Thinking about trying EPP?

What is EPP?

EPP stands for English Paper Piecing. It involves using pieces of paper to help stabilize fabric so that you can hand sew pieces into various designs.

Why is it so cool?

Wrapping fabric around those pieces of paper means you can make some of the coolest projects, many of which you might not otherwise be able to make using traditional sewing. The craftsmanship of EPP quilts are insane and will be admired for a long time. There is something about EPP quilts that just screams heirloom for me. Below are some EPP quilts.

Would I like it?

I just like the repetitive nature of hand sewing. I find it extremely relaxing. It helps calm me down if I am feeling a lot of anxiety or stress. I really like doing at least 20 minutes of EPP before I leave for work in the morning and another 30+ minutes after I get home to decompress.

If you like crochet or knitting, you will probably like EPP. I used to crochet, but I love EPP way more and crocheting has fallen by the way side a bit.

Ultimately, you wont know if you like it unless you try it.

Doesn’t it take forever…?

EPP is about the journey. It takes a long time and a lot of work to complete these projects. If you hand sew you need to be focused on enjoying the progress, not trying to finish in a timely manner. Rushing EPP is miserable. I tried it once, I will NEVER rush EPP again. EPP is meant for Netflix and chill, while keeping your hands busy. It is meant for lazy Sunday afternoons, being stuck at the DMV, the kid’s soccer practice, and for in general when you need to relax.

I love EPP because I can hang out with my husband in the living room while he plays video games and we watch a movie, while still being able to do something. I get restless and EPP replaces playing on my phone or something to that effect. A lot of people say ‘they don’t have time’ for EPP. You don’t focus on how long a project will take you or how much time you have to work on it when you do EPP, you simply enjoy the process. It isn’t like traditional quilting where you need a good hunk of time to sit down at the machine or get the cutting matt out, or etc. you can just do five minutes here and there if you want. If you ever find yourself feeling restless or spending too much time on your phone, EPP might be for you.

Is it hard?

I have tried a lot of things in regards to sewing. I have tried walking foot quilting, free motion quilting (FMQ), quilt basting, EPP and all kinds of things. Honestly, EPP is not that hard. It was WAY easier than I anticipated when I took the plunge to try it. I do have some suggestions in regards to choosing your first EPP project.

I have written a series of How To blog posts for EPP that can be found here. This isn’t really a skill I think that you need a class to learn, doing a bit of online reading is probably sufficient.

Starter Projects

I have three main pieces of advice to give people picking out their first EPP project:

• Pick a project with hexagons
  • They are the easiest of EPP shapes to work with. They are also the most popular and classic EPP shape. That means you can easily reuse the paper pieces later.
  • Don’t want to work with hexagons? That is okay, but for your first project I would avoid ‘pointy’ shapes (any shapes that end in a point like diamonds). They are generally a bit harder to work with.
• Pick a project that is not all EPP. You want a project that appliques EPP blocks.
  • EPP projects can take a very long time to work and are a bit of a time commitment. Start with an applique project so that you can decide whether or not you like it, before taking on a larger commitment.
• Use fabric you LOVE
  • EPP projects take a lot of time and work. You are going to be starring at the fabric a lot. Pick something you really like and won’t get sick of looking at.

Starter Project Suggestions

Based on the above criteria here are a few starter project ideas:

Hexie Flower SAL by Spring Daisy Stitchery. This is a free sew a long using hexie flowers (1″ hexies) appliqued onto 6.5″ squares. Each week is a different theme for the flower. There are a total of 100 flowers to make a 60″ x 60″ quilt.

Kingfisher Quilt by Tales of Cloth, Stitched in Color, & others. This is a free quilt pattern using hexie flowers (1″ hexies) appliqued on diamonds. There are a total of 46 flowers that make a 59″ x 59″ quilt.

Rivendell Quilt by Spring Daisy Stitchery. This is a quilt pattern by me. These use 1″ hexies to make larger hexie blocks. There are three size options and two versions in this pattern. It combines EPP with machine sewing for a very unique look.

That’s all folks!

I hope now you know whether or not you want to try EPP. Happy Sewing! 🙂

Series of How To blog posts for EPP can be found here.