Type of paper used for paper piecing?
 

What type of paper do you use for foundation paper piecing, it needs to be something I can feed into my printer?

I saw something at Joann Fabrics, but it was pricey, are there cheaper alternatives?

Thanks for your help.

Elise

I have been really enjoying paper piecing lately too. After making a couple of Neimeyer patterns, I decided to try one without her pattern and paper. I used the thinnest typing/copier paper I could find at Walmart. It was just okay, but I decided there must be something better because I still had to be very careful not to rip stitches. I researched what others had used, and found that newsprint is supposed to tear much easier. I purchased 500 sheets of white newsprint from Amazon for about $10 and that included shipping! The reviewers said that it was the same as those expensive papers you can buy at the quilt shops and at a fraction of the cost. I have not sewn with it yet, but for $10 I figured it was worth a try. If you want to give me a day or so, I will give this a test run and post my results. :-)

Hobby Lobby carries the Carol Doak newspaper in a letter size. It's about $10 but with the 40% off coupon, it ends up at $6. It tears just as easy as the Judy Niemeyer paper, which is very easy, but no so easy that it rips as you are working with it. I think there are 100 sheets in each pack.

Some printers like it, I have 2 that don't, and they aren't even the same brand. Go figure! I take it to Office Depot and run 1 sheet at a time. If their big printer starts grabbing the sheets too quickly, it just jams up their machine.

I ordered a ream of newsprint from amazon really cheap & it tears easily & feeds through the printer. 8 1/2 x 11.

You don't need anything special.

I have done a LOT of paper piecing.
All I have ever used is the copy paper in my printer.
Yes, just regular copy/printer paper. :)

If I have it, I prefer to use yellow or pink.
It makes no difference to the PP process.
I just like the way I can "see" it easy enough, amidst any other notes on white papter that might be laying around my work area.

The scribble pads from the Dollar tree are newsprint paper and it is either 60 or 90 sheets for $1.00! This is what I use but I did have to cut the sheets down to fit on my printer. I use the cut off pieces for grocery lists phone messages etc so not a total waste. . .

I love paper piecing, and use cheap copy paper. I decrease the size of the stitches, and that makes the paper very easy to remove.

I agree about the plain old copy paper. I did the dumb thing first and bought some of the Jo Ann stuff. It's flimsy and got stuck and wadded up going through my printer the first try. I like to use smaller stitches with the copy paper so it perforates better and tears off easier. The only time the pricey stuff come in handy is to reverse a pattern, because it is transparent.

I use plain newsprint that I buy on Amazon. I bought a stack of 500 sheets for $3.49 + $5 shipping. Its much cheaper than the "foundation" paper and as far as I can tell is exactly the same.

Here is a link

http://smile.amazon.com/Sax-Plain-Wh...ords=newsprint

I love the Scribble or Doodle pads from Dollar Tree. I used my rotary cutter to cut down to 8 1/2 inches. They came 9 x 11. But I didn't have to cut the 11 down. On my printer, I had to feed them one at a time but I also had to do that with the Carol Doak paper. They tore the same once they were sewn.

I use regular copy paper. I work in a physician's office and we get tons of faxes with cover sheets. If there isn't any patient name on the cover sheet the staff saves them for me. I use these for paperpiecing. It's amazing how much paper is wasted: I have a stack of cover sheets over 8" high after only 6 months. I've tried the Carol Doak papers and found they jammed my printer. I have no problem removing the copy paper from my blocks. I use a small stitch length, crease the paper with my fingernail and tear it away easily.

I don't use "paper", I use a thin interfacing that I have pressed to freezer paper in order to pass it through my printer. Remove the freezer paper after printing and you can reuse it several times over. With the thin interfacing you don't have to rip it out after sewing your blocks, it stays on and does not add any thickness to your blocks.

What exactly are you using? Sounds very interesting

What a great idea....I asked my husband to bring me freezer paper (for applique) but he returned with butchers paper - a massive roll ! Perhaps I could use it for paper piecing?

I've tried them all. Expensive to cheap. Designer name to poster recommended. My favorite is Stable Stuff and lightweight vellum. Both go through the printer.

Thanks for all your help. I appreciate the great ideas you have given me. :thumbup:

Elise

I just ordered this as well - and it works great for me. I put it through my laser printer and then off to sewing room I go.

Before that, I used the cheapest white printer paper, a very short stitch length and when removing it from the fabric piece (in the stubborn / tiny PP pieces) used a moistened Qtip which I ran down the stitches. That little bit of moisture softened the paper right at the stitch line and the pieces remove beautifully.

