New to EPP, need guidance on using the patchwork
 

I am having trouble finding tutorials for this, most tutorials seem to end with piecing. I just started EPP over the weekend, mostly just for practice to see if I like it before diving into a whole EPP quilt. Right now I have two rosettes completed... the first was a free 1/2" hexie kit given out as a promotion to snare people in. First hit is free! I also had a kit of 42 paper hexies (1"?) with a mini charm pack. I basted all those, and put together one random rosette with them. I think I am getting the hang of stitching them together now.

I want to turn my mini charm pack into one large piece of random patchwork hexies, and use it for a little bag to carry around my EPP projects. The trouble is... I can't find anything that tells me how to work with the pieced hexies! So I am hoping you folks can point me in the right direction with tips or links.

My main questions are:

• are there any tricks/gotchas to squaring up the patchwork?
• if I add yardage, how do I piece it in? (like if I just have the hexies to the side, or along the bottom)
• how do you approach piecing hexies beyond a rosette?
  • stitch in pairs, then stitch pairs together?
  • stitch in rosettes and then stitch those together?
  • just keep adding one at a time until it is the size you want?
• when do you start taking out the papers?
  • the end? or do you take any of the middle ones out as your patchwork grows larger?

Thanks in advance!!

I hadn't even thought of putting diamonds between them!

Thanks for the tip on removing papers once all sides are joined. I was thinking of doing this, but wasn't sure if it would be a mistake.

I'm not sure about your other questions, but if you wanted to add yardage, the easiest way would be to applique the hexies on top. Then cut away what's underneath. Or, you could really be a showoff and cut plain hexies from your yardage and piece those in! That's what I would do. :D

Here's a cute little bag tutorial and if you wanted you could omit the snap frame closure. http://wheretheorchidsgrow.blogspot....-tutorial.html

Thank you for sharing that!! It is the first tutorial I have seen where they actually show you how to make something with the hexies. I can use this and apply it to any other bag tutorial!

Appliqué does sound like a good option for it, I hadn't thought of that. I like the smoother look of everything pieced together when it comes to hexies though, so I might just have to be a showoff too :)

Go to Sue Daley website...she has great tutes on EPP and some cute projects and also some awesome quilts....there are many sites on hexies designs, not to mention other pp shapes. PaperPieces.com is a good site for papers and also acrylic templates for cutting fabric....not affiliated, but happy customer....

Thanks! I will check out Sue Daley right now :)

I am familiar with Paper Pieces, they are the ones that put together the free EPP kit that I started out with. I also have one of their honeycomb templates and some papers that came in a kit I ordered from Etsy. I have already been perusing their site, making plans for playing with all their shapes! The Apple Core looks particularly awesome.

I could not answer your questions about hexies, but appreciate that you asked them because they brought up a wealth of information. Hexies I could do, but multiple pieces in a PP block is something that ties my brain cells in knots, trying to vizualize the other side. I followed the link provided by Thimblebug and was impressed enough to go looking for the book on the top right side of that page. I now have the book on order from the library, and may end up buying a copy.