Hello all. I could really use something info on the best paper to use when making copies for paper piecing. I have my stitches small so I guess I need a different paper. Thanks for all your help. You ladies and gents are the best ever. LOL in Christ, Carmen

I have a supply of onion skin (from waaay back when we used to make carbon copies of letters in the typewriter) that works well. I also have purchased paper piecing paper from Carol Doak that works very well.

Thanks. Will the onion skin go through the printer ok? Thanks.

I use cheap scribble pads I get at the dollar tree.

I have to admit I'm lazy and use whatever is in the printer. I've never had trouble with removal. I use a size 12 or 14 needle and a 1.5 stitch length. You might want to use a spritz of water to help remove stubborn paper.

I find it I fold it over and then use a pair of straight edge tweezers it comes off fine.

I also use the scribble pads from the dollar tree. I cut them down to 8 1/2 x 11. You can get a lot of pages and they only cost $1.00 each pad. tear off really easy.

I've used all kinds of different papers with mostly the same result. My advice is to use the least expensive stuff. If your stitch length is small it tears away with care. I fold each stitched line before I trim away the excess, so I think that helps. It's like tearing away perforated paper or checks. Love that water tip! I will definitely try that for the stubborn bits.

I had some of Carol Doak's papers and that's exactly what they felt like! It just occurred to me!!!!!!!!! :D
Go to the Dollar store!!!!!!!
And thanks for reminding me :thumbup:

I but the really big pads of newsprint, if I want to put them in the copier, it works, and I tape 4 together fo my "paper quilt" when I plan a project.

I use newsprint, but I don't use the printer. Since I make so many Mariner's Compass quilts, I need 8 or 16 copies of the patterns. I make 1 copy and layer & staple that many pieces of newsprint together. Unthread the machine and put in a dull needle (save your dull ones in a prescription bottle). Use the default setting for stitch length and stitch on every line. Don't forget to add your 1/4" seam allowance on the outside edge. Do this by setting your machine to your prefered way of getting a 1/4" seam and stitch with the edge of the presser foot on the outside line. It can feel a bit awkward at first - like you are sewing backwards, but it works, especially around those curves! Just curl your paper up to get it to fit in the harp space.

Remove the staples and number the pieces like the original pattern. I prefer the newsprint in the BIG pads, but am settling for the roll ends from the newspaper. They sell them here really cheap! Bonus is that you have a large sheet of paper when you need one as the roll is 26" wide!

The best paper I ever used was cheap type writer paper but I can't find it anymore. The next best thing is the greyish newspaper paper like what is in little kids learn to write tablets. We called them Big Chief tablets but there are lots more brands that will work & are cheaper than the old Big Chief. I found a couple reams of it without the lines at a flea market so that is my current method. It is just like the Carol Doak paper which I had a sample of to compare against.

The paper from NCR forms is also fairly thin. You are looking for the thinnest paper you can get that will still fit through a printer. It will jam more than regular paper so I always use the manual feed tray and feed it one sheet at a time to force it to go slower. I use lazer printers, though. For inkjets, you might not have that option.

I have used plain old cheap copy paper lots of times also. My trick to working with it is to pre-crease all the sewing lines. It weakens the fibers & makes it easier to sew through & remove. I tried spritzing with water & ended up with a mess. I was having trouble seeing the lines on the reverse side to place the fabric so started creasing them and discovered the creasing had an unexpected bonus side effect.

I have problems with it at times. Depends which printer I use.

I took Brenda Henning's advice, and just use plain printer paper. It works fine for me. I set my stitch length at 1.5, and it tears very easily. And it's cheap. Saves money for other things. Like fabric! :lol: :lol:

cheap paper,you don't want GOOD paper for this! I also save the fake CREDIT CARDS that come in the mail and use them as a mini ruler to tear against ,if I'm having a problem w/the paper.they are very portable.

I just use plain old copy paper from Walmart. The one that $2.97 a ream. It works fine for me. That's what I first learned on and I like it. I've used Carol's paper when I took a workshop from her and then I went back to the 20lb copy paper. I like it's stability better. Each to their own but I don't think the difference in price is worth it.

I found a non-woven foundation for paper piecing made by June Tailor that you don't have to remove. It goes through both my lazer and ink jet printers just fine. I will remove the outside 1/4" seam allowance around each block to reduce the bulk when I sew the blocks together, but I don't remove the inner sections.

It comes 25 sheets to a package, and I originally found it at Walmart, but JoAnn's carries it too, so if I have a 40% or 50% coupon and don't really need anything else, I pick up a package.

When I spritz my paper for stubborn removing, I've already removed the bulk and just have little sections left. At that point I'm down to tweezers anyway because the areas are always those pesky tiny spots. The water weakens the paper and doesn't pull at the seams.

I am unfamiliar with the folding the paper to see the seamline. I always stitch with the printed side facing me so I never have had this issue. Am I missing something? Maybe I just haven't tried anything very complex yet? Clue me in guys.

Haven't done any PP for a while, but used to buy tablets of tracing paper from Walmart,Office Supply etc.It's all the same, but don't buy the $$$ stuff in the artists supply area.

