Last August, I started to hand piece Lemoyne star blocks. I chose that block because I find it the most challenging, with the set-in corners and the eight seams coming to one point in the center.
I aim to make 64 of these blocks, add sashings and cornerstones, and make a king sized bed quilt. So far, I have pieced 46 blocks.
The blocks look really nice after they have been pressed.
Here is a closeup of the way I “swirl” the seams to get them to lie as flat as possible.
After completing a few small projects using English paper piecing, I wanted to go 3-D. I decided to make a soccer ball, since it is a familiar shape that would look really cool done up in colors other than black and white. I decided to use a solid coral color fabric for the pentagons and several aqua batiks for the hexagons.
The secret to productive hand sewing is to have your project ready to grab as you run out the door. I like to use boxes, rather than a tote bag, because sharp things like scissors can’t stab, and the lid gives me a small platform on which to work.
EPP, which uses a whip stitch, takes about three times longer than regular hand piecing, which uses a running stitch. This little project has kept me entertained for a long time, but it was all done during meetings, in waiting rooms, etc. when I would otherwise be trying (and failing) to concentrate on a book. The good thing about hand sewing is that I can converse or concentrate on other people while I stitch, although I really can’t follow complicated TV or movie plots very well, I admit. That requires too much looking up from my sewing.
Because this is a puzzle ball, I could not just use a ladder stitch to join the polygons. I have to use tiny whip stitches, because the puzzle ball must be stuffed until it is very stiff in order to fill out the shape completely.
Just a few more pieces to add, then I can start to stuff.
Don’t just sit there, go sew something!
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