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Spreading quilty joy one stitch at a time!

Mischief Quilt | A long term English Paper Piecing project

April 27, 2018 by Shannon 9 Comments

Mischief Quilt a long term English Paper Piecing project. #englishpaperpiecing

This is the story about how the Mischief Quilt came on my radar and why it became my long-term project!

I fondly remember receiving Karen’s (aka Karen, formerly known as The DIY Addict, now known as The Quilt Kit Co) direct message on Instagram about her templates. And feeling completely honoured that she reached out to me. Wanting to help her out and play with some fun hexies. And then immediately being concerned about timelines!

I know how time-consuming hand piecing can be for me. I’m not a speedy hand sewer; for me, hand sewing is all about slowing down and enjoying each stitch. Speed is not the focus here. She assured me the idea was to have fun and test drive them. Concerns alleviated, I was so excited to realise that I was about to start my first English paper-pieced quilt journey!!! How freakin’ cool! And, terrifying!

That’s a lot of cutting. Lots of basting. A whole heck of a lot of hand sewing. To commit to. But I was intrigued too.

Diving into my very first English Paper Piecing adventure with the Mischief Quilt designed by Karen Tripp. Slowing down and enjoying he meditative stitchwork EPP offers. See more on the blog. #englishpaperpiecing #epp #slowstitching

This post contains affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, if you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a commission.

Mischief Quilt layout options

Before even getting started, I had to figure out which version I wanted to make.

The kit comes with everything you need and includes instructions for 4 variations. I opted for variation 1, because, well, it just caught my eye and I liked the central star. But it also means that this kit can keep me entertained for years to come – love that!

My design process

My design process can be quite flexible. I often design as I go. It can be a jumping-off point that I’m so inspired by, that I just go with that feeling.

That’s kinda what happened here. I had some scraps (gosh, a lot of my quilting stories start with “I had some scraps”!) leftover from my Kaleidoscope Festival Quilt and Peaks & Valleys Table Runner projects. And I was really bummed to have to give those back to Camelot Fabrics!

I absolutely adored this collection. The geometric nature of the prints paired with the soft lilac and cream shades, with some bold accents of indigo.

So much so, that I already made some heart appliqué quilted mug rugs. And the rest I’ve been hoarding for a future special project.

And the Mischief Quilt is just that!

Mischief Quilt pattern and English Paper Piecing templates by Karen Tripp the DIY Addict. See more on the blog #englishpaperpiecing #handsewing #handquilting

Evaluating the fabric situation as you go

Before diving in, I knew that I wouldn’t have enough Kaleidoscope scraps to make all 100 central stars. And that doesn’t even count the complimentary stars and hexies to join everything together.

Eek!

That’s a WHOLE lot of pieces.

So, for now, I’m just taking it one day at a time. I’ll see how far these scraps get me and then I’ll re-evaluate at that point.

This is a long-term project. I can’t go too crazy lest my tendinitis flares up again. And I really don’t want that.

These little pretties are getting created whenever, wherever I can, and feel like it. How’s that for no pressure, just enjoy the process kind of project! Yasss.

Here's my assembly work for the Mischief Quilt I'm working on. This is a long term English Paper Piecing quilt that I'm working on in between my other projects. It's perfect for taking on the road with me too! See more on the blog. #englishpaperpiecing #slowstitching

English paper piecing tips

In need of some EPP tips? I sure was!

And Karen has some great video tutorials on her Youtube channel (watch them here). I decided to check out all of the video tutorials Karen has shared before I even selected my fabric.

I highly encourage you to check out her templates and tutorials, she gives such amazing tips to make your EPP experience as stellar as possible. Seriously, she’s pretty awesome!

Mischief Quilt block in the making! Read about how I found out about this English Paper Piecing project and my approach to working through a long term hand sewing quilt. Read more on the blog. #englishpaperpiecing  #handsewing
Shown above is the handmade pincushion featuring big-stitch hand quilting.

Thread basting vs. glue basting

I tried thread-basting my pieces, and it works quite well. But, I kept hearing all the fuss about glue basting, and I was intrigued.

Since I’d received my Sewline Glue Pen for Christmas (you know you’re hooked on quilting when notions pop up on your wish list!!) I was primed for my first session. OMG, what an awesome little tool she is.

I can glue baste much quicker than thread basting, and, wanting to save my hand sewing for the joining, I figured glue basting was a no-brainer.

After my first few stars, I went into assembly mode cutting up the fabrics and glue-basting several stars at once. I couldn’t imagine sitting down and just cutting 100s of little pieces. But doing it in batches where I was only cutting about 10 stars at a time, it felt less daunting, more manageable, and would keep the boredom of repetition at bay. Here’s a little sneak peek at my assembly lines.

