English Paper Piecing with Glue Basting

Is glue basting English Paper Piecing Pieces really faster???

English paper piecing is a technique that is perfect for the on the go quilter. Throw a little kit in your bag and you will be surprised how many little hexagons or triangles you will make in no time. Stabilizing fabric with a template is a sure way to guarantee accuracy, and a way to use up leftover fabric. Glue basting is really a quick way to baste a whole bunch of english paper pieces quickly.

The first step is to get a template. You can either buy them precut, or download free PDFs of templates. Now they even have punches. Use your own card stock paper and you are on your way. You will be amazed how far templates have come. No longer are you bound by the one inch hexagons. There are triangle shapes, honeycombs, and Dresden plates in a variety of sizes from tiny to large.

Glue basting is something I was skeptical about! I loved the look of English Paper Piecing quilts, pillows, and table toppers. I did find it to be a whole lot faster. I mean REALLY fast. Now as an avid quilter, I would never recommend gluing fabric. It is something you would never hear from me. I did wonder, doesn't that take away from the peacefulness of stitching? Gluing Fabric? But if stitching is involved, you just get there faster. There is no need for any fancy glue. I found this glue pen at a local store, but I have used a regular school glue stick and it works just the same. With glue basting, it gets you to the finished project a little bit faster with the same results.

Use your fabric scissors to cut the fabric out around the template, leaving a half inch seam allowance around the template. Then put a line of glue on the paper, not the fabric, and fold it over, finger pressing.

You want to continue putting a line of glue on paper, on fabric, then folding and finger pressing tightly over the templet. Make sure you are creating a nice sharp corner where the two sides meet. On the last fold, just tuck under the fabric so that it’s very tight. Do not worry about the glue it dries clear.

If you have done English Paper Piecing the traditional way by baste stitching the shapes together, you will be amazed how fast you will get to that part.

Piecing the templates together is done the traditional way of using a whip stitch, making sure you do not go through the paper.

Now, I recommend letting the glue dry for a few days; I think the fabric holds the template shape better. Just peel the fabric edge off the card and it will just slip out. As you peel your fabric up from the template, you will notice glue dries to paper and none on fabric.

There are many things you can do with your English Paper Piecing Pieces. One of my most favorite ways is lining them up on a 16 by 16 piece of fabric and stitching quarter inch straight lines down the hexagons. You now have an awesome front of a pillow or a mini quilt showcasing your favorite fabrics, or stitching them into shapes and designs.

I think you'll find Glue Basting your English Paper Piecing shapes a much faster way. Give it a try.