I’m honoured to be a part of this years ByAnnies Sew Pink Initiative yet again. I think I have been involved every year and it is my pleasure to contribute to this great initiative.

I do normally have time to design and make something especially for it, but alas this year time has gotten away from us all and I need to remind myself also to stop and smell the roses I think.

However I did take a day out for myself and make a lovely set of Clam up pouches in the latest fabric line to arrive in our store – which I just love – Anne Sutton’s Flower farm for Moda fabrics - it has so many lovely pinks and pretties, it was just perfect for the job!

We’ll be donating $5 from every

Clamup pattern sold in October to Breast Cancer Australia on your behalf.

There are 5 sizes in the pattern – and I will admit I just watched the great add-on videos and then stitched them right up – I didn’t even need to read the pattern!

These are the small, medium and large versions (there is an extra small and an extra large version as well)

We can never have too many little zipper pouches but I was thinking that they would be very handy for medications, creams and oils and other little goodies when going in for treatment. Or of course your stitching supplies.

All of us know someone close or dear to us who has fought the battle of Breast Cancer – particularly in our Quilting world where our demographic has such a high risk rate. But with so many advances and free breast screening for many we need to be vigilant and ‘check those bumps for lumps’

If you know someone who is fighting the battle or has won the fight we have this range of brooches/badges that may just have the right message.

There are 16 to choose from and we’ll donate $1 from every sale to Breast Cancer Australia.

ByAnnies is also offering a $30 virtual voucher to one lucky person who reads this blog. I’d love you to post your pink bag makes on IG and tag me  @helen_stubbings  @patternsbyannie #sewpink  so I can choose a winner!

And remember to check those bumps for lumps!

hugs xxxxx

Helen

Here’s the full schedule for 2022 below. Be sure to drop by each bloggers post to see what they are sharing this year.

BLOG HOP 2022 SCHEDULE

✂ Oct. 1 :ByAnnie.com Kick off

✂ Oct. 3 : Emmaline Bags

✂ Oct. 4: Hugs ‘N Kisses

✂ Oct. 5: Clover and Violet

✂ Oct. 6: Fat Quarter Shop and the Jolly Jabber

✂ Oct. 7: Sewfinity

✂ Oct. 10: Teresa Coates & Shannon Fabrics

✂ Oct. 11:Beyond the Reef

✂ Oct. 12: Sallie Tomato

✂ Oct. 13: Suzn Quilts

✂ Oct. 17: Snuggles Quilts

✂ Oct. 20: Pat Sloan

✂ Oct. 21: Knot and Thread Design

✂ Oct.23: Sookie Sews

✂ Oct. 24: Mister Domestic

✂ Oct. 26: A Bright Corner

✂ Oct. 27: Sew Cute and Quirky

✂ Oct. 1 : ByAnnie.com Final Wrap Up

The #SewPink Initiative was created by ByAnnie.com LLC to raise awareness for breast cancer throughout the year. Our efforts culminate in an annual blog hop during October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month to promote self-care, awareness, early detection and support for those affected by breast cancer.

To learn more and see the calendar of events visit: https://www.ByAnnie.com/SewPINK

To find screenings available near you:

• Breast Screen (Australia)

• CDC.gov (US)

• WebMD (free screenings)

This year we are again joining forces with Fat Quarter Shop to promote a fundraiser. Their goal of raising $20,000 to donate to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

ByAnnie.com will match every dollar raised on the #SewPINK fundraising page.

I'm proud to be a part of the third annual Sew Pink blog hop run by ByAnnie – to focus on Breast cancer for the month of October. Although its important every day of the year, I've taken part in each of these initiatives now as I believe in the importance of this raising of awareness – and funds to beat this thing!

This year when I went in for my bi-annual Boob check I ran into a friend coming in as I left. Not surprising – we’re all around the same age and demographic in a smallish town, so often you see someone you know. Little did I know that she was there for a dreaded callback – which resulted in a positive result and weeks of surgery, chemotherapy and years of anxiousness and checks to come.  What surprised me most when we next caught up and discussed it was that it was the first time she had had a breast check. (she is early/mid 50’s). This is despite having family history - and it being free to have Breast screens here in Australia from age 40.

Why wouldn't she do it? because, like me, she is a busy small business owner, a mum, a wife, a charity organiser and everything else she cannot say no to. She provides to, mentors and coaches hundreds of children a week in her business and she didn't have the time to think about herself – only others. She knows she should have, she knows its easy and free, she knows everything she could have done – but we, as working mums and business owners just tend to put ourselves last on that ever growing list.

You know I preach about the therapy of stitching, and I get so many messages of personal stories saying how stitching my patterns has helped people get through traumas, challenges and life events, including cancer journeys – I can’t stress enough the importance of taking that time out for ourselves, to smell the roses and – get the boob check! Before you have to go through the journey that so many of our friends and family have endured.

This year I have stitched the simple and of so useful ByAnnie Pocket Packer project using the wonderful Tula Pink linework fabrics we have instore at Quarter Inch.

But instead of a mesh on the outside pocket, I've used our EPP Iron-ons to make an English paper pieced ribbon in honour of the SewPink initiative. It’s quick and simple – but it sends a message – a reminder, to us all.

And I'm imagining that those are zebra unicorns there giving hope to all!

Here’s a quick little step by step of my ribbon process.

Take 18 diecut EPP 1” diamond papers (60 degree) and fuse them onto the wrong side of your chosen fabrics – I used three different Kona solids I had in my stash.

Remember to leave a 1/2” of fabric between them for seam allowances.

Cut them out keeping that 1/4” seam allowance on each one.

