you are done. Repeat for however many coasters you want to make, wrap them up, and gift :). Now wasn't that easy? 

To finish up my blog post, I wanted to share all the wonderful quilts that the ladies in my FB group made as a result of my latest sewalong! 

Remember the original pattern?

Here it is: 

( image via https://www.jedicraftgirl.com/?s=flower+market+quilt)

And here are all the different versions that the members in my group shared!

Isn't it fun to see all these different versions? It just goes to show you that fabric choices can make such a huge difference in a pattern!

Alright, I'm off to do more Christmas sewing! I set up the tree in my room and it is looking and feeling super cozy in there, a perfect little spot to create in! 

Until next time~happy creating!

Monique