:D :D . I have been quilting awhile and would like to know if anyone knows about English Paper Piecing? Have never tried it and am trying to get info., Anne T

I don't know how to do English paper piecing, but would also be interested in any information anyone can offer. Thanks.

Minda

English Paper Piecing is a method of sewing a single shape of blocks together, such as hexagons for a Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt. Many templates of a sturdy sort of paper are cut to the finished shape and size of the hexagon. Each hexagon is then basted to the paper template with the seam allowances wrapped to the back side. After enough of these are basted, the basted hexs are whipstitched together in the pattern. Once all the sides of the shape are secured to other pieces, the basting threads and the paper is removed to be reused on another block.

You can do a google search for English Paper Piecing if you would like more information.

I use the pull outs from magazines, those post card looking things that make it so hard to leaf through a magazine. You get a ton of those in every one. Grandmother's Flower Garden in the one I tried, as I got the pieces already cut out at a yard sale. The paper piecing sure made a difference in the symetry of the finished piece. I didn't realize you could reuse the paper. Thanks.

Norah, what a terrific tip! I have some hearts for English paper piecing that I sent for once, but I had no idea where to find that weight of paper. Those cards are the exact type of paper that come in those kits. You just saved us a bunch of money. Go treat yourself to a beverage and put in on my account. :lol:

:D Thanks Nora for the quick respnse. I had gotten some individual patterns basted to paper with no instructions at an auction. Seems like nice handwork to take along.

Anne T

I have been looking since this article came out for the instruction page I was sure I had book marked. I can't seem to find it. English paper piecing is something that is excellent to take along as hand sewing projects. I am making tumbling blocks out of just scrap pieces of fabric. There are no Y seams to content with so makes going together easy. I love it. I haven't gotten that many sewn together but I do have quite a few sewn to paper. The paper can be anything with some weight to it. The tip about those pesky inserts in magazines that fall out everywhere is great. Those are the perfect weight. Try it you will like it if you like hand work. I have not tried it by machine, but it seems to me it could be done. I will try it with a piece to see how it does. But I am sure it will still have to be basted onto card stock first or you will have to contend with Y seams. If I find the web site will post it. Sorry this is so long.

Rita

Click here: InstantPiecing.com: English Paper Piecing Templates


Oh boy oh boy I hope this works out. I sat here this morning and it hit me where I had hidden the instructions, of course in the instruction section of my favorites, duh... :roll: How dumb can you get. Anyway hope this explains what we all were trying to say.

Rita

If not send me a message and I will try and send personally.

Rita, to share that link with us, you actually have to go there to do a copy paste of the site. I have tried to type that into my address bar and it comes back as an error. What you have given is a shortcut without link. Does that make sense?

http://www.instantpiecing.com/articles/article.php?article_id=15

Ok try this maybe.. I sure don't know how to do this so hoping this will work.

Rita

Oh yeah, just did a test click and it took it right there. Sorry guys I didn't do it right the first time, just got excited hee hee

Rita

Great job, Rita! You may also want to add that site to our links and resourses page. I am sure there are other quilters who would find that site helpful. Thanks :thumbup:

:roll: Rita, thanks for sending that link. IT WAS really great info. Really appreciate it. This is a great message board.

Anne T :D

I have done English paper piecing and it is fun. Easy take along projects to work on any where.

This quilt was English paper pieced.

I've never done English PP, but here's a site that has all different patterns for hexagons, plus all different shapes.

http://www.paperpieces.com/index.html

This site is to graph paper that has hexagons to draft a top with:

http://www.printfreegraphpaper.com/

I've done quite a bit of EPP over the years, a double bed quilt in largish hexes, a quillow with much smaller ones (half inch on each side), wall hanging from 1in squares. I currently have an ongoing postage stamp quilt I am doing the same way. My papers are cut straight from graph paper, each square is 2cm (I was going to make them 1in, but couldn't buy any graph paper that size when I went looking, so metric they had to be).

