I FINALLY finished my big revision of the Kaleidoscope EPP Quilt Pattern for digital download. Whoa – what a project! This has been a project that I’ve been procrastinating for years. My original pattern was and offset cut of a full mandala. So I fully extended that into a large circular quilt pattern – or you can stop at different rounds and make a smaller circle. I also added a large rectangle version to go along with the offset one.
I spent the time necessary to count and re-count to ensure my numbers are correct. Then I figured fabric requirements – this really soothed all my OCD tendencies! This revision took at least a month of work – much longer than expected… but I’m really proud of what I accomplished.
This pattern is not for everyone! I know that there are only a few people out there who enjoy hand-stitching as much as I do… but for them, I hope I created a really fun, and easy to understand project!
Old Kaleidoscope Pattern
I had another pattern for this quilt published a few years ago. If you had purchased that one and would like a revised copy, send me an email – I will send you a revised copy for the additional $5. This revision has smaller piecing maps, additional placement illustrations and connector marks to make piecing easier. Instead of just the one Offset Rectangle layout, there are other size options to choose from.
What is EPP?
EPP stands for English Paper Piecing. This is where you take paper templates that are cut to specific sizes and baste fabric around them. Once you have a bunch of basted pieces, you can stitch them together. The paper template holds the shape while stitching so your points line up perfectly in a very intricate pattern. When you’re finished stitching, you remove the paper templates and quilt as usual. This is the technique I used for all my hexie quilts.
Tracing + Y-Seams
This is the other way you can hand stitch this quilt together – by tracing stitch lines with starting and stopping points, onto the back of the fabric. Then you use a running stitch and knot at every point, leaving the seam allowances open (Y-seams). This saves time by not needing to baste paper templates, but if your lines are not drawn accurately, the quilt won’t lay flat in the end. This is how I created my Kaleidoscope Quilt. There are pros and cons to both methods.
If you’re a hand stitcher – which is your preferred way to sew? EPP or Tracing?