How to Make an EPP Wreath Ornament with Hexies

Instructions

1. Select fabrics. I purchased a pack of coordinating fabrics so I could make several ornaments that look nice together.
2. Gather supplies. I selected two (2) contrasting charm squares so that I could alternate the colors of my wreath.
3. On the wrong side of the fabric, arrange hexies with at least 1/2-inch between pieces for seam allowances. A light dab of glue stick will hold templates in place for cutting.
4. Cut around each hexagon, leaving 1/4-inch seam allowance. Your cutting can be a little wonky as long as you have enough of a fabric edge to fold over the paper. If you prefer, use an acrylic cutting template and rotary cutter to cut your fabric - just be sure to include seam allowance. The paper templates provide the precision, however, for piecing - not the cutting. Yay!
5. Here are my 12 hexies cut out. You can see that there is some forgiveness in the cutting. You will see in the next steps why you don't need to stress over it.
6. With your glue pen, add a narrow stripe of glue to one of the paper hexagon sides, avoiding the very edge. That is where your stitches will be, and excess glue in the fold will gum up your needle and make stitching harder. You don't have to use as much glue as I did - I wanted it to be visible in the photo. The glue dries clear.
7. Fold the seam allowance over the glued edge of the paper template. Glue the next side. (See how this is a larger seam allowance? When you fold it over, it won't matter!
8. Fold over the second side. It looks like too much fabric, but this will be hidden inside the ornament. You can trim it if you like, but there is no need to.
9. Continue gluing and folding each side of the hexagon. You can see here that the back (the side with the template) looks less than perfect, but when you turn it over, the right side is perfect! So, relax a little. It's going to be okay!
10. Lay out the wreath shape. I alternated red and green so I could have a matching front and back to my ornament, but you can arrange differently, if you prefer.
11. Place 2 adjacent fabric hexagons right sides together. Align the edges to prepare to stitch the first side.
12. Thread your needle with no more than 18 inches of thread and knot the end with a quilter's knot. You are stitching such short segments at one time, a longer piece of thread will just get in your way..
13. At one corner, bury the knot under a fold.
14. Whipstitch one edge together. Take teeny tiny bites of fabric with each stitch, just 2 or 3 threads. Aim for small stitches, about 1/16-inch apart. Knot when you reach the end of the side, bury the thread tail and trim.
15. When opened and laid flat, your first two pieces are stitched together almost invisibly.
16. Line up the next piece and whipstitch as before.
17. Here is the wreath ornament before and after stitching. Any imperfections in seam allowances are now invisible!
18. Stitch the second wreath shape just like you did the first one. Now you have both front and back ready to go. If you want to add embellishments, such as beads, do it now.
19. Place front and back paper sides together and clip in place. For this EPP project, the paper templates remain inside the project to give stability to the wreath shape. Insert the ends of your ribbon hanging loop between the top hexagons and hold in place with glue a dot of glue - just enough to keep the ribbon stable until you reach it with your stitching..
20. Whipstitch the front and back of the wreath together, taking a few stitches to secure the ribbon hanger when you get to it. I switched thread colors to match my fabric, stitching all of one color, then the other. Remember to stitch the inner sides, too. You can add beads to the edges for extra bling!
21. Here is the finished EPP Wreath Ornament with Hexies!
22. The EPP Wreath Ornament with Hexies looks happy on my tree!