"in hand" epp link party #2

here we are at the second "in hand" epp link party. i hope all entrants (and maybe visitors) were as inspired as i was by the link up. i was able to complete a set of 3 wheels in almost a week after the party. then my crazy idea for a quilt for each child for Christmas took over and i'll admit i haven't done much (maybe any) epp for about 2 weeks. but up to that point i was working on it either in the morning or just before bed every day. a little bit at a time really adds up quickly.

this time around instead of doing just individual wheel blocks, i did a group of 3 at once in an attempt at keeping the thread moving from one place to the next. it did help with the thread, but i don't like adding one small piece to such a large base. it gets unwieldy. so i'm going back to one block at a time.

i also realized that i have not got all my hexie fabrics oriented the same direction. (see the fleur de lis block above.) this is going to bug me. in the future, i'll rebaste them on the papers before sewing together, but i'm stuck with the few that are off now since i refuse to unpick handstitching.

as for the link party, i'm quite pleased with the showing we had last month - 22 entries. there were plenty of hexies, but also lots of other great projects going on, too. i've decided to share 3 projects from each link up on the following month. believe me, this is a hard choice to make! i'm going to go for some variety in shapes and projects, any special techniques of note, or new epp information/happenings.

Melissa at my fabric relish had not one, but two, finishes to share. she worked on some cushions while staying with her father in the hospital. (she says he's all better now, thank goodness!)
i'm so glad she mentioned that charm packs are the perfect size for 2.5" hexies. that's good to know! you can see her other ferris wheel pattern cushion here.

Liz at shush, i'm quilting shared a tutorial on how to use the nifty sewline glue pen as she put together her fabulous 6 point diamond stars. I like this one with the postcard print and liberty stile. I think the sewline people aught to be giving her sales commissions because she probably convinced a lot of people to use this pen when they saw the stack of diamonds she did in a very short period.

Moneik at monkeik quilts had more epp projects going than maybe the rest of us combined! this hexie project is a fascinating study in how many ways you can make a hexie out of other shapes.

this isn't featuring any one entrant, but while visiting links last month, I came across the inchy hexagon flower swap ladies and blog. it is a swap with 50 members (spots open!) from around the world that trade 1" hexie flowers with partners each month. here are some of the swap guidelines to give you an idea:

Hexagons are 1" sided when finished.

Tacked templates are to be left in.

Send two (2) finished hexagon flowers to your nominated partner per month. It is up to you how many you send to your partner. Some people only prefer to send one (1). You may want to include a little gift or postcard with your monthly hexie. It is not compulsory or expected.

this is a swap received from a member last month, pretty post card included

if you'd like to see some samples, get more information on the swap, or maybe join in, please visit their site. I was so excited to find a group of nearly 50 ladies who epp. I did a guest post on their blog about "in hand" so I hope to see new participants this month from their group.


  this link party is linked up with wip Wednesday at freshly pieced.