English Paper Piecing

[Renata L.]

It's incredible how many patterns one can come up with , with these little hexies. I am sewing my into 'flowers', but I think they will become diamonds,and I too, do not know what it is going to be when it grows up. But it will grow up!

Rita - spectacular
Lorchen - super clever!

[Renata L.]

Rita, are you whip stitching the hexies together or are you doing a ladder stitch? I can't see any of you stitches--wonderful!

[Rita C.]

Hi Ritzy, I am whip stitching. Ladder stitch is too time consuming on something this small. If you magnify the image you will be able to see my stitching really well (unfortunately), especially towards the centre. Alex suggested using bottom line thread which I am using now as it really is almost invisible. But you need to thread the thread like the Thimblelady does otherwise it keeps slipping out of the eye of the needle because it's such a springy thread.

[Rita C.]

Rita, your hexie in progress is lovely! I am still quite taken with redwork embroidery for my take along projects and have not gotten into hexies (yet).

But I must ask: What is the trick the Thimblelady does with thread to keep it from coming out of the eye of the needle?

[Rita C.]

Glad you asked, Michelle.
Ditto.

[Renata L.]

Liuxin Newman (Thimblelady), in order to keep slippery threads from getting unthreaded from the needle while sewing, secures the thread in a way that not only keeps the needle from unthreading, but also allows you to keep a longer length of thread on the needle that you release as you sew. After threading the needle, keeping the thread half on one side of the needle's eye and the other half on the other, take the tip of the needle and pierce through one thread close to the tail, then do it one more time further down on the same thread (it will look like the pierced thread forms an "s" shape; pull the needle all the way through the two places in the thread that you pierced and you will see that your two sides of the thread are now intertwined. As you tug on one end of the thread, you can lengthen the amount of thread available and the thread cannot come off the needle.

My explanation may sound confusing--it's the best I can do... ops: but if you have access to Episode 310, Liuxin Newman demonstrates this method. It is actually a very common way of keeping the thread from slipping off when embroidering, expecially with silk thread. I know my husband's grandmother in China used this method and my mother from Italy does the same. Maybe someone else can pipe up and explain it better than I if you don't have access to that particular TQS episode. I tried looking for a youtube video but could not find it.

[Renata L.]

Thanks Renata. I think I understand your explanation. I will try it. I do enjoy embroidery and love to use Pearl Cotton. I use a rather large eyed needle and the Pearl Cotton often slips out of that eye as I am working. Perhaps this is the trick I need.

I am surprised however, that a super thin poly thread like Bottom Line would be able to be pierced. I can easily see embroidery thread or cotton 2-3 ply thread being pierced but not BL. Will have to try it for sure.

[Lois B.]

Very nice hexie work Lorchen. I particularly like the more modern ones.

I posted a photo of my project on the blog but here it is anyway. I am working on individual flowers for the next step. It will take a while as there are many flowers and the hexagons are only 3/4". It is a great take along project as I can do it during all those times when I am waiting for the kids to finish school, music lessons etc. I then attach each section I have completed to the whole. I also keep changing my mind about the design - which then involves me in redrawing my pattern on hex graph paper. That takes ages too. But it is interesting seeing how it is developing. I will finish this someday.

I am looking at this picture and am trying to determine its current size. If the hexies are 3/4" across then this piece must be less than 12" on a side. Or when you say 3/4" hexies do you mean the lenght of the seam is 3/4" long?

[E.M. T.]

Michelle..I can tell you that the method works !..I use it with 100 # silk for applique !

[Rita C.]

Thanks Michelle. Renata explained it better than I could. And Liuxin Newman demonstrates it in that episode. It works even with a thread as thin as bottom line which is amazing. I would love to see some of your redwork? I have never done it but I have done lots of embroidery over the years. Lois, the hexies are 3/4" along one side. The whole project so far is 34" across the middle. I honestly have no idea what the finished size will be but what I am doing now (flowers) will add another 12" or so all around.

[Jeannine K.]

I ordered mine from paperpieces.com, order enough for your project, very reasonable.

[Nancy M.]

TQS's own Mickie Depre recently published her first book, "Pieced Hexies" which takes hexies to a whole new level....the book is available on Amazon, and she has a fan page on FB.....they are pretty amazing! Nancy

[Nancy M.]

...and if you are interested in what other shapes can be achieved with this technique pop over to my latest blog
community/my-profile/PosyP

[Lotti D.]

thank you rosemary - what a detailed and informative blog.
unfortunately my office pc won't let me see most of the photos (it does that sometimes - we have so many safety guards up i often have to download stuff i need at home)...
so i'll be rereading it all at home tonight with pictures. looking forward to that
i've been thinking of doing triangles - but yours add a whole new dimension

[Margo C.]

I can't see the photos either, except for some reason #4 shows up! Hope you can re-post Rosemary!