An English Paper Piecing Tutorial (Pt. 2 - Supplies)
Welcome to part two of my English Paper Piecing tutorial! In part one, we talked about what English Paper Piecing is and a few reasons why I love it. In part two, we’re going to talk about supplies and what you need to get started.
There are so many notions out there that it can be overwhelming to know just what you need. I have a small 5x7 box that holds everything I need to EPP, so I can tell you, you don’t need much!
I’ve broken down my list of supplies into two categories: Have to Have and Nice to Have
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Have to Have Supplies
All you really need in order to start sewing is fabric, paper templates, a needle, thread and scissors. Simple enough, right? Right. Keep in mind EPP has been around since the 1700s! You don’t need much, but even among these simple supplies, there are a lot of options.
Fabric: As with most quilting projects, you’ll get the best results with the least frustration using 100% quilting cotton fabric.
English Paper Piecing really shines when you take advantage of the fabric designs. I look for fabrics that have small to medium sized patterns and motifs, floral patterns, and stripes. When we talk about cutting our fabric in the next blog post, you’ll get a better idea of fabrics that lend themselves to EPP.
Paper Templates: Given in the name of the technique, you can’t really EPP without paper templates. You can purchase paper templates that are already cut, or you can print them yourself at home on card stock and cut them yourself. However you choose to get your templates, be sure you understand how they are measured so you will know the pieces will fit together. Different stores may measure their pieces differently, so you can’t always trust that a 1-inch hexagon from Store A will be the same as a 1-inch hexagon from Store B.
Your pattern will determine which shapes of fabric you need. Throughout this tutorial, I will be using 1-inch hexagons.
Needles: Wow, there are so many needles out there, aren’t there? There are just as many opinions out there for which needles are best for EPP. In my opinion, the best needle is the one that feels the best to you. I like a shorter, studier needle more than I like a longer, more flexible needle.
If a shorter, studier needle feels good to you, try John James #7 Sharps
If a longer, more flexible needle feels good to you, try John James Milliners
Thread: This is where things get dicey… just kidding! There are LOTS of opinions about thread, but you don’t have to know everything about thread to get good results. Like fabric, I use 100% medium-weight cotton thread in both my hand piecing and my machine piecing projects. Medium weight threads are 40-50 wt. and are widely used in quilt construction.
Most often, I find myself using Gutermann 50 wt. cotton thread. Gutermann is available in most craft stores and is easy to find.
Other popular options include Aurifil and Wonderfil. These manufacturers have wide varieties of colors available in several weights.
The bottom line is you want a thread that won’t break and is strong enough to hold your work together. I believe in using what you have, but I wouldn’t use that thread that’s been in your grandma’s sewing box for 50 years. It’s most likely getting old and fragile.
Scissors: For EPP, you just need a set of small scissors to snip your threads. I recommend cute ones - they’re more fun to look at.
Nice to Have Supplies
If you’ve already searched for EPP supplies, you know there is no shortage of gadgets out there that promise to make your experience better. In my experience, these are the extras that are totally worth it!
Glue Basting Pen: When we talk about basting, I’ll show you the difference between thread basting and glue basting. While glue basting isn’t necessary for EPP, I think it’s faster and I like my results better than thread basting. You can use a Sewline Glue Pen or a Washable Elmer’s Glue Pen. You’ll find a glue pen and refills in my EPP kit.
Clips or Magnets: There are several ways to hold your pieces together while you sew, but I find that my hands aren’t has fatigued when I use sewing clips or magnets to hold the pieces together for me. Sewtites makes fund magnets that work great!
Clover Needle Dome: I wish I was the person who invented this machine! The Clover Needle Dome stores 10 threaded needles in a neat an organized way that keeps the threads from tangling. It is so nice to use up one threaded needle and have another waiting without needing to be threaded. Sounds extra. Totally awesome.
Acrylic Templates: When you are fussy-cutting specific motifs out of your fabric, it is nice to have an acrylic template that matches your piece.
And if you don’t want to piecemeal your own kit, this kit is an all-in-one solution!
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Now that you have stocked your EPP kit, it’s time to start cutting our fabric! Part 3 will be out soon with my tips and tricks - subscribe below to be notified when the blog post is live!