What It Means To Paper Piece

I was asked to write this blog post because, as a new AccuQuilt GO! Getter, I plan to look for various dies I can use to help with cutting for my FPP patterns and then take you along on my journey of building quilt tops (You can catch me on YouTube as TheYvetteRene). 

 

Naturally, there were questions about the difference between the two Paper Piecing techniques and so, this post was born!

I teach fellow quilters to Foundation Paper Piece. Foundation Paper Piecing is also called simply, Paper Piecing.  It's not to be confused with English Paper Piecing.

Usually, by the time I get to this point in a conversation, there is certainly some confusion. So, let's start from the beginning.

 

 

 

 

History: English Paper Piecing

From what I've read, English Paper Piecing started in the early 1700s. The first quilt utilizing English Paper Piecing (EPP) is called the 1718 Coverlet.

At that time, quilters used any paper they could find: old letters, recipe cards, grocery lists, poems, etc. The paper was cut into squares and half-square triangles. The fabric was cut with an extra quarter inch all around and sewed around the paper. The shapes were then lined up next to each other and whip stitched together. Every step was done by hand.

 

 

Learn How to Hand Stitch for English Paper Piecing

 

 

When the quilt was finished, the papers were either taken out or left in for additional warmth. Other than leaving the papers in, English Paper Piecing is still done the same way today.

 

 

History: Foundation Paper Piecing

Now, back in the early 1800s, quilters started using muslin to stabilize fabrics as they hand sewed them together. This is how Foundation Paper Piecing started.

It wasn't until the mid-1900s that they started using newspapers, old letters, and other paper to stabilize fabrics. Later, designers started drawing lines and other designs on the back of the paper to create quilts with very defined, perfect piecing. Foundation Paper Piecing was evolving. These days, Foundation Paper Piecing (FPP) is a technique rendered on sewing machines.

While both methods use paper, the most basic difference is that EPP is a hand-sewn technique while FPP is a machine-sewn technique. Most quilters I know, if they paper piece at all, either like one or the other. Personally, I prefer FPP, but every single EPP quilt I see takes my breath away. For me, it's an issue of time.

 

 

Why Do I Prefer Foundation Paper Piece?

I've been a quilter for over 20 years. No one in my family quilted before me. I have some crafty relatives, but no quilters. I literally decided to start quilting after my best friend spent a weekend at our house and she spoke so passionately about her new hobby. I bought my first sewing machine, a Baby Lock Ellure, the next day. Yep. That's how I roll. LOL!

I took a couple of classes in the quilt shop where I bought my sewing machine. Basically, I wanted to learn how to thread the machine and all the little things you need to know just to get started. Then, I taught myself how to sew and quilt.

Everything was fine in the beginning. I didn't have many expectations. I still have my first project, which is a small table topper. You can see the batting sticking out in the corners because I didn't cover it all with fabric. I still put it on my coffee table to this day.

Absolutely NOTHING about quilting has come easily to me. The first frustration that stands out in my head is binding. I desperately wanted to use continuous strip binding with a diagonal finish. I watched everyone under the sun do it.

Of course, at that time, you could only find blogs with photos, and I found it difficult to understand. I think it took at least a year before it finally clicked. I could finally start and complete my binding without bursting into tears!

 

 

Fast forward many years and I started participating in swaps on Instagram. There was not a single swap I wouldn't participate in. This is how I got some experience with EPP. I have quite a collection of hexies - which can be easily made using the GO! English Paper Piecing Hexagon-1" Finished Sides Die pictured above.

 

Then, I saw a post about a Foundation Paper Piecing swap. I didn't sign up for it because I didn't know what it was, but I made sure to follow the hashtag.

Y'ALL! I was hooked. I just knew I had to learn to do this. I'm totally a perfectionist and another issue I had with my quilting was very IMPERFECT piecing. My blocks always turned out smaller than they were supposed to be. With FPP, you only have to utilize a few practices and your points will be perfect.

YEP. PERFECT.

 

 

Paper Piecing Takes Plenty of Patience

Well, FPP turned out to be another technique that took me about a year and a half to master. I was constantly cutting my fabric pieces too small, sewing my fabric on backward, or putting the wrong fabric in the wrong place. I admit that I was frustrated, and I had to learn on my own. The only tutorials I could find would seem to skip steps. I couldn't figure out how to get from point A to point F and so on.

Yet, I didn't give up, and now, I can FPP anything. Not only that, but I've taught myself to write FPP patterns in Electric Quilt 8 and Adobe Illustrator. I have to say . . .  I'm pretty proud of myself!

Today, I have my own online FPP membership where I teach Foundation Paper Piecing and then keep my peeps happy with new patterns, friendship swaps, and a BOM! My membership is called Piecing It Real and I hope you'll check it out.

The bottom line for me is that FPP helps me to get my blocks and quilts as close to perfect as possible. I also get to use my sewing machine, which is ideal for me at this point in my life.

 

 

Learn How to Machine Sew for English Paper Piecing

 

 

AccuQuilt's English Paper Piecing Dies

AccuQuilt offers an excellent GO! Qube English Paper Piecing set of dies consisting of all of the most popular shapes in the 1" finished size. I've been using AccuQuilt for almost 10 years now, so I was aware of the EPP dies.

 

 

When I was approached to become an AccuQuilt GO! Getter, I saw it as an opportunity to find ways that the dies could help me with some of my FPP patterns. Why not? There is usually more than one way to do any technique. If I'm making an entire quilt with FPP, using AccuQuilt dies to quicken the cutting process would be "amazeballs!"

Stay tuned for more from me on using my AccuQuilt for FPP!

If you make your own version of this tutorial, please share the photo on social media using the hashtag #AccuQuiltBuilt and don't forget to tag @theyvetterene and @AccuQuilt so we can see your fun creation!

 

 

Need Inspiration?

Want educational content to help you make the most of your AccuQuilt dies? Join our live events and be entered for a door prize.

 

Register for AccuQuilt's Upcoming Live Events!