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Pop Your Patchwork: Why the Poppin’ Pattern is your next project
Nic VaughanA 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
- Trace and cut seven window (outer) and seven inner hexies.
- Fuse or pin batting to the back of each inner hexie.
- Appliqué your EPP flowers, butterflies or bees dead-centre (crease lines help).
- Wrap and bind the window edges to the back with a neat double-fold; slip-stitch just like finishing a quilt binding.
- Hand-stitch quilt, a jaunty ring around the motif, and one more ring just inside the binding.
- 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!
