The Pies & Tart Quilt Block of the Month program begins shipping tomorrow. Sue and I have been working on our own Pies & Tart quilts. We bought the Pies and Tart Full template kit so that we can try and use up some of the thousands of scraps we have accumulated in our stash. If you joined the Pies & Tarts Block of the Month program you will be getting a nice scrappy selection of fabrics to piece together and soft creamy background fabrics to applique your Pies and Tarts onto. Kathy is also working on her own English Paper Piecing project, Dresden Plates. We each brought in our storage containers or work stations to share ideas.
Tracy's Pies & Tart basket
As you can see in the photos mine is the messiest. I use a basket that fits nicely on my lap while I’m watching TV. In my basket I have my template papers, fabrics that I have already cut, junky thread (for basting fabric to template papers), Bottom Line Thread (for stitching pies and tarts together, scissors, needles, paper clips, my chapstick and a few chocolates. For my finished pieces I use a fancy dancy ziplock storage bag.
Kathy has a very nicely organized tackle box that looks like it was made custom for her project. (jealous!) Look how beautiful her Dresden plate block is…another great English Paper Piecing pattern by Susan Daley.
Kathy's English Paper piecing storage
Sue also has a very nicely organized storage bin and boy does she have that thing loaded up! She and I are having a Pies & Tart competition to see who can finish first. I’m not sure who is winning. I have a lot of pieces basted as you see in the image above. But Sue has several blocks that she appliqued her Pies onto already. I guess it’s time for me to tackle some applique…
Sue's Pies and Tarts storage
As you can see in Sue’s bin she has a Uhu glue stick which she uses to tack her pie down onto the background square to hold it securely while she hand appliques around the pie.
Susan Daley recommends using a paper clip to secure your fabric to the paper template when you are basting, but some people (Susan P. 
) prefer to use a few drops of Roxanne’s Basting glue to hold the fabric on the paper template.
We have more tips and recommended accessories listed on the QBTB Block of the Month support page and also here on the Pies and Tart page of the Blog.
I’m having a lot of fun with this quilt. I don’t normally choose hand piecing projects, but I am taking on this quilt to challenge myself! And also because I can do it sitting on the couch…
If you have fallen head over heals in love with this quilt after reading my blog post you can register for Pies & Tarts here and we will get your first month of blocks in the mail right away! 
Happy Sewing!
Tracy
