A New EPP Project
Some of you may remember my post about getting back into English Paper Piecing (otherwise known as EPP) after seeing The Prudence quilt by Lilabelle Lane Creations on Instagram. Well, yes, I actually did finish all the EPP for that project, but haven’t shared it with all of you yet because I can’t figure out how I want to complete it. I’ve got a couple of ideas, but nothing concrete yet. Once I do I’ll definitely post about it here.
In the meantime, I fell in love with another project by Lilabelle Lane Creations called Southern Aurora. The kit was purchased from Troll Brothers Quilt Designs in British Columbia and as soon as it arrived the fussy cutting began for the individual blocks. I thought that in the pattern cover version of this quilt the background was too “blotchy” and didn’t allow the gorgeous blocks to stand out. The designer, Sharon Burgess, made an incredible second quilt sample like a rainbow…definitely more “kapow”!
Going through my stash proved to me that I had a lot of black and white prints that I’ve had f-o-r-e-v-e-r…so I decided to use a limited mix of them for the background. This way the very colourful, fussy-cut prints would stand out against the neutral ground. Since I was such a good girl and used stash for the background I wasn’t too hard on myself when a fat quarter bundle of Tula Pink’s Tiny Beasts from Ultimate Sewing Centre jumped into my hands while at the shop. The tiny dots and stripes are so yummy!
My hubby and I planned a work week at my mother-in-law’s cottage a couple of weeks ago so I prepped a whole bunch of blocks and background pieces to take with me. That way, when the weather was not cooperative for working outside I could stitch away indoors, or stitch in the evening after the work was done for the day.
I was able to complete two full blocks and three partial blocks before I went to the cottage, but the rest of what you see was done while there, along with quite a few background units. It’s one of those projects where there is no rush to get it done…just an “enjoy the process” type of thing.
Remember when I said that Becky, Marg and Patti told Gail and I that we were both nuts to do EPP? Well, guess what?! Becky has been converted and is working on her own EPP project, It’s Sew Jodi’s Inner Cube pattern done with Tula Pink fabrics…just stunning! Marg and Patti are the holdouts…not sure if we’ll ever be able to convert them too.
I realized a while ago that I really like the portability of this type of project, and for the first time for an extended stay at the cottage I didn’t take my small sewing machine…my hubby was shocked. Instead of sitting at the kitchen table at my machine, I’m now out on the deck or in the yard with my EPP enjoying the breeze off the lake. Pool boy, where’s my beer?!