Are you addicted yet???

Addicted you ask?  Have you been bitten by the English paper piecing bug yet?  Do you find yourself rummaging through your scraps for just the right size piece of fabric for a hexie, a honeycomb or a star?  If you have answered yes, then you are addicted!!

I started with just making 3/4" hexagons for some kind of Grandmother's Flower Garden and then Sheryl Johnson of Temecula Quilt Company began her Fussy Friday posts on her blog and the next thing I knew I was fussy cutting fabric for 6 pointed star blocks.  And then it grew some more when Paula came back from teaching in Atlanta with everything (honeycombs and squares) we needed to do the Lucy Boston Patchwork of the Crosses blocks!

And thank you Pat Sloan for sharing the Vera Bradley media case (on Instagram) that you transformed into a sewing kit.  I now have 3 of those - complete with needle threader, thread, applique pins, and scissors -  one for each of my 3 paper piecing addictions. I found mine at a Vera Bradley outlet and on eBay.

 

I mentioned in previous posts that I wanted to share something with you and this was it. I was waiting for our supplies to come in so we could post kits on our website.

I know you are all familiar with Grandmother's Flower Garden, but the 6 pointed star block and the Lucy Boston Block take paper piecing to a new level.  Check out Sheryl's blog for some of her Fussy Friday blocks, but here are some of mine.  I think I probably enjoy making these the most because they are so fast - 6 pieces and you are done.  The fun part is picking the fabric and then deciding what you want to fussy cut.  Check out the kits for these blocks - plastic diamond template and diamond paper pieces.

These 5 are all made in Paula's collections

 

6 pointed star starter kit

The Lucy Boston block is something else.  Google "Lucy Boston block" and click on "Images" - you will be amazed by  what some of people have created.  They are works of art!  Again, playing with the fabric is the best part of this block.  Check your scraps for stripes, florals, large prints, small prints, etc.  Here are a couple of my attempts and a link to our website for a starter kit that includes a honeycomb template, a square template, honeycomb and square paper pieces, Lucy Boston: Patchwork of the Crosses book, and a piece of fabric to get you started.

Paula made this one.

I made this one, but Paula picked these fabrics.

 

 

 

Lucy Boston starter kit

Paula and I like to travel with our paper pieces (usually get them all in one sewing case) and we've demo-ed them on the past two cruises.  It seems that when you share these, you bring another person into the addiction. Here are some blocks made by some new members to the cult.  We'll be taking them to Wisconsin with us too, so we'll see how many more we add to the group!

Katie made this one on the Freedom of the Seas cruise - love her center!

Sarabeth made these on the Galveston cruise.

Gloria made this one. Another great center and good colors.

Did you notice the Hampton Ridge stripe that was used differently in both the 6 pointed star block and the Lucy Boston block? Hmmm.
 
Until next time, happy quilting (or paper piecing!),
Mary Ellen