An eBosser Blog Hop: Fun, Inspiration, Giveaway and More!

SewCalGal has had fun creating with the eBosser by Craftwell an electronic die cutting tool.  Unlike other die cutting systems, this product comes with all the platforms that you need to use dies from a variety of manufacturers (e.g. AccuCut dies, AccuQuilt, Sizzix, Fiskars, Cuttlebug, QuickKutz, Spellbinders, and more.)  And, it not only cuts all sorts of fabric and media but it also embosses.  You can find more info on previous reviews and insights that I've shared with you about this product, but today I want to share insights with you on how I used the eBosser to "super quickly" cut oodles of beautiful Hoffman batiks to create a scrappy table topper.

The ebosser is so easy to use to cut fabric (and other media) using AccuQuilt GO!, Sizzix and many other brands of dies.  I've certainly enjoyed using it for embossing paper and metal and I'm planning a project that will incorporate embossed leather!  But, it is truly so much easier to use to cut fabric than other manual die cutting machines (and it is wider than other electronic die cutting machines, allowing you to use a broader selection of dies).



I'm fond of hand sewing Hexies.  They are easy to make and do can be done in a variety of methods, but I'm doing the English Paper Piecing (EPP) technique using paper pieces from PaperPieces.com.  The eBosser worked well with my AccuQuilt hexie die, but Sizzix also has many hexie dies in a variety of sizes at a reasonable price.  


I pre-cut strips ~ 1/4" larger than the shape I was cutting on my die and layered 8 pieces of fabric on my die, covering the shape.

Layered 8 layers of fabric on top of my die, which was sandwiched between the A & D plates for the eBosser before I fed them into the machine for cutting.
 
I quickly had a good four yards + of hexies cut in various colors. Shown below are just a few of the pieces I cut. I ended up with three large ziplocks full of hexies!

I place a paper piece in the center of the hexie, on the wrong side of the fabric, leaving about 1/4" extra fabric around he paper.  I finger press a fold and baste through the paper.  You can also baste by not going thru the paper, but as I throw my EPP blocks and hexies into ziploc bags to take with me on trips, I like to baste thru the paper. And, I find I can re-use the paper many times even when I've punched needle holes through them.


There are a variety of hexie designs you can create (e.g. flowers, diamonds, circles, shading, etc).  The project I'm working on now I'm using a four hexie patch shape for the core block.  And then I'll play with color arrangement to make various table toppers that I will use as gifts.
While I only have a few four patch blocks completed, you can get a feeling of how quickly this project comes together. And, how fun it can be to arrange the blocks to create the color affect you like in a table topper.

Once the pieces are arranged in a pleasing color scheme you can hand stitch the four patch blocks together.  I will most likely applique this top to a border, before I sandwich it and quilt it.  But, I've also used a rotary cutter to square it up and add a border, as well as not add a border.  Seems no matter how you mix the patches, border or not, projects made with hexies always look great.  And, truth be told, I've never been able to make them faster and easier than when I've used the eBosser!


For a limited time (this weekend only), eBosser has a special where you can get three (3) embossing folders vs one, found in the typical eBosser package.  And you get a rubber mat and shim.  The retail value of $264, the savings of this special is about $65 (The bundle price this weekend is only $199). If embossing interests you, you may want to check out this special with eBosser.


Did I mention a Blog Hop?

eBosser is hosting a blog hop this weekend where you can visit the participating blogs and find oodles of tips and inspiration for using an eBosser.   Here is the line up (everyone posts today).

SewCalGal {where you are now}
Mountainside Bride
Purple Paper Paradise
Llama Tales
Jazmin Rose

Lawn Fawn 
The Official Craftwell Blog

You can also find eBosser info at:

http://www.craftwellusa.com/products/ebosser
http://blog.craftwellusa.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ecraftbycraftwell
http://pinterest.com/teamcraftwell/
http://www.youtube.com/ecraftbycraftwell

 Did I mention a Giveaway?

SewCalGal will giveaway to one lucky follower a kit that includes pre-cut hexies, cut with the eBosser and the AccuQuilt hexie die, using Hoffman Batiks and precut papers from PaperPieces.com.  The kit will be sufficient to make a hexie table topper, which will contain the same number of pieces for the table runner I'm making now.  If you are interested in winning this kit, simply be a follower and leave a comment on this post letting me know you want to win and make a hexie table topper.

The winner will be announced the end of September.  And I'll update this post to announce the lucky winner, and hopefully show you my finished hexie table toppers too!

UPDATE:  Time to announce the winner of this giveaway.  The winner will receive pre-cut Hoffman Batiks for all the hexies, as well as the background/border fabric to make a table topper. BTW, Photos for these completed table toppers and pattern will be shared soon.  

Using the Random Number Generator, lucky number is #9 

Who said..

Congratulations to Bea.  I'll send you an email, but ultimately I need your snail mail address to mail you this kit.