Assembly line of my Mischief Quilt English Paper Piecing pieces glue basted and ready to stitch together. Read more about this long term hand sewing project on the blog. #englishpaperpiecing

My go-to materials and tools for English paper piecing

I share lots of my favourite tools on my Resources page, but here’s a focused list of my can’t live without tools for EPPing:

  • Fabric/ Fabric Scraps
  • Olfa Splash Rotary Cutter with these blades
  • Mischief templates and papers by The DIY Addict (aka Karen)
  • Sewline glue pen – this thing just rocks!
  • Clover Wonder clips – to keep everything in order without stabbing yourself with pins
  • Milliners/ Straw needles size 10
  • Aurifil thread in 50wt
  • Thread Heaven (an awesome thread conditioner that is sadly no longer being made – here’s a similar alternative that I haven’t tried, or there’s also this great all beeswax alternative, which has become my go-tp)

Shop all of my most used notions here.

The evolution of a Mischief Quilt block featuring English Paper Piecing. Read more about this long term hand sewing project on the blog! #handsewing #englishpaperpiecing
Enjoy the meditative benefits of English paper piecing! It surprised me how much I would enjoy the slow nature of hand sewing my EPP blocks together. Read more about this long term project up on the blog. #englishpaperpiecing

Current progress

So far, I’ve got one row done (10 per row)! And that’s taken me…well, let’s not focus on how long it’s taken me – ha! The point is, I’m having fun and enjoying the process. That is, after all, the most important bit – right?!

I so admire my quilty friends who seem to be able to whip up EPP blocks in no time flat, but instead of getting discouraged by my slow progress, I prefer to look to them for inspiration that I too, with time, will improve my EPP game.

In the meantime, I hope this post inspires you to take on a long-term project and encourages you that there is happiness to be found in taking your time, not rushing, and just enjoying the quilty adventure; at whatever pace suits you best!

Have you got a long-term project that you’re working on? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!

Happy stitching!

xo,

Shannon

PS I’m so excited that I’ve got one row done, that I feel like I’ve accomplished a milestone in this project. So, I’m linking up for Finish it up Friday with Crazy Mom Quilts as a way to celebrate and keep the sewjo for this project alive 


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Filed Under: Quilting Tagged With: English Paper Piecing, WIP

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Comments

  1. Yvonne @Quilting Jetgirl says

    April 27, 2018 at 7:30 pm

    I have felt very discouraged by the thought of the time investment in EPP as well, and I love that you are honest about it and jumped in anyway! This is stunning and it will be nice to see the project grow for you.

    Reply
    • Shannon says

      April 27, 2018 at 8:29 pm

      Some projects, EPP in particular, can feel so overwhelming! I just figure the worst that can happen is that it will sit in my WIP pile (maybe forever!), but I won't know until I give it a try 😉

      Reply
  2. Izzy says

    April 28, 2018 at 12:46 pm

    Sounds like you are really enjoying this project – which is really cool! I tried to make a few EPP hexies a little while ago and this is definitely not something I enjoy. 🙂

    Reply
    • Shannon says

      April 28, 2018 at 1:07 pm

      At least you now know EPP isn't for you! It's not something I can spend day after day on, but I do find enjoyment in sneaking them in here and there, which is why this project will be years in the making 😉

      Reply
  3. Mary says

    June 18, 2023 at 2:31 pm

    The links to the original pattern creator (DIY Addict) seem to be bad. I would love to purchase this pattern. Where can I find it now?

    Reply
    • Shannon says

      June 19, 2023 at 1:16 pm

      Hi Mary, Thank you so much for reaching out! I’ve reached out to Karen to see if she’s still offering the Mischief Quilt and templates as I’m not seeing it on her new site: https://www.thequiltkitco.com/ I’ll let you know if I hear anything!

      Reply
    • Shannon says

      June 20, 2023 at 1:43 pm

      Hi Mary, I heard back from Karen and she said she still has them but they aren’t listed on her new site. Send her an email to karen@thequiltkitco.com and she’ll get you sorted with the Mischief quilt 😁

      Reply
    • Linda says

      July 1, 2023 at 1:28 pm

      where can I find the pattern for the sewing bag with the birds on it. sooooooo cute!

      Reply
      • Shannon says

        July 7, 2023 at 10:03 am

        Unfortunately, there’s no pattern for the sewing bag with the birds on it. That was made by Megan’s friend. I agree, super cute!

        Reply

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