When I was retiring, we had a big box of the triple printer paper with the carbon between the sheets and the holes on the edges...no obsolete in most places. They were going to throw it out, so I asked if I could have it. Works great for PP and goes through the printer easily. Of course, I have to remove the carbon and tear off the edges, but I've barely made a dent in the box.

I actually do by paper made for PP. It goes through the copier But I only use the normal or best setting on the printer never fast 'cause sometimes it prints too fast and distorts the pattern you are copying. I also find that when I have used regular copy paper the thickness causes the thread to loosen when it is torn from the fabric. If you like to hand copy your patterns which is very time consumming, tracing paper would be fine, just not as acurate or fast as using PP paper.

Tracing paper is very easy to tear when you're done. I made most
patterns by using a needle...no thread & doing 6-8 copies at a time.
You can feel where the needle makes lines, so a bit quicker to know
if the fabric is covering the seam allowance.JMO

I had trouble making sure the fabric would fit since it goes on the unprinted side. By creasing the paper first, I could easily see that it was going to cover the spot.

When I've done machine paper piecing, I've always just used the cheap paper that I get in bulk for my printer from Staples to make my foundations. It's tedious and boring getting it out, but I've never had any damage to the actual stitching, and my machine is set to 2 for the stitch length, whatever that translates out to in reality.

I use a seam ripper to slit the large empty parts of the paper and do the rest of the removal with my fingernails, which are short, BTW. I don't worry too much about some of the shreds left in the seams. They won't hurt anything, and once you've got the back and batt under your top, no one will ever see those bits of paper again. If you're not planning on hand quilting in the ditch, they won't be in your way either.

I use vellum paper I get it at staples.

I use a cheap tablet of tracing paper by Mead that I buy at Walmart. I trim it down to go through my printer and haven't had any problem with it. Its thin, cheap and readily available. it tears off easily, especially if I fold it. I used to use regular copy paper, but this is thinner and allows me to see through it better.

Also...if I have little stubborn pieces left in that will loosen the stitches...I just leave them. The water in the washer will dissolve them, so I don't worry about it. Don't tell the PP police though!

I have experimented with different types of paper - I thought computer paper sprayed with water teared fairly easily, although I would still have some bits and pieces left.

Then I tried the cheap dollar store newsprint type paper (doodle pads as mentioned already) and they are definitely the BEST!! No need to spray with water, rips off like a dream!!!

I have looked and looked and I find that the school paper with the lines, works the best. Then I went to a dollar store, there was a package of thier printer paper open and it was as thin as the school paper and had no lines, so if anyone is getting paper there, check the printer paper, it may be the thin stuff. But if not, just get the school lined paper, it works great. I have done a queen quilt with that paper and its my first experience with paper piecing. Just make sure you get the size for your printer. There are two sizes. It worked for me. And was so easy to get off. Onion paper is so expensive, I tried others but this method works best. Good luck

Rita

I use my printer paper. as I sew with the lines up and toward me and the fab next to the machine .it tears off esily without damage to the stitches.

I use Carol Doak's paper. Works great. Cheapest I've found it is at Hancocks of Paducah.

I use regular copy paper - with the small stitches I never have a problem. However if you make a mistake - you might as well start over - it's not fun ripping out those itty bitty stitches. :x

I use Newsprint paper and also Vellum Paper(it can get pricey but it tears like a dream). I also use a size 14 needle with small stitches, that is what I was told when first learned how to PP.
Judy

I tried this method and had absolute "AWFUL" luck. The paper shrunk when I ironed the pieces. I use Carol Doak PPing paper. I buy it at the LQS or order it when I have a chance to add it to an order without adding to the shipping charges.

I'm going to a retreat in a couple weeks where the instructor for the class will be teaching us to use a "no-rip" method of paper piecing. I'm anxious to find out how to do this as I absolutely "hate" taking the paper out after sewing. If I can actually figure out how to do it, will try to post how its done.

I was using regular printer paper already in the printer. For some reason, I thought I'd get better results using Carol Doak's paper. Well, I had trouble right away because I could only get it to feed through the computer one sheet at a time (not insurmountable). But then I didn't think I liked it any better than my regular computer paper. In fact, I don't like the way her paper curls up and makes it difficult to work with. I'll stick with regular computer paper in the future.

I can see that we just created a paper shortage at Dollar Tree! I better get mine before the word gets out too far! :D

I just use ordinary printer paper. Ever since I started using the method where you fold over your paper piecing pattern before you sew and thus do not sew through the paper, what kind of paper I use has not been an issue. And it makes the paper piecing so much more fun!

I use unprinted news print paper which I get free from my local newspaper (end of rolls they cannot use). I draw the pattern on one piece, then staple several pieces together with the drawn pattern on top and sew over the pattern with no thread in the machine. The paper tears off easily.

My best advice, after choosing your paper, is to use the same copy machine for all copies. Learned this the hard way. If you switch copiers, the pattern may not be exactly the same. Then it gets tricky trying to make the blocks match. :)

i have some of doak's paper, cheap beige doodle pads in the kids dept., and then i got to sam's-get their sandwich wraps papers, unwaxed. then the other paper i use, i get from my drs office, i do pay for a roll of his exam table paper............cheaper and large roll.