I was going on a cruise (a quilting cruise, no less, with Quilt Seminars at Sea) and had been asked to demonstrate how to English Paper Piece to the group.

I like to travel with a portable hand-stitching project anyway, so I started this traditional Grandmother’s Flower Garden pattern with modern fabrics. The bright, happy colors and the scrappy look make a cheerful project for travel. And hexagons are a good introduction for first-time piecers. There are 60-degree corners which are easy to handle.

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What is English Paper Piecing?

English Paper Piecing, known also as EPP, is an old technique used to stabilize and stitch two pieces of fabric together. Modern stitchers have picked up the technique because of its ease and endless design possibilities. The uniform paper templates allow precision piecing, even for beginners.

You wrap fabric over the paper template edges, providing a clean edge for stitching two pieces of fabric together – even if your fabric cutting skills are “relaxed”. Keep adding pieces (like a puzzle) until finished, then remove the papers, leaving precisely pieced fabric shapes.

Hexagons and diamonds are the most-used shapes, but the design possibilities with various shapes are endless. You can re-use the paper pieces several times to expand your project or start a new one.

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Find English paper piecing patterns that speak to you. Find some fabrics. Pull together your supplies. Enjoy the meditative process of putting the paper piecing templates together.

Here is a great project for beginners to EPP. There are a variety of English paper piecing hexagon patterns. This Garden Table topper is one of my favorites. All you need are some yellow and green fabrics for flower centers and leaves and a selection of bright colors for your flower petals. Pick your colors and make it your own!

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What supplies do I need to English Paper Piece?

We’ve written an entire article covering English paper piecing supplies. For this article, we’ve outlined what you need to make the hexagon flower quilt below.

Here is our English paper piecing Grandmother’s Flower Garden tutorial:

One Table Runner

How to English Paper Piece

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Active Time: 10 hours

Total Time: 10 hours 10 minutes

Difficulty: Beginner

Learn how to make this EPP (English Paper Piecing) this Grandmothers Flower Garden table runner with multicolored fabrics and hexagon paper piecing. This hexagon garden table runner is a perfect EPP project for beginners.

Want to make a hexagon quilt? Just keep making more paper pieced flowers and sew them together to make a quilt top the size you'd like!

Materials

Assorted two-inch fabric strips. I used a yellow print for the flower centers, warm prints for the flower petals and green prints for the leaves. Pick your colors and make it yours!
1-inch hexagon paper pieces
Neutral color thread

Tools

Fabric glue stick - recommend a special one for EPP such as a Sewline Glue Pen
Sharp sewing needle
Needle threader - Optional
Scissors
Thimble (if you use one)
Iron and pressing surface

Instructions

Start by gathering your supplies Sharp eyes will notice the illustration shows packaging for 3/4-inch paper hexagons - 1-inch hexies (yellow packaging from Paper Pieces) were used to make this project. You can use any size hexagon, depending on whether you want larger or smaller flowers for your project. The technique is the same, whether you are making a coaster or a bed quilt.
Here is the sequence of steps to doing English paper piecing. Details for each step follow.
With your fabric glue stick, lightly glue-baste paper hexagons to the wrong side of the fabric strips.
Cut around the hexagons, leaving a generous 1/4-inch seam allowance. No worries if your cuts aren't perfect because the die-cut paper hexagons guarantee perfect piecing!
For each hexagon shape, start with one side of the hexagon and apply fabric glue near the edge of the paper. Then fold the seam allowance to the back of the paper piece. Continue to glue-baste until you have all six sides of the edges of the fabric turned under. You'll need one center and six petals for each flower.
Place two hexagons with fabric right sides together, then whip stitch along one edge. Continue adding hexagons to complete your flower pattern, whip stitching along each shared side. I like to start with the center, then add the petals, but you can stitch the pieces in any order.
Arrange your flower garden by placing leaf hexagons in the spaces.
Then, whip stitch all of the flowers and leaves together along the fabric fold with small stitches.
This is the BEST part: Gently coax the seam allowances from the paper and remove the templates. The seams will remain open with a finger press until you set them with an iron. Since there are no basting threads to remove, it's faster -- and the paper pieces can be used again and again!

My English Paper Piecing Hexagon Flower Garden Table Topper is bright and cheerful in the middle of my table. I love it with a tall vase with fresh colorful flowers to cheer up the room!

Notes

Note: You can purchase a hexagon paper piecing template to cut your fabrics exactly the right size. The acrylic template makes it easier if you want to fussy cut a design for your hexies.

Recommended Products

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For a refresher, watch this video that shows you some tricks to whip-stitching your EPPs (English Paper Piecing) together. Or read our article on how to whipstitch.

Do you leave the paper in with English paper piecing?

No, after you stitch the pieces together, you gently remove the paper from the fabric. You can reuse the paper shapes several times.

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What type of paper is used for English paper piecing?

Purchased papers are generally made from heavier paper. You can cut your own templates with any paper, but a bit heavier is easier to work with, like card stock, also referred to as cover stock. You can purchase precut papers or make them yourself.

Is English paper piecing easy?

Yes! All you need is a needle, thread, some fabric scraps and paper. You can be creative with different shapes and colors. It’s a perfect project to take with you or mindlessly stitch while watching your favorite shows. Try different layouts and fabric color combinations to make different designs.

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What is the best needle for English paper piecing?

Use a fine hand sewing needle that is sharp. And, yes, your hand sewing needles do get dull over time, just like your sewing machine needles. It’s recommended to use a milliner’s needle in size 10 or 11, which are long needles with round eyes and are also referred as straw needles. I also like using an appliqué needle.

Is English paper piecing done by hand?

Yes. English paper piecing is a hand sewing project. Fabric is wrapped around a paper template, secured with either stitching or glue. Once you have pieces covered in fabric, you whip stitch them together forming your design.

What are the common shapes of English paper piecing papers?

The most common shapes are diamonds, triangles and hexagons. Other shapes are squares, clamshells and half hexagon.

Tips and ideas for English paper piecing

No glue? No problem! You can use basting stitches to turn your fabric around the pre-cut paper templates instead of doing the glue basting method we highlight in this article.

Do you like having the exact right side of fabric? Consider purchasing acrylic templates that will give you exact sizes for folding over the paper templates.

Pack a small ziplock bag with some paper templates, some fabric pieces, glue stick, needle, and neutral thread. This is a great small project to take with you to stitch a few while waiting or watching a show.

When working with a print, you can fussy cut out the design so that your small pieces of fabric are all the same. See our article all about fussy cutting.

One way to get fabrics that all go together without buying big pieces is to purchase a mini charm pack with fabrics you like.

Have fun playing around with different designs. Working with hexies, you can make intricate designs like making the EPP Video Game Hexie Quilt. Or start with a quick and easy project like our mug rug made from diamonds.