17th & 24th March 2022
What is English Paper Piecing (EPP)
EPP (English paper piecing) is also referred to as mosaic patchwork.
A fabric that's a quarter inch bigger is wrapped around a paper template by tacking/basting down and then oversewing or whipstitching the shapes together by hand.
The paper is used to give the fabric structure during construction. Once the project is
complete the papers are then removed.
It's the hexagon shape that's been predominantly used throughout the centuries but many different shapes can be used. EPP was popular throughout Europe and specifically England, and it became exceptionally popular in the USA towards the late 18th Century when anything English was thought to be highly fashionable. Even today, the ubiquitous hexagon is usually the starting point for many quilters embarking on their EPP journey.
The oldest coverlet to include English Paper Piecing is the 1718 Coverlet, which is the
earliest patchwork in the UK Quilters' Guild collection.
Many EPP quilts from the 18 th century maintained their papers, either as a way of providing an additional layer of insulation or because the quilt top remained unfinished and they had yet to be removed. The paper was often recycled, sometimes from a letter, poem, shopping list, newspaper, or children's handwriting practice, helpfully providing many clues as to the background of the quilt maker, her family, how wealthy, travelled, and stylish she may have been.
EPP is a perfect hand sewing activity as it is portable so you can do it anywhere.
Equipment needed
Hexagons pieces:
Precision cut hexagon papers at required size – this is the element of the project that
requires accuracy so I would recommend purchasing these from Etsy or similar – they are not very expensive and will give you a much better finished product than trying to cut them yourself. They are also the correct thickness.
Cotton fabric scraps – cotton is the best fabric. You can experiment with different fabrics but I would recommend starting with cotton. Would not recommend anything too thick or stretch fabrics.
Cardboard template about a half inch bigger than your hexagons (this is for you to draw round onto your fabric to cut the fabric the correct size). This does not have to be accurate as you have a seam allowance to play with.
Pen/pencil/tailors chalk to mark fabric.
Needle, basting thread and sewing thread
Recommended – needle threader and stitch unpicker.
Getting started – creating the hexagons:
Fabric size does not have to be exact but paper template does. Half an inch is a good
allowance. Using the cardboard template, draw around the template onto the back of your fabric and cut out 14 hexagons of fabric.
Take a paper hexagon and place on the back of a cut fabric piece getting it as central as you can.
Thread your needle (needle threader is the easiest way) with basting thread. Knotting not required as easier to remove afterwards, just leave a tail or do two stitches together.
Basting stitch: (sewing long easily removable stitches – also called tacking). You use a long running stitch.
Always start on a side, fold the fabric over one edge and start stitching. Then fold over the next edge making a neat fold at the corner. Your next basting stitch should be into that corner to secure it. Continue until you have worked around all sides and then do a double stitch to secure and cut the thread.
Continue until you have 14 hexagons.
Sewing the hexagons together:
Thread your needle with a thread to blend with your fabric and knot your thread.
Take your centre hexagon and one other hexagon and place them right sides together,
carefully lining up the edges.
Whip Stitch: A simple sewing stitch where you pass the needle in and out at the very edge of the fabric from front to back to circle the edge. Also called the overcast stitch.
Insert your needle at one corner and sew the two edges together with a whip stitch. Try not to catch the paper template with your needle, just grab a little bit of fabric that is on the fold. The smaller your stitches the better. When you get to the next corner, open out the hexagons and place another hexagon onto the centre, right sides together. Continue to whip stitch around until you have completely encircled the centre hexagon. Next, sew the side sections to each other.
Complete a second hexagon flower in the same way and then place back to back and sew together using whipping stitch, leaving two hexagons unstitched for turning and stuffing.
Once you have got to this stage you now need to carefully remove your papers. Use your stitch unpicker to remove the basting threads and the papers. Now turn the project the right way out.
To keep the shape of the unstitched hexagons whilst stuffing, put some more basting
stitches on the open edges to keep the shape.
Now stuff the pin cushion quite firmly and push away from your open seam. Use your clips to bring the seam you are sewing together.
Now use a ladder stitch (slip stitch) or a whip stitch, to close the gap.
Ladder stitch: Closes a gap with an invisible stitch. Take the needle through from the inside edge to hide the knot. Now insert needle into folded edge at other side for about a quarter of an inch, now directly opposite do the same on the folded edge on the other side. At the end, over sew to secure a couple of times. Now to lose the thread end, put your needle down through the sewn seam and bring it out anywhere on your pincushion and pull through. Pull the thread really tightly and cut off.
This website has some excellent ideas for future projects