Looking for Ideas on Paper Piecing paper
 

Hi everyone - I am looking for ideas/suggestions please.
I have started my first paper piecing quilt. I am using regular printer paper which sews up fine. However, when I sew all my pieces together for my block - it's a lot of thicknesses and getting that paper off is a bear.
I still have about 25 or so big blocks to finish up and am wondering if there's a better option than copy paper. I live in a very rural area so not much in the way of options for shopping (other than online).
I appreciate your comments and thoughts!

Thanks

Jan

I often tear off the edge pieces before putting them together. I can't remember where I heard it, but I crease every
line well before I start to sew, making it easier to fold and remove. Onion skin is better but more expensive. If your printer will take it, "deli paper" works marvelously. I've bought it my the box of 100 at a box store or a restaurant supply. It is quite thin and tears well, but strong enough that you can rip a seam if you have to. Mine is 10.5" square.

I found if you use smaller stitches and fold the paper like QM suggested, copy paper tears easier. I try to get the cheapest thinnest paper available. A wooden skewer (like for a shish kaboob) is a wonderful tool to get to the small places.

I have been using painters' masking paper for paper piecing projects. It is thin, tears off easily, and goes through my printer. I got it at Home Depot. It comes in a 9" wide roll which I cut to fit into my printer with an old rotary blade. It works for me.

Vellum paper is an absolute dream to PP with but crazy expensive. Even bought online. I use copy paper or newsprint usually. Reduce my stitch length, curse a blue storm if I need to unsew, crease the paper, run my fingernail along the crease and it usually tear pretty easily. I will also remove the seam allowance portion when matching sections to make the block to get rid of the paper area in the joins.

I go to the Dollar General in my area and buy U Create kids Scribble Pads. Thin paper that works wonderful for paper piecing and only costs $2 for 60 sheets. They have to be cut to 8.5 X 11 but work great and cheap.

I use regular printing paper for mine always. This is how I remove the paper:

1. Run a Purple Thing gently but with some pressure down the seam line. You can also use the back of a seam ripper or something else that is pointed but blunt. This will gently pull the paper.

2. If the paper is still attached, take a moistened QTip and run that down the seam enough to dampen the paper around the stitches. It will soften the paper between the stitches and should remove effortlessly.

3. Use sharp pointed tweezers (I use the tweezers that came with my surger - they are long, slender and very pointed) to remove small pieces.

Good luck!

Have you ever tried folding the paper on the line and sewing beside the fold? this is the way i do all my paper peicing and it works great, i dont have to remove paper ever and if it is an expensive pattern than it saves the foundations so i can use them again latter for another quilt without violating copyright or spending more money. if it is a large foundation i secure the fabric to the paper in a few places with fabric safe glue but that is way easyer to remove than pulling paper out of the seams. Hope this helps.

Alot of great answers! I appreciate the info as well!

Just finished a BOM for paper piecing from Amy Gibson (Stitchery Dickery Dock and Craftsy); she sews the line with a 1.0 stitch with no thread in needle before beginning to sew the fabric on, she then folds line lines up fabric and sews on the line. When the block is finished the paper will easily tear off and not leave pieces behind. This made it so easy to piece together, I have done it other ways and thought I would never do paper piecing again. The Craftsy sight has her 2012 BOM (free) and video demonstrates procedure perfectly.

Me Too Teresa! I have all my templates printed - 60 pages left give or take, so I think I'm going to keep on with what I have going and use all the techniques for regular copy paper and find the one that works best for this quilt! I would love to do one with vellum but agree... pricey... TY Everyone

I order reams of news print paper that fits right into my HP printer from Dick Blick. dickblick.com 500 sheets per ream for 3.59. I never have any problem with it jamming my printer and is very thin and tears of completely clean. I use it so often that I buy 4 reams at a time. Great Stuff and cheap!

I use white or yellow legal paper off the pad.It goes through the computer well. I stick a pin in it to make a hole and tear it off your squares.

All good suggestions, really crease the paper when folding it, also next time you go out for chinese food, ask for some chopsticks. I use those and tweezers quite a bit.

I use lightweight translucent vellum. It's the best paper I've used for paper piecing. I looked online and found a paper supplier and ordered a ream of it. It's not the same vellum that I find in the scrapbooking dept.

