I recently decided I wanted to get back into sewing some home accessories, I have previously made quilts cushions, caddies, tables cloths and the like, but with no real vision.
This time round however, I knew what I wanted to get started on. I wanted to create a table mat for the centre of our dining table, one that could live there permenantly when the table wasn't in use.
My colour scheme was grey, so I set to ordering my fabrics from the lovely The Village Haberdashery and M is for Make.
Let me first explain something, when I designed this project I thought, yes! This can be my first English Paper Piecing project. Alas, when my beautiful fabric flew through my letterbox I got over eager, cut out my triangles and thought, I can sew this by machine! I don't need to hand sew! Let's do this thing. Well I did infact machine sew it, and I who would have thought it...... It was a hot mess!!! Ha ha. So I ripped it all apart and decided to do it properly.
I cut myself plenty of paper triangles, armed myself with my super new (and now favourite) Sewline Glue pen and prepped all of my triangles. I have to admit it was a lot quicker than I had anticipated. Then came the sewing, I found that a slip stitch worked the best for me, and as usual I used a super fine beading needle. 
The whole process of sewing the triangles went together quiete well, I struggled with some areas, mainly I think because one of my fabrics was a heavier weight and added some bulk to the joining seams.
I then had the decision of how to finish it?
Do I quilt it? Do I add wadding? Do I machine quilt it all? Some of it? Argh!!
I had no idea what I was doing, this is my first piece of EPP and I think I made things more complicated by the somewhat awkward shape.
No fear, armed with my other new toy, Clover Wonder Clips, I decided to bravely start to sew on the backing. I decided I didn't want wadding and I didn't want to machine quilt it.
In the end I opted to blind slip stitch a plain white cotton backing onto my table topper.
And here it is done!
Admittedly I really should have ironed this before I photographed it. (Curling edges are not cool)
The fabrics I used were;
Cotton and Steel - Moonlit Gems- Truly Outrageous Grey
Carolyn Fiedlander - Botanics - Crosshatch in Grey
Art Gallery Fabrics - Indelible - Spirodraft in Carbon
Some grey and white cotton from my stash, and some grey paisley off cuts from Mr.F's trousers.
I hand stitched in grey around only the white triangles, just enough to keep the backing in place.
I loved making this, and am so glad I started afresh and completed my first EPP project.
I am now hooked and can't wait for my next project.
I would love to know what you think and if you have any comments or tips for a beginner, I would love some shared knowledge.
~HJF~
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