Pop Your Patchwork: Why the Poppin’ Pattern is your next project

A hexie project that “pops”

If you love projects that start small, grow quickly, and finish with a flourish, meet Poppin’ - my joyful mash-up of quilt-as-you-go (QAYG), English paper piecing (EPP) and a dash of embroidery. Seven hexagons, stitched completely before you join them, bloom into a mini-quilt that works as a table topper, placemat, or mini quilt. 

Poppin' Pattern is HERE.

Bonus!

Give those hexies six sneaky ladder-stitched seams and - ta-da! - the flat topper turns into the cutest fabric bowl. There is a bonus included with the pattern download witih instructions to turn the Poppin' into a bowl.

The big idea

I've designed Poppin’ as a “no-stress, yes-success” introduction to QAYG. Instead of wrangling a whole quilt, you quilt each hexagon individually: layer batting, bind the edge, add quilting/decorative stitches and finally join the finished hexies with an invisible ladder stitch (instructions included in the pattern). You get the instant gratification of a finished project! Poppin' can be sewn in a couple of days.

Poppin' Pattern is HERE.

Three motifs, endless looks

The pattern gives you three options so you can sew one for every season - or mood.

Grandma’s Blooms - ½″ hexie EPP flower garden
Butterfly Kaleidoscope - Reverse-appliqué butterflies + EPP petal rings
Bee-autiful Garden - Needle-turn (or fusible) bees + hexie flowers

Each design sits inside a framed inner hexagon, so your favourite fussy-cut prints or low-volume backgrounds really shine. Templates for the hexies, petals, butterflies and bees are all in the pattern.

Scrap-box superstar

Because every motif is small, Poppin’ is perect for using scraps: a 2″ square will cover a tiny hexagon; a 5″ charm square yields four butterfly wings or four petals. Raid the scrap basket for colour bursts, dig into charm-square stashes, or slice a fat eighth into rainbow flowers. Pair everything with seven 9″ feature hexies and a fat-quarter of low-loft batting and you’re ready to sew.

Tools of the trade (and my favourites)

• Milliner needle #11 for slip-stitching
• 50-80wt thread for appliqué; 8-12 wt for big-stitch quilting. 80wt Decobob is my go to, find and try notions that give you the results you desire.
• Extra-fine appliqué pins (short so they don’t snag)
• Bohin Long Applique needs #9 - use the needles you love!
• 4" Karen Kay Buckley Scissors
• Single-sided fusible cotton/poly batting - fuses in place, but stays hand-sewing friendly (non-fusible batting can also be used)
• Glue pen or thread basting - your choice for EPP
• Applique glue - I use Roxanne Glue baste-it
• Printable card for templates, or template plastic if you’re fancy

Tip: Test one QAYG hexagon with batting you already know or have to hand, then go wild!

Poppin' Pattern is HERE.

Quilt-as-you-go in a nutshell

1. Trace and cut seven window (outer) and seven inner hexies.
2. Fuse or pin batting to the back of each inner hexie.
3. Appliqué your EPP flowers, butterflies or bees dead-centre (crease lines help).
4. Wrap and bind the window edges to the back with a neat double-fold; slip-stitch just like finishing a quilt binding.
5. Hand-stitch quilt, a jaunty ring around the motif, and one more ring just inside the binding.
6. Join the seven finished hexies: one in the middle, six around the outside - ladder stitch for an almost invisible join.

Scroll the hashtag #PoppinTableTopper to see butterfly kaleidoscopes in neon solids, bee-utiful gingham gardens and rainbow scrap bowls already living their best lives on sewing desks around the globe.

Skill-builders packed into one pattern

• EPP basics -  ½″ hexies and petal rings
• Reverse appliqué - painless with the window template
• Needle-turn vs. fusible - choose your appliqué adventure
• Hand quilting - a small project to quickly quilt
• Ladder stitch joins - invisible from the front

Work through the above one by one and you’ll graduate with a toolbox full of slow-stitch skills - and a practical finish to show for it.

Make it your own

• Swap the hand-stitching for machine top-stitching if speed is your love language.
• Rotate the palette: icy blues + white binding for winter, or maximalist florals for summer brunch.
• Stitch all seven large hexies in low-volume prints and let neon EPP flowers pop.
  

Poppin' Pattern is HERE.

Ready to pop?

The Poppin’ PDF is an instant download - print-at-home templates, full-colour diagrams, stitch guides, plus the bonus Bowl Instructions sheet. Grab yours in the Craftapalooza shop, raid your scrap basket tonight, tomorrow you’ll be stitchin' a QAYG masterpiece! Your patchwork will literally pop!

Available wholesale through Creative Abundance.

And don’t forget to tag @craftapalooza and #PoppinTableTopper so we can cheer you on.

Please note: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I earn a small commission if you make a purchase - at no extra cost to you!