PRACTISE YOUR ENGLISH PAPER PIECING SKILLS WITH THIS HAPPY HEXIE PROJECT!
YOU WILL NEED
■ Fabrics A–K: one (1) 5in
square of each
■ Fabric L: 5/8yd
■ Batting: 14in square
■ Fusible interfacing: two (2)
approx. 2in square scraps
■ One (1) ½in diameter
magnetic clasp
■ Thirty seven (37) copies of
the 1in Hexagon template
■ Sixty four (64) copies of the
1in Triangle template
FINISHED SIZE
■ 9in x 13in (9in x 6½in folded)
NOTES
■ Seam allowances are ¼in throughout,
unless otherwise noted.
■ Charm squares can be used for this
project. These are 5in squares of fabric.
■ The templates provided do not
include seam allowances.
■ If using the printed templates, make four copies of the template page. You can also use commercially available EPP papers instead of the templates. Both triangle and hexagon templates have 1in sides.
■ EPP = English Paper Piecing.
■ RST = right sides together.
■ WOF = width of fabric.
■ Press seams open throughout,
unless otherwise instructed.
■ Fabric supplied by Ruby Star Society
(rubystarsociety.com).
FABRICS USED
All fabrics used are from the Hole Punch Dot collection by Kimberly Kight for Ruby Star Society, as follows:
■ Fabric A: Strawberry.
■ Fabric B: Gem.
■ Fabric C: Cotton Candy.
■ Fabric D: Peach.
■ Fabric E: Bananas.
■ Fabric F: Butternut.
■ Fabric G: Watercress.
■ Fabric H: Polar.
■ Fabric I: Navy.
■ Fabric J: Pecan.
■ Fabric K: Honey.
■ Fabric L: Turquoise.
CUTTING OUT
1
From each of Fabrics B, C, G and H cut: ■ Four (4) 2½in squares.
2
From each of Fabrics A, D, E, F, I, J and K cut:
■ Three (3) 2½in squares.
3
From Fabric L cut:
■ Sixty four (64) 1½in squares.
■ One (1) 10½in x 14in.
■ Two (2) 9in x 3in.
■ Two (2) 2in x 2¾in.
■ One (1) 2¼in x 12in strip.
■ One (1) 2¼in x WOF.
4
From the batting cut:
■ One (1) 10½in x 14in.
■ One (1) 2¾in x 2in.
PREPARING THE PAPER PIECES
5
Place a paper hexagon in the centre, on the wrong side of one Fabric A 2½in square. Secure in place with a dot of fabric glue or a pin, then cut all the way around the template leaving a ¼in seam allowance around the outer edge, as shown in Fig A.
6
Glue baste the hexagon in place, working one side at a time around the hexagon (Fig B). If you prefer, you can corner tack or thread baste your pieces.
7
Repeat the process in steps 5– 6 to glue baste each of the hexagons to each of the Fabric A–K 2½in squares. You will have a total of thirty seven hexagons.
8
Place a paper triangle in the centre, on the wrong side of one Fabric L 1½in square. Secure in place with a dot of fabric glue or a pin then cut around the template leaving a ¼in seam allowance around the outer edge. Trim the points, leaving ¼in of fabric above the points, to avoid very long fabric tails and bulk (Fig C). Glue baste the triangle, or use your preferred method.
9
Repeat step 8 with all the Fabric L 1 in squares, for a total of sixty four triangles.
SEWING THE FRONT PANEL
10
Arrange the basted hexagons and triangles as shown in Fig 1.
11
Take the first hexagon and triangle, and place right sides together, aligning the edge to be joined. Starting at one corner, whipstitch along the edge (Fig D). Take small stitches, and make sure to only catch the fabric with your needle without also going through the paper template.
12
When you reach the other corner, knot your thread, but don’t cut it. Open out the pieces, then align the next triangle to be joined to the hexagon. Sew them together as in step 11 (Fig 2). Knot your thread at the end and snip.
13
Continue along the row, adding alternate hexagons and pairs of triangles. Then sew the remaining rows in the same way, as shown in Fig 3.
14
Sew each of the rows together to complete the panel, carefully matching points. You may want to hand baste the rows at the points before sewing the long seams, or use clips or pins to hold in place.
15
Press the completed panel. Remove all the papers from the back of the panel, gently peeling away the seam allowance around each shape. Press the panel again, pressing the seam allowances out along the edges, as shown in Fig E.
16
Fold the panel in half widthwise, and then gently press to mark the centre. Trim the panel to 9in x 13 in, using the centre mark for reference in order to cut evenly from both ends (Fig F).
17
Make a quilt sandwich by placing the Fabric L 10 in x 14in rectangle right
side down, the corresponding batting on top, then your EPP panel right side up on top of the batting. Baste in place and quilt as desired. Amy machine quilted diagonal lines running through the corners of the hexagons (Fig G).
18
Trim away any excess batting and lining fabric. Mark a point 4½in from the top edge and 1"/ 8in from the right, on the front of the panel. Using this as a centre point, add markings for the prongs of one half of the metal snap (Fig H).
19
Carefully snip along your prong marks, push the snap through to the lining side and bend the prongs outwards to secure. Iron one of your scraps of interfacing over the prongs to cover and secure them. This will be covered by the flaps once the book cover is complete.
FINISHING THE BOOK COVER
20
Take one Fabric L 3in x 9in piece. Press under ¼in twice along one long edge, enclosing the raw edge. Topstitch in place to hem. Then, repeat this process again with the other 3in x 9in piece.
21
With the book cover lining side up, place the two hemmed pieces at each end, aligning the raw edges at the sides. Pin or clip, then baste in place, using a !/ 8in seam allowance, as shown in Fig I.
22
Take one Fabric L 2¾in x 2in rectangle and baste it on the top of the corresponding batting piece. Mark ¾in from one short edge in the centre of the strip. Then mark for the other half of the magnetic snap and install it, following the instructions in step 19 (Fig J).
23
Place the piece with the magnetic snap RST with the other Fabric L 2¾in x 2in piece. Sew around the sides and the short edge closest to the snap. Clip the corners (Fig K). Turn right side out, carefully pushing out the corners, and then press in order to finish the tab.
24
Mark a vertical line down the very centre of the panel. Stitch through all of the layers !/ 8in from either side of the line, making sure that you lockstitch at either end of the line of stitching.
25
Place the tab at the left edge of the cover, with the snap face up, and pin in place (Fig J). Fold the book cover in half and check that the tab is correctly positioned to snap closed, adjusting as necessary. Unfold and baste the tab in place.
26
Sew the Fabric L 2¼in x 12in strip to the end of the 2¼in x WOF strip, using a diagonal seam. Press the seam open, trim the dog ears, then press the strip in half lengthwise, wrong sides together. Use this strip to bind the outer edge of the book cover, just as you would a quilt.