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Friday, May 8, 2015

English Paper Piecing...Cutting Paper and Fabric

Hi everyone! I'm back from yesterday's English Paper Piecing post about how to sew the hexagons together. You can click HERE if you missed the post. I had lots of questions and emails about how to cut the paper and the fabric, so here is another post I put together today. I hope this helps!!!

As with any project, there are many ways of doing something. The ideas I'm posting here are just a few of the different methods I've used over the years for cutting the freezer paper and the fabric. Technology has made things a little easier with hand held paper punches and electric die cutters, but I'll also show you a simple way to cut the hexies with a cardboard template.

Cutting the Paper Hexagons...


Types of paper

  • freezer paper (my favorite)
  • card stock
  • recycled envelopes
  • and those annoying magazine inserts finally have a purpose



Types of cutters

  • accuquilt die cutter
  • Fiskars hand held paper punches (found in the scrapbooking section of any craft store or online)
  • store bought plastic template for rotary cutter
  • print template from free online source and make one from cardboard to plastic template

Here are the types that I have used.


english paper piecing

Come inside for lots of pictures and steps for each method.



The new accuquilt die cutters are specifically made for English Paper Piecing.

I've labeled the pictures below to show you that the smaller hexagon on the right is where you would place the paper and the larger hexie on the left is for the fabric. That a quarter to show you the size of the finished hexagon.

english paper piecing

This is the smaller hexagon and that's a dime for a size comparison.

english paper piecing

As I've mentioned, freezer paper is my favorite for paper piecing. It has a shiny side to the paper that will adhere to fabric when ironed. It stays in place until you peel it away. You can also reuse it over and over. When used a few times, you might have to place a pin in the center to keep it in place.

english paper piecing

The paper has a dull side and a shiny side. The shiny side must be towards the wrong side of the fabric when ironing or it will stick to your iron. Yuk!

english paper piecing

Here's how to cut your hexagons with freezer paper. You can also use this method for any type of paper.

Cut a long piece of freezer paper.

english paper piecing

Start to fan fold the paper. Make sure the width of the first fan is as wide as you need for your hexagon template.

english paper piecing

Fan fold to the end.

english paper piecing

Make a cardboard template. You can find and print so many sizes from free online sources.

Trace the template.

english paper piecing

To save paper and cutting time, butt the sides of the hexagons next to each other. That way you are only cutting one side of 2 hexies.

english paper piecing

Before I cut the hexagons, I always staple the paper together first.

english paper piecing

Stapling them together, inside the hexagon, to keep the paper from shifting when cutting.

english paper piecing

Now you can cut.

english paper piecing

Remove the staples and your done.

english paper piecing

The Fiskars paper punches are great.

english paper piecing

You can still use the fan folded paper method, but I'm not sure how many layers you can cut through with regular paper. Freezer paper might be 3-4 layers.

english paper piecing

Fast and easy.

english paper piecing

There are different ways to measure the size of a hexagon.

english paper piecing

Some measure point to point, going east to west. The Fiskars punches are 2 inches for the large and 1 1/2 inches for the small.

english paper piecing

If you measure the ends, the large is 1" and the small is 3/4".

english paper piecing

Cutting the Fabric...


As I mentioned with the paper, there's more than one way to cut the fabric, but here are a few ways I've done over the years.

Square of fabric.

Use fabric that is already cut in squares...maybe left over from different projects or even scrap of any shape.

english paper piecing

The mini charm squares are perfect at 2 1/2 inches.

english paper piecing

Iron on the freezer paper hexie.

english paper piecing

Hand cut the fabric to roughly make a hexagon 1/4 inch larger than the paper.

english paper piecing

The shape of the fabric doesn't matter. It's the shape of the paper that makes it accurate.

english paper piecing

The other method is to just leave it as a square, because, again, it's the paper not the fabric.

english paper piecing

I showed you how to sew the hexagon in the last post, but I'll show again just to make this post one cohesive tutorial.

I always sew my basting stitches on the wrong side of the hexie. I never sew through to the front as in some methods. It is way too much work to sew through the paper and have the stitches on the front, because you have to pull all those threads out when you're are finished.

This method has basting stitches only on the wrong side. They stay there and are never removed.

Basting the Hexagons


Fold over first edge of fabric up against the paper template.

english paper piecing

While holding down the first side, fold over the next section.

english paper piecing

With needle and knotted thread, take a little whip stitch at the mitered folded corner to secure.

english paper piecing

Fold down next side...

english paper piecing

and take another whip stitch.

english paper piecing

See the basting stitch is running on the wrong side, not the front?
english paper piecing

Do that all the way around until the mitered corners are secure.

english paper piecing

I don't even go that last stretch of thread to the first corner I stitched, because all folded corners are secure. When you're making hundreds of these, it matters! lol

english paper piecing

Here is the finished front. See? no thread on the front to remove! Woo Hoo!!

english paper piecing

Here is the back of the square fabric and the back of the hexagon shaped fabric. Either one is great...your preference.

