Typecast of Characters Tour: I Is For I Love You

Hello, hello! Welcome to my stop on the Typecast of Characters tour!

So, funny story. . . when Sheri Cifaldi-Morrill of Whole Circle Studio asked me to help celebrate the release of her new Typecast EPP pattern, I was a little bit nervous, but mostly psyched. I had never made anything with EPP before, so I looked at this as an opportunity to learn a new skill — or fail hard. But I’d seen so many pictures of pretty hexie EPP projects on line, I figured, why not give it a shot?

Which is why, when I opened the envelope with the pattern pieces, I was in a panic that I had misplaced something. I was so confused. . . this was EPP, right?!?. . . so, where were the hexies??? I decided I would track Sheri down at QuiltCon to apologize for losing the hexies she *must* have sent, and see if I could get a replacement package. Well, joke was on me! We all got a good laugh when it was explained to me that: You can EPP with ANY SHAPE! And the shapes in Sheri’s pattern make it super-easy to learn this new (and addicting) skill!

Let’s get started: I began with some gorgeous Liberty fabric, my new scissors that I bought from Brooklyn Haberdashery, my Typecast EPP template, and a glue stick. (Note: do as I say, not as I do. Apparently this type of glue could have distorted my fabric and not easily come off of the template. Beginners luck, I had no problems, but I don’t know if I, or you, would be so lucky the next time around).

I started by marking the pattern pieces for my “I”, as suggested by Sheri in the pattern instructions. Now, if you’re wondering why I was selected for the letter “I” when my initials are I-lacking, it’s because I-is-for-EASY. No curves. No challenges for my EPP-naive self.

Sheri recommends labeling each piece of the Typecast template with the letter name, as well as identifying each piece as either positive (a part of the letter) or negative (a part of the background), to help keep things organized once the template is pulled apart. I added additional numbering so I could keep track of the order in which I wanted to re-assemble the papers once the fabric was attached.

Next, I used a whip stitch to sew the pieces together. At first I was using a ladder stitch, which made the stitches invisible, but was taking way too long. Then Jenny from PapperSaxSten mentioned a tutorial from Karen the DIY Addict that shows you how to whipstitch in a way that the stitches will not be visible from the front. It was really helpful, so if you are interested in EPP-ing like an award-winner, I’d recommend you check it out!

Once my block was complete, I knew that I wanted to incorporate it into a Liberty-inspired embroidery project. I drew out the letters for “love you” while listening to the Don’t Keep Your Day Job podcast, and the time just flew by. Before I knew it, it was time to pick my kids up from the bus stop.

In case you are interested in doing something similar, I outlined the letters using black pearl cotton in a chain stitch. To embellish the words, if you squint, you can see I faintly drew some motifs in pencil that mirrored the flowers in the Liberty fabric. I used Anchor floss in a variety of colors to fill them in — and had so much fun doing it!

Finally, I stitched the words together and turned it into a bolster pillow, which is now sitting (much to my husband’s chagrin) as the 7th pillow on our bed.

Thanks so much to Sheri for including me on this blog hop. I was really fortunate to have this deadline to force me to learn a skill I’d been intimidated by for a long time. Now I know, not only is it easy, but it’s SO MUCH FUN!

My stop was only the 9th letter on the Typecast tour, so make sure to keep up with all of the letter project that Sheri is sharing on her IG feed and at the blogs below. There are so many chances to WIN! And a very special thanks to you, Sheri, for including me in this project! I’m forever changed for the better thanks to this experience!

TYPECAST OF CHARACTERS BLOG TOUR hosted by Whole Circle Studio:
• Wednesday, March 27: Tour Introduction by Whole Circle Studio
• Monday, April 1 — A: Kate Brennan of Aurifil
• Tuesday, April 2 — B: Mathew Bourdreaux of Mister Domestic
• Wednesday, April 3 — C: Tara Curtis of Wefty Needle
• Thursday, April 4— D: Leah Day of Free Motion Quilting Project
• Friday, April 5 — Week 1 Wrap Up featuring A-D and GIVEAWAY at Whole Circle Studio
• Monday, April 8 — E: Jess Finn of Paper Pieces
• Tuesday, April 9 — F: Sylvia Schaefer of Flying Parrot Quilts
• Wednesday, April 10 — G: Giuseppe Ribaudo of Giucy Giuce
• Thursday, April 11— H: Hilary Jordan of By Hilary Jordan
• Friday, April 12 — Week 2 Wrap Up featuring E-H and GIVEAWAY at Whole Circle Studio
• Monday, April 15 — I: Kim Soper of Leland Ave Studios
• Tuesday, April 16 — J: Yvonne Fuchs of Quilting Jetgirl
• Wednesday, April 17 — K: Karen O’Connor of Lady K Quilts
• Thursday, April 18 — L: Kristy Daum of St. Louis Folk Victorian
• Friday, April 19 — Week 3 Wrap Up featuring I-L and GIVEAWAY at Whole Circle Studio
• Monday, April 22 — M: Molli Sparkles of Molli Sparkles
• Tuesday, April 23 — N: Nicole Daksiewicz of Modern Handcraft
• Wednesday, April 24 — O: Scott Hansen of Blue Nickel Studios
• Thursday, April 25 — P: Pat Sloan of Pat Sloan
• Friday, April 26 — Week 4 Wrap Up featuring M-P and GIVEAWAY at Whole Circle Studio
• Monday, April 29 — Q: Joanna Marsh of Kustom Kwilts
• Monday, April 29 — Q: Lindsay Széchényi of Lindsay Széchényi (and Patchwork Threads)
• Tuesday, April 30 — R: Andrea Tsang Jackson of 3rd Story Workshop
• Wednesday, May 1 — S: Sarah Thomas of Sariditty
• Thursday, May 2 — T: Rachel Rossi of Rachel Rossi
• Friday, May 3— Week 4 Wrap Up featuring Q-T and GIVEAWAY at Whole Circle Studio
• Monday, May 6 — U: Kitty Wilkin of Night Quilter
• Tuesday, May 7 — V: Jenn McMillan of Fabric, Ink
• Wednesday, May 8 — W: Jenny Meeker of Bobbin Roulette Studio
• Thursday, May 9 — X: Stephanie Kendron of Modern Sewciety
• Friday, May 10 — Week 5 Wrap Up featuring U-X and GIVEAWAY at Whole Circle Studio
• Monday, May 13 — Y: Debby Brown of Debby Brown Quilts
• Tuesday, May 14 — Z: Nisha Bouri and Kim Martucci of Brimfield Awakening
• Wednesday, May 15 — Week 6 Wrap Up featuring Y-Z, Tour closeout and GIVEAWAY at Whole Circle Studio