This is the handwork kit I took with me on our anniversary trip. Someone asked why I didn’t take a cross-stitch project. I’m aware that cross-stitch is experiencing a revival at the moment, but I literally can’t see to cross-stitch unless I use my bright floor lamp with the magnifier lens. Chalk it up to older eyes, I guess. EPP and hand embroidery are fine with just my reading glasses and decent lighting.

I didn’t have a lot of time to devote to EPP (only worked on 3 flowers), but I travel better when I pack something to keep my hands busy during periods of extended down time. The basis for my kit is the Beginning English Paper Piecing Kit from Paper Pieces. The kit covers the essentials, but you’ll want to add the items that make EPP work better for you.

Here’s what I suggest for your beginner EPP kit:

Sew-line fabric glue pen + at least 2 refills
Tacony Super Mini Shears
1″ Hexie papers from Paper Pieces
2-1/2″ squares/mini-charm pack/hexie pack in assorted colors
DecoBob 80 wt thread in Antique White or Nude (wind on bobbins)
Milliner/Straw Needles in Size 10 or 11 (Sue Daley, Bohin, Colonial Needle, Tulip are good brands)
Wonder Clips (10)
Thread conditioner
Thimble
Needle threader
Travel pack of baby wipes
Small box/bag to hold your supplies

Notes:
* If you prefer to thread baste, pack a 60 wt poly thread and size 7 sharp needles in lieu of a glue pen.
* If excess fabric from the basted 2-1/2″ squares bothers you, then cut your mini-charms into hexie shapes ahead of time using a clear acrylic template, 28mm rotary cutter and a 10″ Sue Daley cutting turntable.
*I have obtained satisfactory results using Coats & Clark fine thread and Quilter’s Select 60wt thread to stitch my hexies together. A vendor at the Kansas City Regional Quilt Festival introduced me to DecoBob thread (Wonderfil) for sewing Lori Holt appliqué and I now use it exclusively for EPP, as well.

There are a ton of YouTube videos on how to do English Paper Piecing. As a starting point, search out Tula Pink and/or Sue Daley in videos produced by Fat Quarter Shop or Missouri Star Quilt Company. There’s a huge rabbit hole around EPP that you can explore to your heart’s content.

What will I do with all these hexie flower blocks? Appliqué them on placemats, potholders, zipper pouches, baby quilts, pillows, etc. I do not anticipate doing a complete Grandmother’s Flower Garden quilt by hand.

Although, you never know…some of those Tula Pink and Jen Kingwell projects look mighty interesting.

Two afternoons a week, I open my home sewing studio for private lessons and group activities. On Monday, I had a private lesson with a brand new sewist. This afternoon, two of my Wednesday regulars returned for some spooky crafting. Gee, the last time I made pom-pom spiders with kids was Halloween 2019. Way too long! The girls also got to use glow-in-the-dark fabric to make Halloween themed pocket tissue holders. We’ll make small totes next week with the remainder of the glow-in-the-dark fabric and I’ll let them embellish the outside of their totes with with decorative stitches sewn using glow-in-the-dark thread I unearthed from my stash.

This is exactly what I envisioned doing in retirement – sewing and sharing my joy of sewing/quilting/crafting with others. It’s taken longer than I thought it would to find my retirement groove, but I’m getting there. My Friday sew group now has a regular slot on the public library’s weekly calendar. I’ve got monthly craft nights for ‘tweens & teens scheduled at the Smyrna Public Library for January, February and April, 2023. One of my library media specialist friends who also sews has decided to pull the early retirement lever. Hopefully, she’ll be joining me at Friday sew days or we can start our own stitch ‘n bitch group. The guild I joined offers a lot of great programming and opportunities, but many of my Friday sew group ladies belong to a different guild. I guess I probably should join that guild as I’m planning on attending a retreat in January at Koosa Mountain Lodge with them. 🙂

Our long awaited 30th anniversary trip finally happened last week – closer to our 32nd anniversary but who’s counting? We took the Rocky Mountaineer train from Denver, Colorado to Moab, Utah, then finished out the week in Las Vegas. No gambling, but lots of sightseeing in the form of excursions to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam/Lake Mead. Of course, we enjoyed the fountains at the Bellagio, had a wonderful dinner at Mon Ami Gabi and enjoyed seeing Piff the Magic Dragon live at the Flamingo theatre.

I did manage to visit two quilt shops while in Denver – Holly’s Quilt Cabin and Treelotta. Both are excellent quilt shops. Treelotta reminds me so much of Intown Quilters – my fave ATL shop that closed down permanently during the pandemic. I told hubs that I would definitely keep an eye out for any retreats offered by this shop. It would be totally worth a quick trip to Denver for a 2-3 day retreat with a side trip to the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum.

For many years, a block from my redwork embroidery project accompanied me on my travels. Now that it’s finished, I had to find a new hand sewing project to take with me. English Paper Piecing was my project of choice. This trip didn’t allow for much sew time because there was so much amazing scenery to view. I managed to get 3 Grandmother’s Flower Garden blocks completed by the time we landed in the ATL. I can honestly say the flat back stitch with a size 11 Milliner’s needle for EPP works best for me. You’ll see a blog post on this soon!

Meanwhile, enjoy some pictures from our trip.