sewbeadit

Sometimes it is just easier to do it on paper and rip it off for some people. You can do it any way you would like. Sewing on paper does help to keep the stretch down and keep it nice and neat. Happy 4th

Scissor Queen

Foundation paper piecing makes for very stable blocks. You don't have to worry at all about stretching bias edges and you can get very sharp points. There are patterns that would be almost impossible without the paper. Most people just call it paper piecing. You can also foundation piece on muslin or dryer sheets.

ManiacQuilter2

I couldn't have said it better JAGSD !! I love doing hexes but a lot of us are NOT doing it the standard English paper piecing. It is easier to use cardboard stock and glue the folds of the fabric instead of doing all that hand basting. Here is a paper pieced pattern I have used that I drew on EQ5. I was making mug rugs so I found it easier to do it using paper piecing.

maviskw

I did strips like this for a confetti quilt. The strips were as long as the quilt was long, and any width, from 2 1/2 to 5 inches. Without a foundation, they would never have been straight strips. Of course my pieces were anything from a straight strip to a triangle and everything in between. I used fabric for the foundation. Nothing to rip off. The best fabric foundation for this is a very worn-out bed sheet. Just use the parts that are very thin but don't yet have too many holes. Other thin trash fabric works, too. But heavier fabric would add too much weight to the quilt.

BettyGee

Love the tutorial, but I don't see the need for PP on this one. The starch suggestion is great and just take care when putting the strips together.

Onebyone

Quote:

I love doing hexes but a lot of us are NOT doing it the standard English paper piecing. It is easier to use cardboard stock and glue the folds of the fabric instead of doing all that hand basting

I will never thread baste a hexie again now that I tried the washable glue stick way. I glue all around the paper with no problem removing it later.

maviskw

I tried glue basting some of the thousands of hexies that were given to us. If they were machine stitched with invisible thread in a tiny zig-zag stitch, they were fine, but those who sewed them by hand found that the glue did not hold well enough. I had just put a drop of glue on the corners so that only the fabric was glued to itself where it folded over, and nothing was glued to the papers.