With this quilt, I make up blocks of 16 squares. I wante the whole quilt to have a bright look, so chose the patches accordingly, but to keep some kind of continuity, in each group of 16 squares, I put one white square, and one black. I did an awful lot of it on train journeys across Ireland to Dublin when I was attending a lot of outpatient appts. at two different hospitals there. One, quite small zip lock bag would hold lots of cut papers and fabric squares, a needle, thread and scissors.

After a while, I added a bit of design in the form of blue squares forming a rectangle. Some people don't seem to be able to see it (something to do with eyesight, I think).

My eyesite is not so good, but I saw the blue right off! I do a lot of EPP with hex's but hadn't thought to do it with squares. Lovely quilt. So bright and happy looking. Makes me smile. Thanks for the square idea.

that is soo pretty I want to try it, maybe today looks like something you could hang on the wall and be proud.

I can see it, it is beautiful. I think I will try a postage stamp quilt in EPP I think that would be easier than sew by machine. I don't like to sew little pieces of fabric with machine. They always get crocked.

i LOVE english paper piecing, great travel project. the web site :
paperpieces carries everything you need and there are great tutorials here and other places. here's one of my most recent little projects...oops forgot i can't show you, it would give away a secret...but there are lots on here of pics of projects, and the one i was going to show you is here somewhere...can't show you where though....oh, maybe i can pm it so as not to give away a secret :-D

I also love English Paper Piecing. I'm working on an apple core quilt that is my travel project. I have some purchased pieces, but usually use my junk mail and those annoying cards from magazines to make my own. They too are reusable several times.

I would be glad to share some of my pieces for you to use for a pattern to make your own. Just PM me your address and I will get them in the mail.

Leslie, your quilt is beautiful, and I see the pattern.

My I Spy quilt is a WIP and is EPP. It is a great take along project. I use whatever scrap pieces of paper I can. I print my own hex's and cut them out. Another great project when in Dr's office, watching TV, sick, etc. I also have a GFG WIP going very slowly. Doing that one in 30's repro.

I use this site to print my hex's.
http://incompetech.com/graphpaper/hexagonal/
I have a method that I use to make better use of the paper so I don't waste so much. I print out the size I need (or use the Enlarge/Decrease button on the printer) to tweak it to size, then I print out enough copies to cut up and pace on one sheet to fill that sheet as much as possible, then make as many copies as I deem necessary. I keep teh original copy in a master file with the size of block, amount/percent increased/decreased to, and which project I am using it on. I have a ruler nearby and measure, measure, measure before cutting into fabric.
Lost yet? Not as complicated as it sounds when you get a method that works. Use mostly scrap paper and doesn't use much ink to print.

Great to do when traveling. I am just experimenting so far but I like it. Also make yo yos on the road. Love the examples shown here.

i knew i saw an english paper pieced little project on here and found it early this morning, the pic has been posted before in a different spot, i thought i would show it here too, since it applies to the topic.
they are sure fun sit around projects!

you are only limited by how far you will allow your imaginatiion to go :)
creativity isa imagination at it's best.
i love epp, when i first learned how to do it i liked the process but not necessarily the finished quilt top...all hexagons just put together....but once i started allowing myself to play with my hex's and realizing i could make all sorts of things, bouquets, pictures of all sorts, it became lots more fun...i use lots of different sizes in one project (from 1/4"...yup, i said 1/4" and i must say...they are cute but not my favorite to make...up to 3" hexagons.) my favorite size is the 1/2" but ...who am i trying to kid, i like them all! well, except those 1/4" ones...they are kind of a pain(to get the paper back out of)

I do a lot of EPP using freezer paper, which allows me to use the templates over and over again. I have a tutorial with pics on my website, if you are interested:
http://ajpadilla.com/tutorials/english-paper-piecing

What a nice website you have. The reversable GFG was very interesting. Might have to try that.......maybe a pillow top. Thank you for the tutorial.

Beautiful quilt, nice colors. I have started a Grandmother Flower Garden and hope to have it finished someday!!