There is excess fabric with the square shape and that might matter to someone who is hand quilting this in the end...not sure though. I've never gotten to the hand quilting part of a finished hexagon project. Lol

english paper piecing

Both look the same from the front.

english paper piecing

I also wanted to show you this ruler I have that cuts fabric hexagons. It cuts them from 1 1/2 inches to 5 1/2 inches.

english paper piecing

I'm using a jelly roll strip that is 2 1/2 inches wide to show you.

english paper piecing

Place ruler on fabric.

english paper piecing

Line up the edge of the fabric with the 2 1/2" lines on the ruler shown with the arrows.

english paper piecing

Trim fabric with a rotary cutter.

english paper piecing

You can just turn the fabric around, but I have this Olfa rotating mat that is great for this.

english paper piecing

You turn the mat, so you don't disturb the fabric.

english paper piecing

It spins on that black background mat.

english paper piecing

Spins until the fabric is turned toward the left.

english paper piecing

Now match the cut end to the ruler shape and trim again.

english paper piecing

Easy peasy.

english paper piecing

Nice and neat.

english paper piecing

I just found this out today playing with all these things...The paper that is cut with the larger Fiskars punch fits perfectly with the 2 1/2 inch fabric hexagon that I cut with the E-Z hexagon template.

english paper piecing


english paper piecing

Here's one more tip. Use a hole punch in the center of your hexagons for easy paper removal.

english paper piecing

Once all your hexagons are sewn to another hexagon, you can remove the paper and use it again. The hole helps to pop out the paper.

english paper piecing

I use a skewer or chop stick.

english paper piecing

Just stick it in and pop it out.

english paper piecing

Here are my little hexie flowers that I've been making lately.

english paper piecing

Here is my Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt I started 15 years ago.

english paper piecing

I just pulled this out of the depths of my unfinished projects to re-start my mojo on this.

I am making this for my husband. I told him when I started, that it will be for our 50th wedding anniversary. We'll be married 28 years this summer. I didn't put any pressure on myself for this one!!! Lol

It is hopefully going to be a bed sized quilt, but at this rate it might be a bed runner at the end of the bed or matching place mats or maybe a shawl.

english paper piecing

Here's the back of one of the flowers. See how I left in the papers on the border until I sew it to another hexagon. I can re-use the papers for other hexies.

english paper piecing

This is a close-up of the tiny stitches I take to connect the hexagons. I like to make them tight, so you can't see the stitches on the front.

english paper piecing

I really hope this helps and relieves the fear that some of you have with English Paper Piecing. It really is a wonderful hobby to start. It's relaxing, portable and you can be so creative with fabrics and arrangement of the hexagons. Do a Google image search for English Paper Piecing or sewing hexagons or Grandmother's Flower Garden just for inspiration. You'll be amazed!!

Happy sewing!

Thanks so much for stopping by,
~Karen~

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14 comments:

  1. As always, thank you for the step-by-step pictures. You make it look so easy!

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  2. Thank you for this complete tutorial!
    Esther
    esthersipatchandquilt at yahoo dot com

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  3. What a great post! Thank U verry mutch.

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  4. You have made my quiltinglive a lot easier!

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  5. In all probability I will never work with hexies but you make it look easy. I've passed them on to my DD who has expressed an interest in all things handmade

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  6. as always, you are amazing !

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  7. Fantastic tutorial. So detailed. Thank you.

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  8. Thanks for the tips, I love hexi flowers but hated making them I'm going to try the freezer paper and see if that helps me.

    Robin in Washington State

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  9. Great tutorial. Thanks for taking the time to do this.

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  10. Another great explanation. I really want to start some...

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  11. You're really spending a lot of time that you could be working on your hexies by making your own. I get mine at paperpieces.com. They have every size and shape that you can imagine, and they have the templates too if you want to do some fussy cutting. Save your energy -- buy your papers. (they can be used multiple times even for people like me -- I pierce through them with my needle)

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  12. Thank you so much for all the details, I use the fiskars tool and freezer paper. For me this is so relaxing and I have a basket of scraps that is so full. I just finished 24 flower sets so I will make a quilt alternating with a 10 1/2 inch square.

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  13. This is an amazing and detailed tutorial! I've never tried this before but would love to give it a try. I would love for you to link up to the Stitch It, Blog It, Share It Link Party going on now at BehindtheSeamsSewing.com.
    ~Bonnie

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  14. Thank you for all this great info.I really going to save this info for reference..

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Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment...I just love hearing from you!