I use the same thing as hooked (Carolyn). You can also get the Scribble Pads at Hobby Lobby & can save a little more money if you have their 40% off coupon. It only takes a few minutes to cut the pad down to 8.5 X 11. I have tried other papers, but always come back to this.

I always use freezer paper for templates. I have to attach a sheet of approximately 8 X 11 to copy paper first by hot iron at the bottom (just about 1/4" along the width)and a touch at the upper corners as my printer won't take freezer paper alone;now it will run through the printer. Then I use this method Twiddletails Freezer Paper Foundation Piecing:
http://www.twiddletails.com/store/in...age=page&id=21
No tearing away the paper and templates are reusable as long as the wax side sticks.

someone in this group said that it is best to pull apart from side to side (like spreading the paper apart) rather than up (like tearing a page from a book). try it, and see if that works.

I use to use copy paper & Carol Doaks paper piecing paper, but since I have discovered Ricky Timm's "Stable Poly Stuff" that is all I use. It doesn't have to be removed, it remains in your quilt and washes up into a very light poly type batting. Also gives those paper piecing blocks more substance. If your looking for inexpensive, it's NOT. 50 sheets about $10. It's great that we all have such different choices.

I have never tired this but I will. Good Idea.

Check out paperless paper piecing. So easy!

Try yellow legal paper.goes through printer easily and is so soft that you don't rip out stitches when you remove it.

For smaller blocks I use phone book paper. Good way to recycle the old ones. I got 8 inch squares from some of them and that paper tears off easily and it's FREE!

Spritz with your spray bottle..you should be able to remove it quite easily. If you can order online in the future I ust love Carol Doaks paper. I use the scraps as leaders and enders....waste note want not : ) Its pricy but lovely to work with.
http://www.amazon.com/Carol-Doaks-Fo...undation+paper

Yes, there is a better option than copy paper! I use Carol Doak' s paper piecing paper. Is more of the feel of newsprint and a whole lot easier to remove than copy paper. You want something that will tear easily, copy paper is made to hold up, not to tear easily.

What about newsprint, you can go to your local newpaper and buy the end rolls for about a dollar and there's a lot on there. Just cut to size. If it doesn't tear easy, spray with a little water and try again. Plus it's wide enough that you can draw a larger pattern on it if you're doing a special center block.

5moose, do you have the url to the actual product you purchase? I went to dickblick but only found tablets and rolls.

I use lightweight sew-in interfacing. Then I don't have any paper to remove

I've stopped using paper - instead I use old thin fabric of some kind - sheet, etc and mark my pattern on that. When I've finished with the block just leave the material on - not only do you NOT have to tear it off, it adds a little thickness to your pieces and you may not have to use very thick batting.

I use telephone book paper. Cheap, cheap, cheap. :) Really works well. Tears off with no trouble. So many phone books go to the land full. Think green.




[QUOTE=WTxRed;5837487]Hi everyone - I am looking for ideas/suggestions please.
I have started my first paper piecing quilt. I am using regular printer paper which sews up fine. However, when I sew all my pieces together for my block - it's a lot of thicknesses and getting that paper off is a bear.
I still have about 25 or so big blocks to finish up and am wondering if there's a better option than copy paper. I live in a very rural area so not much in the way of options for shopping (other than online).
I appreciate your comments and thoughts!

Use the cheapest copy paper. A small stitch to sew. Fold paper over at seam and I also either run a finger nail or a point down the paper seam line then pull paper off from the seam leave rest on but sew seam together and enlarge stitch slightly. Edges are thick and bulky especially in pictorial pictures in paper piecing.a spritz of water also helps to soften paper and stop the fly away all over the place just before pulling apart.
enjoy I do.

I just ordered some. I use Vellum and find it works very well. If this does half as well, I'm going to be a new fan.
Thank you for the information.

This isn't 5moose, but if you go to the site and put "news print paper" in the search area, it will bring you where you need to be. Think click on Blick on the left and you'll find the reams to order near the bottom of the page.

Lots of great information. Thanks to all of you!

Thanks, I found it with your help:
http://www.dickblick.com/products/bl...kTracking=true