English Paper Piecing Method

many pieces with paper underneath but not sewed together yet

Just a brief posting today, about the English Paper Piecing Method. Here is a picture of one I am working on. As you may or may not be able to see, each hexagram of fabric covers a paper hexagram -- this is why these guys all look a little stiff. In my design, many honeycomb patterns inform this sort of design, then creating a harmonious and attractive star pattern.A heightened precision in the edges of piecings is what makes this such an attractive project. Aside from hexagons, apple cores, clamshells, diamonds, octagons, pentagons, and rectangles, squares, triangles, trapezoids, half-hexagons, the hexagon is the preferred and most common shape for this technique. Another advantage of this technique is the portability.

The only additional supply a quilter needs to create on of these are paper pieces, which an industrious personcan cut up, though understandably enough, most prefer to purchase items, since they are already clearly precisely machine cut. Paper pieces is one source many quilters turn to for purchasing these guys.

The cool cats at craftsy.com offer a very informative tutorial on the paper piecing method, if any of you adventurous souls would like to try it out. So as to distill the wisdom in a few words:

1) cut fabric pieces at least 1/4" larger than the paper shape all around

2) center and secure the paper to the wrong side of the fabric using a temporary method

3) baste the fabric around the paper - Sally in her Flickr photostream has demonstrated this very well in her photostream.

4) After getting several pieces together, sew around the edges of them, being very careful to not sew the paper as well! 

5) Once all shapes are successfully sewn together, remove the paper and save for a future project

6) and Bob's your Uncle, as the Brits would say! Then it's off to the races. And I do apologize for mixing metaphors this morning.

I will in the future post more images of my finished quilt!

I hope everyone has a great weekend!