Make Modern Issue 72 is here!

Top Five Tips: English Paper Piecing

Tipsblog

Posted on 25th March 2025

English paper piecing (a.k.a. EPP) is a wonderfully old patchwork piecing method that originated in England (hence the name!). It is still used today, all round the world, to create traditionally styled projects as well as modern makes. Although some modern methods and tools have been developed, the technique is still essentially the same; wrapping fabric around pieces of paper and stitching the fabric together by hand. Here are 5 tips for EPP.
By Amy Ball

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Tip One

There are two main methods to secure fabric to the EPP templates; thread basting and glue basting. I would highly recommend trying out both yourself rather than taking someone else’s advice on which is “better”. They both have pros and cons and it’s about deciding which of those are more important for each particular EPP project. I regularly use both. As a super quick summary I’d say that glue basting is great because it is faster and gives you crisper corners, however removing the papers when you’re done takes longer and it can be hard work on the fingers. On the other hand thread basting is great because you don’t need any extra tools beyond a very basic sewing kit and it is easier to make your stitches invisible, but it is a much slower process.

Tip Two

Choose a fine thread in a colour that matches your fabric. Like the basting methods, I think you need to test out different threads for yourself. I pull my stitches pretty tight so threads like Aurifil 80wt (which a lot of people recommend) snap really easily for me. Fine cotton thread is lovely because it blends into the fabric but if you are a bit “heavy handed” like me then it might not be the best choice. My preference is slightly heavier cotton thread like Aurifil 50wt in a colour that coordinates with the fabric or a finer polyester thread like Superior Threads Bottom Line.

Tip Three

Use a strong but fine needle. I also like to use a long needle too, like a milliners needle. I use a strong needle for the same reason as needing strong thread…I snapped a lot of needles before I switched to ones made of steel or titanium. And a fine needle is really important because you are sewing so close to the edge of your turned fabric and only catching a tiny amount of it in your stitches. Using a thicker needle will make it harder to catch only a tiny amount of fabric and it will also create a bigger hole in your fabric.

Tip Four

Prep your EPP shapes and then sew. I find that it’s far more time efficient to cut out and baste all my EPP pieces before I start to sew them together. Even if basting seems like a slow process at first, you’ll find you get into a rhythm with it and speed up as you keep doing it. The same is true of sewing the EPP shapes together. However, if I’m working on a very large EPP project like a quilt, I would prep all the shapes for one or two blocks, then sew them together, and then repeat.

Tip Five

Always work with good lighting. English paper piecing involves small and delicate stitches so the clearer these are to you, the better it is for your eyes and the more accurate your work will be. As well as good lighting helping you to see more easily, it will also help to reduce eye strain which is really important.

At Make Modern magazine, we LOVEEEE EPP. Choose your favourite pattern from our EPP pattern archive, and start making your own today!

About the Author

Amy creates beginner patchworker digital courses and designs modern quilts with a traditional twist. At Coffee Rings Studio you’ll find her own blog with patchwork, quilting and general sewing tips and tutorials, plus her quilt pattern and digital course shops.

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