Who doesn’t love a few English paper piecing tips?
Here is what I learned only from sewing these little samples for my pattern Summer Sorbet : a patchwork pattern that includes 3 designs for English paper piecing.
Pre-washing fabric
It is best to pre-wash the fabric for English paper piecing; you want to be able to easily fold and crease the fabric over the paper. A crisp fabric will make this task harder.
The best thread?
For my EPP projects, I have used silk, polyester and cotton thread.
The silk thread makes the stitching almost invisible, it’s great for show quilts, but I find it’s a little too expensive for my everyday quilts.
A thin polyester thread makes a beautiful stitching, it is strong and I love it for machine sewing but not so much for hand stitching.
The cotton thread is my favorite.
For some of my projects, I used 50wt thread and I loved it but I would have loved a thinner thread even more. Now Aurifil manufactures an 80wt cotton thread. This is the thread I used for these little samples and I love it: thinner thread – less visible stitching.
Thread color
I love to sew with cream, beige colors when I am piecing warm color fabrics (like yellow, orange, red) and shades of grey when I am sewing cool color fabrics (violet, blue, green).
Easier piecing
What makes piecing easier? Sewing with the light color fabric on top! I need glasses and noticed the huge difference between sewing with light color and dark color on top.
Glue pen or thread for basting the fabric to paper?
If you are wondering what are the pros and cons, here is:
The glue pen makes basting quick and easy and fun. If you have one in the drawer, it will always be your first option. But it is expensive. And the time you save while basting, you will lose it while removing the paper templates. It definitely takes more time to remove the paper and it’s not fun!
No matter the cons, the glue pen it’s great for small projects!
If you want to sew your own version, click here to buy Summer Sorbet quilt pattern.
Do you have some English paper piecing tips? Please share in the comments and let’s make our sewing easier and better.
Happy sewing!
Keep glue sticks in the refrigerator. They will get soft when left out and make a mess on the fabric and paper. Try to keep two on hand so one will always be fresh and cold from the fridge – it really makes a big difference!
Thank you for sharing this tip, I imagine it makes a big difference. And it will last longer!
Geta,
Congratulations on your 50th birthday. And thank you for so many years of quilting fun and lessons. I hope you will go on for many more years.
I enjoy getting your mail every time.
My favorite method now is to use fabric clips to make hexagons. I like that much better than using glue or pins.