Hand Piecing ... The Journey Begins !!

 I ordered the Jen Kingwell pattern, Dear Jen, thinking it was traditional piecing and applique.  I was surprised to see it's hand pieced using templates.... lots of templates . 

I watched a few youtube videos and started . I picked the easiest block to start with and it was not a success.  So I practiced on a simple 4 patch and soon enough I saw a bit of improvement.  

My first 6.5 inch block. Not perfect but waaay better than my original try.

Two more of these to go, the pieces are cut and marked.

If any one has some tips for me I'm all ears.  I have learned that using sandpaper underneath the pieces when marking the stitch lines is a game changer.

Update... 6 days later:

Gaining a bit of confidence. The applique blocks are machine sewn,  but I'm sticking to the hand piecing for all the other blocks.  

Linking up with Cynthia at Oh Scrap !

and Angela at Rainbow Scrap Challenge

SUPER SIMPLE DONATION QUILT

 Ok, I mean really simple and quick.  This is perfect for some larger fabric pieces that need a home.

Someone shared the link on a linky party a few weeks ago, not sure who, but thank you.

I had a piece of batting just big enough, almost. I did have to do some minor frankenbatting sewing.

A pieced backing and ready for some machine quilting.

Always a learning process.

Linking up with Cynthia at Oh Scrap!