A New EPP Workshop Project

Last week, I scheduled an EPP (English Paper Piecing) Workshop at The Sew'n Place in Fayetteville, PA during my August visit with my grandchildren.  I wanted to have a small project that gives students a chance to try the technique for the first time without overwhelming themselves.

My inspiration was these darling Jelly Clips by Lecien which I hoarded on a recent shopping trip.  Have you seen them?  They come in three sizes and a delightful array of summer colors!

I have seen a few finished projects on Instagram using patchwork covers.  I used the largest clip for my sample and made pieced fabric with thirty-five 1" hexagons.  The pattern which is included with the jelly clip was my guide for the patchwork.

Instructions are included with each clip however they are in Japanese but that is not a problem.  Happily Lecien provides English instructions for the jelly clip purses on their website HERE.  There is an appropriate sheet for each size of clip.  Notice that I pulled the seam allowance of the hexagons loose and pressed them out before adding the fusible interfacing to the wrong side of each layer.

The assembly is simple -- there are a couple darts on each piece to contour the base of the bag.

The outside and the lining are stitched together and then turned right sides out.

But then, the final assembly requires G-L-U-E?!?!?!?

I am not a fan of glue -- don't like messy fingers -- but I did have the good sense to look on-line first and see if anyone has created video instructions for this stage.  What a relief and bless this gal's heart!!  I watch this video (HERE) how to twice and then waited (okay, procrastinated) a few hours before mustering the courage.  She demonstrates the complete process and includes supply suggestions.

I did the back side first and it went okay.   It was actually easier than I expected!!

So I forged ahead and did the front.  The glue did not dry instantly and allowed me to push things around to make adjustments -- not like working with a super glue.

I used a heavy duty jewelry finding to attach the strap to the purse which measures about 7 1/2" deep and 8" wide.

A 2" strip of coordinating fabric folded twice to make a 4-layer strap went together quickly.  I almost forgot to fold in the ends for a finished look.

Now to edit the workshop description, finalize the supply list, and everything is ready to send off.

I took it along to show my Wednesday afternoon sewing buddies and they pronounced it to be "cuter in person"!!

If you are one of my followers in southeastern Pennsylvania, this hand-stitching workshop will be Monday, August 8 from 1 to 4 p.m.  We won't get the purse finished, but I'll include a demonstration of the final assembly.  I'm also working on a pillow project option and will share that with you later this week.

Mary Huey

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