My First EPP Finish, With All Its Trials!!

A year ago I was looking for a hand project to do while we sit in the evenings watching something. I decided to try out English paper pieced hexagons using a small tote of scraps I have accessible. 

I didn't have any glue stick when I began so I used the basting method. Once I picked up glue stick I switched. I will say that glue stick is faster to start with but picking my paper pieces out a year later was a bit tedious. That glue really sticks!! In the long run I think I prefer the basting stitches.

I made hexagons until I was getting a bit tired of that step. When i put them together I ended up with nine of these diamonds with white tips. Well, I did have to make a handful more of the hexagons to finish them up. I decided to pair them with scraps of denim from my husband's jeans. When I picked it up again this year I had my diamonds nearly done and my denim pieces cut.

I used my featherweight to applique the diamonds onto the denim and then pieced it into a 3x3 design. After that I didn't really have a plan...wall hanging, floor pillow, small quilt.

Hmm, decided on a baby quilt for us! I haven't made anything for our June arrival so here it is!

I added two strips of denim and applique scrappy squares on one side. I tried putting them on either side but it looked off. Well, this way may look off too, but I did what I did!

I added my batting and quilted one quarter inch echo around each diamonds just through those layers. Then I decided to add a denim border on the other three sides.

I used a blue fuzzy fabric i have had awhile. I tried it with a few other projects but the blue was always wrong. Anywho, I did the stitch and flip and topstitched the edge to close the gap. Well...it must have shifted and I had a mess the back was too small. Ugh, I ripped out the topstitching and adjusted it to where it laid flat before re-topstitching the edge.

Then I started quilting...it looked a bit too puffy, but I kept going. Sometimes a project doesn't look good but if you trust the process and just keep going it works out in the end. I kept quilting with that in mind. Ugh, it did not. Here it is in its quilted state. I wouldn't lay a baby on its bumpy, lumpy surface.

Sewww, the next day I began the tedious chore of unpicking all my quilting. I quilted it on a day when I was very grumpy, emotional and just not having a good day! (Hello, pregnancy hormones!) And you know what, unpacking those stitches was actually therapeutic, like i was undoing my bad day.

I planned to unpick the whole thing and quilt it on Miss Vivian, finishing with a traditional binding but when I got to this point...I liked it! She finishes at 36 x 36 roughly with only a few spots of quilting. I couldn't unpick some in the ditch spots. The lovely soft back will be perfect for our little one too!

Alissa

Linking up with Alycia at QuiltyGirl and TGIFF!