When do you remove the papers?
You can remove the papers once you are finished sewing around the paper piece. Do NOT remove the papers before you are done hand sewing the shape to other shapes.
Examples of when to remove paper pieces:
- You finished a hexie flower that you plan on appliqueing
- You are making a large EPP project, but you have sewn on all sides of your paper piece
When not to remove paper pieces
- When you plan on sewing another side to something
How to remove papers
If you thread basted, you cut the thread off and iron your fabric flat. If you glue basted, you peel up your edges and iron your fabric flat.
Removing Glue Basted Papers
I just peel the fabric back with my fingernail. My mom uses a cuticle pusher. Whatever works for ya. The big thing to remember is that you want the fabric to retain it’s shape once the papers are removed.
You can remove all the papers at once and iron the fabric down. This is generally what I do if I am popping out papers from a large EPP project.
Or you can remove out sections at a time. This is generally what I do when I am planning on appliqueing a piece. I think it makes it easier to keep everything flat. It also makes it easier to retain the shapes of your edge pieces. Example – if you have a hexie flower, you have to be careful when removing your outer hexagons so that the edges stay the same even once the papers are removed.
After you remove papers from blocks you are going to applique
I strongly suggest you either applique right after you remove the papers and iron flat, or you store them somewhere safe. Long term storage is best when you can put it under something heavy to keep it flat – like an old statistics textbook.
How I like to remove papers from a grandmas flower garden block
You can remove all the papers at once and then iron the whole piece flat. However, I prefer to do it the way pictured below. I think it is the easiest way and I rarely ever have issues with fabric maintaining its shape.
The wool pressing mat and mini oliso iron make it getting your edges flat a little easier and faster, but are not necessary.
Now you are ready to applique!
