This blog post is a continuation of the EPP Basics blog series. This post is about how to cut fabric for English Paper Piecing (EPP). This post will not talk about fussy cutting, that will be in a separate blog post that will be written later.
There are two main options for cutting fabric for EPP:
- Cutting around a template
- Cutting around the paper piece
Cutting around a template.
You can place a plastic template wherever you want to cut on the fabric and cut around it with a rotary cutter. When doing this be aware of maximizing the fabric that you have. For example: you need to cut six hexagons? Don’t cut them out of the center, cut them all off of one side.
Cutting around paper pieces.
You can place the paper piece wherever you want to cut on the fabric and cut about 1/4″ to 1/2″ out from the edge with scissors. Make sure to cut a minimum of a 1/4″ seam allowance. When first starting out, I would aim for a 1/2″ seam allowance just to be safe.
When doing this be aware of maximizing the fabric that you have. For example: you need to cut six hexagons? Don’t cut them out of the center, cut them all off of one side.
Cutting 1″ Hexagons?
Some projects require a LOT of 1″ hexagons and it can be cumbersome to cut them all out with a template or scissors. There is an option that is great for preemptively preparing scraps or for prepping a large amount of yardage for 1″ hexagons.
Basically you cut all of the fabric that you want to turn into 1″ hexagons into 2.5″ squares. Then take your 2.5″ square and put your hexagon on top, trim off the edges and baste.
Hope this helps y’all. Happy Sewing!
Are you going to be doing a solo-long for 2023?
Yes! I am probably going to do one that starts in the fall/winter of 2022. I am just taking a little time off before planning one.