Hexie Paper Piecing Tutorial - Part 1

Okay peeps...this is a continuation of my last post where I showed you how I cut out my hexagons.
Now I'll show you how I stitch them around paper pieces.
I'm sure there are alot of ways to do english paper piecing but this is how I do mine and it has worked for me for lots of years...



I place the hexagon paper in the center on the wrong side of the fabric hexie and use a paper clip to hold down the seam allowance on one edge. The paper clip is a really handy helper. He helps to keep the paper centered by stopping the fabric from sliding around.

I like to assembly line my hexies....as you can see in the background of my photo!

I use a single thread about 18" long in my needle and tie a knot on the end.

I like to have a pincushion handy for my needle inbetween steps....this one my BFF Nanette gave me.

I love it.

Thanks Nanette. It's just perfect for this project.

I always begin with the corner on the left of my paper clip.

Fold it over as you see in the photo above.... I make sure the fold underneath is folded all the way under...kind of like when I am wrapping a gift and fold the paper on the ends of the package.

I take a small stitch across the fold like so...

THIS IS IMPORTANT....I DO NOT stitch into the paper EVER.

Only the fabric.
This means that I am simply sewing the fabric hexagon AROUND the paper hexagon and not sewing it TO the paper hexagon.

After the first stitch.... I do it again in basically the same spot to secure that fold in place...for a total of 2 stitches over each fold.

I then continue working counter clockwise around the hexagon....folding first and than making 2 stitches to secure.

When I get to the last fold....I pop up the seam allowance with my needle like the photo below...

...and then use my needle again to fold it under so that all of my folds are going the same direction....I'm just weird that way.

Then I stitch in the same way as previous folds with one exception....

I make two extra stitches and knot off my thread by putting my needle through the loop of thread before pulling it all the way through.

I then cut my thread and leave a small tail.

This is what it looks like from the back ....

...and this is what it looks like on the front.

I CAREFULLY remove my paper clip by sliding it off on a diagonal so that I don't pull my fabric off of the paper.

I like to use my trusty iron and PRESS my hexagon on the right side to make a crease on the edges. I DO NOT use steam....as this would shrink it somewhat.
At this point...I either leave my paper in if I am stitching my hexie into a flower....or I remove the paper now if I am going to applique the hexagon onto fabric.

This is how I remove my paper.

I fold the paper so that I can get my fingernail in under the edge of the paper and carefully take it out....

...one corner at a time...being careful not to distort the hexie or pull too hard.

And here is my hexie.

I know it has taken a long time to show you... but it really only takes a minute from start to finish to do one of them.

At this point...I do NOT throw away my paper. I just press it for a second on each side...

....and it's good as new and ready for another go.

"Waste not want not".

It's a fun process and totally portable. I seperate my hexies into sixes (you need 6 for the petals in a small flower)...and put them in snack size zip-lock baggies.

I put them all in a plastic container to stay organized.

Kassidy has been stitching them for me too...you know that she is my stunt double...lol.

For those of you who don't know... Kass is my 10 year old cutie pie daughter.

She uses this little red polka dot ring pincushion when she does handwork.

To give her incentive...I pay her a dime for each hexie.

It really adds up for her. One complete bag is worth 60 cents to her and worth a small flower for me!

Because we work from the same container...she puts a punched flower with her initial stamped on it inside each bag of 6 hexies that she has completed.

That way...I can keep track of which ones she has done and I will know how much to pay her.

For my next post I will show you how I sew the hexagons together to make a flower.

If you are following along....you better start cutting some hexies!

Click Here For Part III