Paper piecing
 

I want to try this and have a question. When it says to make so many copies, what kind of paper do you use? Is the regular com. printer paper too thick? I can't seem to find any other kind to use.

regular printer paper will work, I buy the scribble tablets from the dollar tree and they work great too. Just remember to use a shorter stitch.

I've used copy paper, vellum, paper-piecing paper (specially made for paper-piecing), tracing paper, and clean newspaper. My favorite to work with by far is vellum. It's available at office supply stores.

I am going to try paper piecing also and going to use parchment paper..that is what I was told by my LQS to use. I also saw this about scribble tablets on another post so I took a trip to my local dollar store and they did not have the scribble tablets..go figure.

I use the cheapest copy paper I can get that still goes through my printer.

I have used plain copy machine paper (20#) and while it does work, it's not the easist to work with for two reasons. One is that it is more difficult to tear, the other is that you can't see through as easily as other papers. But it was what I had available and for most of the PP projects I worked on it was OK.

Then I made a mini-lone star that was PP and the regular copy paper was almost impossible to work with with those teeny tiny pieces, plus the method of the lone star PP is a little different as first you sew the rows which do not overlap each other, then you fold the paper so the two rows meet to sew the rows together. The bulk of the 20# paper plus the 1/4" seam of the paper was difficult to manage!!

So recently I splurged ... I spotted by accident a package of Carol Doaks foundation paper and thought I'd try to to see if it was worth it. I honestly do not remember the price, but whatever it cost ... I would gladly pay it again instead of fighting with 20# copy paper!! It's thinner and easier to see through and tears away nicely.

I still use a smaller stitch though, even with the Carol Doaks paper.

I use the Carol Doak's foundation paper and love it, I've bought it at Joann's with a 50% off coupon :-)

Leftover gift wrap (not tissue paper). Newsprint bought by the ream (cheap!).

I use the cheap copy paper at Walmart, set my stitch at 1.5 and have never had a problem, the papers almost fall out.

Keep the cheap paper to use only for your pp. My husband worked on copiers for years. The cheaper paper has more lint and will cause problems in your printer and is expensive to repair if at all.

I also use the cheapest copy paper I can find. I have not had a problem with it or lint in the printer. Make sure you don't buy the 24# bright white paper--that is thick. I did try Carol Doak's paper but for some reason my printer (an HP) didn't like it and wouldn't feed it correctly, I don't think it was Carol's paper--just my printer although her paper is kind of expensive if you're printing out a lot of copies.

Did I buy the wrong kind of vellum? It was about a dime a sheet at JoAnns (I think I bought it in a pack of 50 sheets in the scrapbooking department) and I found it to be very tough and it pulled at my stitching when tearing it out. And, yes, I used a very short stitch just as I always do with copy paper. I love to paper piece but don't use the vellum I bought anymore.

Hmmm that's interesting. I don't know if there are different kinds of vellum. The kind I use is somewhat transparent, which is why I like it; I can see the printed lines from the back side.
If I'm making a block with tiny pieces, I stitch through the paper and find that I do sometimes have difficulties tearing the paper away. To help with this, I hold a fingernail on the stitching.
However, most of the time, especially with normal-sized or larger blocks, I don't actually stitch on the vellum, I fold it on the stitching lines and stitch right next to the fold.

I am also using Carol Doaks foundation paper I have tried the regular printer paper it is not as easy to use

my hp printer works fine with carol doaks paper

Love Carol Doak's paper and use a smaller stitch

If you don't want to rip the paper off you can also do freezer paper piecing instead.
I've done both. Right now I'm using regular copy paper. I don't have any problems removing it.

I was advised years ago to use 25% rag vellum. I bought a very large amount on sale at Office Depot - online - as we don't have them in Phoenix anymore. It was way cheaper than Carol Doak's PPpaper. It worked just great!

Regular scrapbooking vellum has to be firmer to stand up to the stamping and folding and all. Too heavy for PP.

ali

Oh - If you are making odd shapes, try precutting the pieces. Make an extra copy of the design to cut apart to make oversized fabric cutting templates. Here is a link to a tutorial on it... http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com/2...r-piecing.html
I have been doing a lot of paper piecing - and a lot of ripping out because I use a piece of fabric that I *think* will work and it doesn't or I didn't have the angle right..... I think precutting will save a lot of headaches. :)

I have used packages of paper for sandwich baskets found in restuarant supply stores. Very cheap, but have to cut to fit printer.

I agree...I just spent hours picking copy paper off a pp project. It was a class at my guild meeting and the instructor provided the pattern printouts....24 different patterns. I love the Carol Doaks paper. I'm new at pp but that copy paper just drove me nuts!

Remember whatever paper you use to make your copies from the original and not copies from your copies. There is always a smidge of distortion.

My old eyes like the visibility of vellum. Vellum also comes in pound weights and is not inexpensive. News print paper can be purchased by the ream from Office Max and Staples (look for 10lb weight). I don't know if reams of newsprint can be purchased at FedEx/Kinkos. Have you tried paper supply companies? In the Phoenix area we have PaperPlus. At the store locations you can buy paper by the ream vs the case.

It is good to know I bought the wrong kind! That explains my problems. I might try using it again after buying the right kind. I found that I like freezer paper for PP. I do the fold-and-stitch-by-the-fold method so that there is no ripping out from under the stitches.

News Print works great I buy it by the ream from Blick

Freezer paper and "no -tear(s)-paper piecing" method http://classicquilter.typepad.com/cl...r-piecing.html