EPP Template // make a mini plus quilt with unique piecing

Sometimes I go online and just look at pretty pictures of quilts. Please don't tell me that I'm strange for that, because I know I'm not the only one. (Please tell me I'm not the only one!)

One quilt design that has been a favorite of mine is the plus quilt. (If you aren't familiar, do a quick Google image search for "plus quilt" and you'll see soooooo many great quilts!) There are different versions of the plus quilt, and all are equally appealing to me. The thing that is less appealing is the traditional piecing process.

I don't know why this is, but cutting and sewing a quilt with a cutting mat and sewing machine always feels more daunting to me. I do it, but it's not my first choice. And what is my first choice that is less daunting?

English paper piecing.




Yes, it's all by hand, but I'd much rather do that...especially on smaller items that I know will be really off if I'm off by just a little on the machine. Yes, I'm a little crazy. It's why people love me.

So I decided that I wanted a way to EPP a mini plus quilt. Or maybe it won't be a quilt. I'm not sure what I'll do with these yet, but I'm enjoying the process.




With a normal plus quilt, the plus is formed with a rectangle for the cross piece, and two squares for the top and bottom. Sometimes it's made with five squares. What's unique here is that my plus is made with four little house shapes.

I looked online to see if these templates exist already, but couldn't find this piece...at least, not for making pluses, which is what I looked for. They are sort of like an elongated hexagon, but with only one "point", and technically a pentagon.

So I made my own. Print it on card stock and cut them out. The layout on the PDF reminds me of a zipper, so I might try assembling something like that too!

Download the Plus templates

The pieces are small enough that you can tack each corner on the back (instead of stitching through the template). When assembling, you can either make two halves, or add them one at a time, working your way around.



Before you start joining the pluses, lay them out to make sure they fit. This is sort of like a puzzle!

And like so many EPP projects, I find these to be incredibly satisfying. I hope you try these, and if you share them on Twitter, Flickr, or Instagram, be sure to tag them #EPPplus



And let's not forget today's Hexagon Tinies pattern. It's an heirloom tomato, inspired by the pretty pics I've seen popping up on Instagram! Speaking of which, I've started a hashtag for these too: #hexagontinies

Download the PNG Pattern