Rainbow colored EPP hexagon pillow WIP

I try out new things in quilting very frequently and lately I am trying to find the right thread and needle that work best for hand stitching the hexagons and other EPP (English Paper Piecing) shapes together.

I didn't wanna make a project that was of no use when it was finished so I decided to raid my little fabric stash and make a quick rainbow quilt with a fat quarter selection, to turn into a pillow case.

I made a bunch of hexagons, 10 of each color (2 spare ones included, just in case) and I decided on a gray outline of the rainbow simply because I found mini charm squares (2.5" squares) in my stash.

Here is a progress picture so far:

I will add 3 more rows of hexagons. So far it measures approx. 16" across and 17" high. No idea so far what I am going to quilt on this but I am loving it already. If you have ideas, feel free to comment and share with us.
BTW don't the dotted hexagon look like rolling dices? or is it me? lol

I have tried the "in-betweens" needles in the bottom part of my project and decided that they are too short for me to hold and the holes are bigger than I like them to be.

I am now using a Milliners needle with Masterpiece thread from Superior Threads. Love the Bohin Milliners needle (even it is bending slightly)

Below I am sharing the items I have purchased, so you can too.

I will keep sharing this WIP as it progresses and of course I will introduce you to my other WIP's since who doesn't have 1 or 2 or...lol 

EPP template generating gadgets - Part 1

One of the most asked questions I get from new English Paper Piecing (EPP) lovers/swappers, even seasoned ones, is the question if there is a faster way to cut templates for English Paper Piecing.

So, I am going to share my knowledge here of the products I found to be helpful for my EPP. Every time I will share something new that I have tried.

First I discovered this amazing Hexagon Squeeze Punch...oh my what an eye opener. Now I can sit in front of the tv (even on the go) and just squeeze this punch in 1 layer of cardstock paper and make unlimited amounts of 1" hexagons.

The cardstock/Index card stock, I cut for my hexagon templates with this punch is this 90lbs, gray, 250 sheets/ream.

I find it to work perfectly for my templates and easily removes when needed. It is just a tad "thicker" than normal paper but not flimsy and easy to cut with the Fiskars Squeeze Punch.

With the 1" hexagon Fiskars punch, I get 15 hexagons out of a 8.5" by 11" sheet. This means this ream of cardstock/index card stock will supply me with 3,750 hexagon templates 😁😁😁for about $8-9 on Amazon.

You can use a Scan N cut machine for cutting your EPP templates of course too. I have one and I do use it from time to time for these out of the ordinary EPP templates. In future posts I will supply you with the CSV files (cutting files) for any of the cutting machines out there like the Silhouette and Cricut.

I will work on Part 2 of this series so in the mean time: Make sure to signup for my EPP swaps and EPP Quilt Alongs. 

Finished quilts update

Dallas Cowboys Quilt

 

 

Daisy Mae quilt

 

 

 

Poppies Quilt

 

 

 

Old trucks quilt

 

Wine Quilt

Finished the quilt top for "Quilts for kids" quilt number 1 :)

I received the quilt kit for the "Quilts for kids" on Thursday and I made it my number 1 priority to get this quilt finished as soon as I could.
You can read more here about the charity: www.quiltsforkids.org

Today, I attached the borders and now I am waiting for the backing fabric to arrive and the batting that was donated by one of my dear FB friends!
This is the kit:

Here is the quilt top: (I do have to cut the borders to size)