Next we use a fabric glue pen, a small line of glue along the edge of the paper and fold over that seam allowance onto the glue.

I arranged them onto a printout to see how I wanted to spread my colours around. (you can download that pdf here if it helps you)

Then you simply whip stitch them together as you would for any EPP. The difference with our EPP Iron-ons is you leave them in – yes they iron on, and stay in – if washed they’ll semi dissolve and just stay in as nice soft fibres.

Next you’ll cut a piece of cotton fabric (we used the zebra print) the same size as the mesh measurement in the pattern. Glue baste (we use small dots of Roxanne’s basting glue) it into place and then hand or machine stitch it down tucking in those tails as you go.

Then you’ll just continue to make up your bag as per the pattern.

I made Style 3 – with three pockets, splitting the bottom one.  You get a voucher code with each pattern to watch the Add-on videos by Annie. They take you through step by step with so many tips to perfect her zippers, mesh, vinyl and more.

If you’ve never done EPP before and would like to try this checkout my YouTube channel for some help using our method.

If you’d like to make your own version, we’re including enough EPP Iron-on precuts to make your ribbon with each Pocket packer pattern ordered on any of our websites.   We can also put together kits in the same fabrics we used – or of course you may have our own favourites.

We have a Giveaway

As part of the blog hop I have a $30 digital coupon to give away to one lucky reader – you just need to pop over to my Instagram feed and find the Sewpink post and enter to win. And remember, we’re giving you the EPP Iron-on 1” diamond papers when you grab the Pocket packer pattern.

Don’t forget to checkout the other amazing sew-leb-rities participating and see what they have on offer during the month of October.

BLOG HOP 2021 SCHEDULE

✂ Oct. 1 (Fri):Fat Quarter Shop - The Jolly Jabber

✂ Oct. 2 (Sat):Sallie Tomato

✂ Oct. 4 (Mon): Hugs ‘N Kisses

✂ Oct. 6 (Wed): Sewfinity

✂ Oct. 11 (Mon):Beyond the Reef

✂ Oct. 13 (Wed): Great Heron Thread Co.

✂ Oct. 15 (Fri): Love You Sew

✂ Oct. 15 (Fri): Emmaline Bags

✂ Oct. 16 (Sat): Meadow Mist Designs

✂ Oct. 18 (Mon): OklaRoots

✂ Oct. 20 (Wed): Suzn Quilts

✂ Oct. 20 (Wed): Teresa Coates

✂ Oct. 22 (Fri): Knot and Thread Design

✂ Oct. 23 (Sat): Shannon’s Studio

✂ Oct. 25 (Mon): The Littlest Thistle

✂ Oct. 27 (Thur): Mister Domestic

✂ Oct. 27 (Wed): Sookie Sews

And Don’t forget to go have that Boob check – no matter how busy you are.

happy stitching,

Helen

The #SewPink Initiative was created by ByAnnie.com LLC to raise awareness for breast cancer throughout the year. Our efforts culminate in an annual blog hop during October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month to promote self-care, awareness, early detection, and support for those affected by breast cancer.

To learn more and see the calendar of events visit: https://www.ByAnnie.com/SewPINK

To find screenings available near you:

● Breast Screen (Australia)

● CDC.gov (US)

● WebMD (free screenings)

In addition to participating in the #SewPINK Initiative, Fat Quarter Shop invites you to support the National Breast Cancer Foundation with the goal of raising $10,000.

To find the Fat Quarter Shop fundraiser visit: https://fundraise.nbcf.org/FatQuarterShop

To learn more about the Breast Cancer Research Foundation visit: https://www.bcrf.org/

Time for a little maths lesson.  Do you love English paper piecing but ready to move on from just hexies..

We have lots of die cut EPP Iron-on shapes being added to our inventory with our next order coming soon. So I thought it was time to have a little lesson on how they work together.

English Paper piecing is basically using paper templates (we use our Applique paper for our unique easyepp method) and folding fabric pieces over the paper to make perfect shapes.

Generally (although not always) the shapes tessellate to make a solid piece. This means that the shapes fit together perfectly with no gaps in between.

For this to work however, they either need to be all the exact same shape with an equal amount of sides or shapes in the same angle and size group.

So if you can remember back to school here is the basics of maths:

We’ll start with the simple hexagon. It has six sides. A full circle is 360degrees = so divide that by 6 and it gives us 60 degrees.

So shapes that will tessellate with a hexagon generally all need to be based on 60 degree angles (or could be 30, 90, 120 degrees).

These include:

And all of their derivates (as in you can chop a hexagon up into many smaller shapes.)

Just look at all the ways you can cut a hexie apart and put it back together again!

Of course you need to choose the measurement to match also (we’ll talk more about how to measure epp shapes in another post)

You can always start with any shape, cut it apart and know that it should go back together again, but what if you want to use different starter shapes and design a new motif or block with them?

Well just look at those angles and see if they might work together.

For example a jewel shape will work with the 60 degree hexie shapes.

But what about other angles you may ask? well back to maths and your 360 degree circle. What else can it be divided into?

An Octagon is a 45degree shape (8 sides 360/8=45)

and therefore works well with honeycombs and 90 degree squares.

and 45 degree diamonds

A pentagon is not so pretty to use – on its own it does not tessellate (ie: there are gaps)

but combine it with 72 or 36  degree diamonds and it can work.

See if you can work out the maths in these In The Round blocks below:

If you’d love to learn more about English Paper piecing and our unique Easy EPP method checkout our tutorials

here.

Or you may wish to take our Scrappity Doo Dah 26 part EPP program.

That's enough for one maths lesson – happy epp’ing

Hugs, Helen