Butterfli19

Ever since I spotted the "All Points Patchwork" book by Diane Gilleland I've wanted to buy it, but I've never tried paper piecing, let alone hand-piece or hand-sew a quilt. But I keep falling in love with this book.

I think it would be nice to learn for some smaller projects, as I think I could add some embroidery, cross stitch, or applique, if just to make small things for those small areas of wall that need a bit of whimsy or color, or just something fun to see or maybe make as a sweet gift.

So, for anyone who has tried EPP, what do you think? What did you make? And, any suggestions in case I decide to drive out and finally buy this book?

Jordan

I did one EPP project and made the dresden plate pattern. It was fun to do and it is something that is a great portable project to take along when you have to wait in doctor's office or other places. I would visit my Mom in a nursing home and take my EPP and sit and visit with her. after all of my dresden plates were done I appliqued them to a background fabric and put yellow sashing in between the blocks. It turned out nice but no sure I would make another. Good luck to you and I think you would enjoy the process

Jennifer23

I really enjoy EPP. I find it very relaxing, and it's nice to have a small, portable project. I like how creative you can get when y-seams aren't a problem!

My first EPP project was a pillow front, made of diamonds cut from scraps leftover from a quilt. I would recommend starting with something small, like a pillow or a feature panel for a tote bag. That way you can find out if you like it.

I started with diamonds because they were easy to rotary cut, which suited my university-student budget at the time (I didn't want to buy pre-cut papers). Now I would recommend hexagons as a good starting shape. 1" hexagons can be made from 2.5" strips or squares of fabric.

There are a few different ways to stitch EPP. Whipstitch is the traditional way, but I like the flatback stitch or ladder stitch.

I think you should dip your toe in, and see if you like it! A small project is a small commitment, and will give you a feel for if you enjoy it. I'm in a couple EPP groups on Facebook, and some people find it hard on the hands. A number of people working on Willyne Hammerstein patterns straight stitch the pieces rather than English Paper Piecing - just goes to show you can get great results in more than one way!

Peckish

I looked at the book on Amazon, it has some great reviews that say it's a good book for those new to EPP. There are a lot of pages visible on the preview; I was happy to see that she shows multiple techniques to do the same thing. For instance, so many people think a whipstitch is *the* way to sew patches together, but she shows multiple stitches you can use (I personally do not like the whipstitch). She does the same for how to keep fabric on the paper pieces; basting, glue, etc.

I think this would be a great book to invest in.

juliasb

I did EPP just recently on a small project. I found it challenging at first. Since I like Hexi's (just look at my avatar) That is not EPP, I just sewed this one all by hand. I haven't made my decision on EPP. I am using the whip stitch as that is what my instructions say works good. It is very different from the other hexi's I have done. Our guild was suppose to be demoing how to do EPP a month ago but COVID got in the way. Anyway I do hope you love in in the end. Learning something new is always a challenge from that point everything else should be a breeze.

NJ Quilter

I did EPP for a tumbling blocks baby quilt a number of years ago (actually 18 - yikes!). I totally enjoyed it but then again, I like handwork generally anyhow. As others have said, it's a great portable project. I cut my own diamonds from old manila file folders. With the glues available now it's probably easier than how I did it by stitching the fabric onto the papers and then whip stitched them together. Clip the thread holding the papers and then removed them. It really wasn't that bad at all though. Then I hand quilted the whole thing.

Rff1010

I started a project thus summer so I would have something portable and pool-able. Like the process but not sure I'm in love with the final product. But that's me. Maybe some quilt magic will find its way as I finish the rosettes (hexagon) and start putting things together!

Doggramma

I really enjoy working on my Millefiori blocks. Unfortunately I don’t have a good light up here in the living room so it’s hard to work on it up here. The small pieces are fun, but I’m wondering how hard it will be to make something too large. I’m thinking my blocks will probably be put together in more of a wallhanging size.

SherylM

I love EPP. I've been working on one of those "I'll finish it someday" projects for a while now - it's the Inner City pattern that I've always wanted to do, but didn't want to tackle all those Y seams. I work on it for a while, and then it gets forgotten about until I start thinking about doing handwork again.

Learning how to do EPP opened up a world of possibilities for me since so many of the patterns that I like are more difficult to do with traditional or foundation paper piecing (which I don't like at all.)

I took my project with me when I went to visit my aunt a couple of years ago, and I like how portable it is.

I have the book by Diane Gilleland and it's excellent. Another good one is Flossie Teacakes Guide to English Paper Piecing.

I tried the flatback stitch and didn't care for it - it felt awkward and unnatural to me. I tend to do a very small and closely placed whipstitch with invisifil thread, and you can't see it at all on the top of the work. I use a ladder stitch when I do bindings, so I might try that to see how I like it.

Dolphyngyrl

The book is awesome probably the best EPP book on the market. Be advised it is a technique book so it does not have patterns in it so you might want to look for a small beginner pattern. Helen stubbings has some cute small patterns