Patchwork of the Crosses Blog Along

   

  Hi!  My name is Muriel and I’m a staff member and teacher at Little Quilts.  Everyone at the shop knows I love handwork and that I’m addicted to English Paper Piecing!  Currently I’m working on reproducing the beautiful Patchwork of the Crosses quilt made by Lucy Boston in the 1950’s.  If you’d like to follow my progress, check the blog every Thursday when I’ll be posting pictures along with tips and techniques for making the blocks.

If you’d like to stitch along with me, you will need a few supplies.  You will need 1” Honeycomb and 1” Square Template Papers, a 1” Honeycomb and a 1” Square Acrylic Template, a SewLine Fabric Glue Pen, and a good  tweezers. Check our website (www.littlequilts.com) for a starter kit that will include all these supplies along with a “Lucy Boston Patchwork of the Crosses” book . 

  In addition you will need embroidery scissors, thread, and needles.  I prefer #11 Milliners or Straw needles because they are thin enough to allow me to feel the template papers while I’m stitching. My favorite thread is  Aurifil – it is strong thread, but fine enough to thread through the small eye of the milliner needles.  Always use 100% cotton thread when using cotton fabric.

I know you’re going to love the accuracy of English Paper Piecing as well as its portability.  It’s the perfect project for making use of little snippets of fabric as well as little snippets of time – while watching television, riding in a car or plane, or maybe even while sitting at the doctor’s office.

I will be using the age-old method of English Paper Piecing to make my blocks.  Watch for a step-by-step tutorial on this method next week as well as information on Inklingo for those of you who prefer hand piecing.