Holey Moley, "Small Things" are hexie-licious perfection!

Have you tried fussy cutting?

On a recent visit to Front Porch Quilt Shoppe (Ozark, AL), I purchased fabric from a Lewis & Irene collection called Small Things Pets. Holey moley hexie-licious, Batman! These prints are fabulous for English Paper piecing [EPP] and fussy cutting!

Six-inch EPP hexagons and Small Things Pets fabric from Lewis & Irene.

Lewis & Irene Small Things fabric collections
Did you know that every year, Lewis & Irene releases two "Small Things" fabric collections? 

Yep, one in the Spring/Summer and another in Fall/Winter. My latest fabric acquisition are prints from the collection called Small Things Pets. I got a fat quarter of the dogs, cats and birds... but there are rabbits, guinea pigs and turtles, too!

Block 5 Caroline: fussy cuts from Small Things Pets [Lewis & Irene].

Patterns, paper pieces and helpful tools

My EPP blocks are 6" hexagons from The New Hexagon book by the queen of contemporary EPP, Katja Marek. Or look for her latest book, The New Hexagon 2. 

The paper pieces that comprise these 6-inch blocks are 1" hexagons and companion shapes from Paper Pieces. You'll also want to get the acrylic fussy cut finder templates for previewing images for your fussy cuts. Using precision-cut papers and acrylic templates makes the piecing more successful and the process more enjoyable for you! 

(Besides, do you really want to spend your time measuring and cutting geometric shapes from card stock... that may or may not fit together properly... or have fun with the fabric? I know my answer.)

Block 13 Judy: fussy cuts from Small Things Pets [Lewis & Irene]. 
Glow-the-dark stars fabric from Light Years [Lewis & Irene].

Create a story to go with the fabric images 
I finished this block yesterday... pulling fabrics from Lewis & Irene collections Whatever the Weather (squirrels and mushrooms), Light Years (shooting star) and blenders from Suede [P&B Textiles] and Canvas [Northcott]. Two squirrels play and chase each other amidst the mushrooms. A shooting star streaks across the sky. 

You could combine various images in your patchwork to tell a story. You could create a whole English paper pieced scene with these little cut-outs!

Squirrels chasing each other through the mushroom patch.

In addition to the Small Things collections, many other fabrics from Lewis & Irene lines have smaller scale images that are conducive for EPP and patchwork. 

The bird in the center of this block is from The Hedgerow.

Block 48 Jeannie from The New Hexagon book.

Wooly socks, mittens and snowmen are from Whatever the Weather.

Fussy cut images from Whatever the Weather fabric collection.

The bunnies from The Water Meadow await the next EPP block.

Fussy cut hexagons.

Small Things Crafts coming soon!
Now that you know the possibilities for small things, be on the lookout for the next Small Things collection—Small Things Crafts—coming to quilt shops this September. There are images for quilters, sewers, knitters, painters and all kinds of crafters and makers.

So, don't stress the "small things"... make holes and use them in your next fussy cutting project!

Fussy cut images from The Water Meadow fabric.