The upside to newsprint is it's down side as well - the newsprint is thinner and removes in a snap, but if you need to rip and resew a piece then the thin paper is not as durable. Do not get me wrong - I love it - but it is more fragile than printer paper.

I would like to know specifically what you are using. I have several Jacqueline de Jonge patterns that don't have the papers with them. Her patterns are so intricate, I was dreading having to work with all that paper and then tear it off. You may just have the method that will get me started on one of her gorgeous patterns.

I just use the cheapest typing/copy paper I can find.

I know what she means, but I guess different people's terminology varies... I would call it "fusible interfacing": that white, thin fabric like stuff that isn't woven and has glue on one side that can be ironed on fabric. I've used that for my latest quilt to piece part of a NYB block. I didn't run it through the printer, though, but used a marker to draw right on it.

Another thing I have used is tracing paper. You can buy it at michaels it is very similar to the expensive stuff, but isn't.

I just use that cheap paper that office supply stores give out with certain purchases. I have bought specially made paper and all it really has to do is rip cleanly.

I usually use cheap printer paper. Make sure you shorten the stitch length, then the paper is easier to tear off and you do very little damage to the stitch.

I have always used copy paper. It didn't pull my stitches out and what little bit was left I could grab with a pair of tweezers and I was good to go.

I use tracing paper. It is thin and not too expensive.

Thank you for posting this question. Just starting paper piecing, so I bought a Carol Doak tablet. I'll be wiser next time and go with the newsprint tablet.

Amazon newsprint is the best and cheapest I have found! The other foundation paper I have bought was 100 sheets for $15 and the newsprint works better!

Vellum tears easier then any of the paper and holds together. No tiny bits. I ordered one ream of translucent lightweight vellum online some year ago and the paper company sent me a CASE of it. They said keep it! All my paper piecing friends got a ream of vellum that year for Christmas. They still talk about that. LOL

I use thin sew-in interfacing and then I don't have to remove any paper

I agree with using copy paper. It is all I have ever used. I bought a tablet of the dollar store paper but because it needs to be cut to proper size, I haven't used it. Just need to be sure your stitches are small enough so makes the tearing out of the paper easier. I use a tweezers to get the last of it.

I keep my stitches small enough that I rarely ever need to use the tweezers.




For those that have their pieces fall off while working ... painter's tape makes great "band-aids"!!!

The painter's tape won't melt with the heat of an iron ... whereas the regular cello tape is disastrous.

I've used Scribble Pads from the Dollar Tree, there are 40 sheets per pad for $1.00. If you don't do much, that might be best. If you PP a lot, you will want to find it cheaper. Scribble Pads are 9x12, so I have to trim them to fit in my printer tray.

And yes, keep the stitches really small and the paper pulls loose with ease.

I use vellum from the office supply store. It is translucent, tears away and if you cut it in half, it feeds well through the printer.

QuiltE, thanks for heads-up on the painter's tape. Believe me I have had a messy iron when I forgot about the scotch tape!

I have had no luck printing on Carol Doak paper. Never tried vellum.

I am a relative newbie to PP, having flunked Judy N class (major UFO!!!) and only done a tiny Carol Doak. I am doing a Sue Garman now and using the pre-printed on regular copy paper, works fine.

Try a little bigger needle - bigger perforations may make it easier to rip out.

I use newsprint too. Got it from our local newspaper office. They throw away the rolls when the roll gets low on paper.
I have also used tracing paper in a pad..

A dear friend here on the Board sent me Carol Doak's paper piecing paper and I fell in love with it. When it ran out, I ordered two more. Wasn't too expensive. It went through my printer perfectly and I didn't have to cut it down. That is all I will use for now on. It's made for pp, not too much dough and works really well, so I'll stick to that. I'll go inexpensive somewhere else. I'd rather have it easy to pp than to have to cut down the paper and go shopping in strange stores, trying to find cheap paper. I save enough money using different tricks during my 32 years of sewing. I like to splurge on Carol Doak's paper piecing paper. I'm thankful that they made this paper for pp. Amazing!! Why make sewing any harder?

You're Welcome!
The painter's tape comes in handy in so many ways in the sewing room. :)
Just part of the basic necessities!!! :D

You can use regular type paper, you just need to go over pattern with a very short stitch without thread before sewing fabric on. This makes it tear easier after, not pulling stitches out. Have fun.

This is what I use...cheap, tears easily, and feeds through printer great! I got mine from Blick..
http://www.dickblick.com/items/10204-1085/