Tula Pink teaches English Paper Piecing

Fabulous fabric designer Tula Pink, of Free Spirit Fabrics, came to the Fat Quarter Shop studio to give us an in-depth look at how she uses English Paper Piecing. You’ll want to watch all three tutorials to start out on the right foot with these techniques!

Tula’s gorgeous Tula Nova pattern is a great way to flex your EPP skills like Tula did on her Tula Nova pillow.

So what exactly is English Paper Piecing (EPP)? It is a technique of stabilizing fabric using a paper template. It’s different from regular paper piecing because each piece is finished before sewing them together. It’s also a great method to learn as a quilter since with English Paper Piecing you can achieve great precision in piecing.

In the first video, Tula Pink explains the three methods she prefers for EPP. She calls these methods “The Great Quilting Equalizer.” The cutting methods include optical, kaleidoscope, and half-method fussy cutting. Tula gives you tips for how to complete a quilt by making the most of your time. These techniques are all ways of cutting and piecing your fabrics to give your quilt the exact look you want. You cut the exact sections of fabric you want and sew it in a way that displays the pattern you desire. The paper piecing stabilizes the fabric in the correct shape and off you go, sewing away! If you are reading via email, please click here to watch the video.

“I like to say that English Paper Piecing is like eating an elephant. If you try to swallow it whole you’ll choke and die. So, don’t do that.” – Tula Pink

In the next video, Tula Pink offers all you need to know for supplies! Tula breaks down why each notion is an EPP essential. You’ll need cutting tools, starting with a rotary cutter and from there you can dive into different snips and micro-serrated scissors that make the job easier. Did you know thread has a right and wrong side for threading? Tula teaches us all about that too! If you will be hand sewing your EPP project, you’ll want to treat your supplies properly and save yourself time with Tula’s tips. If you are reading via email, please click here to watch the video.

In her final video, Tula gives us tips to help make sewing EPP easier and more efficient. Sewing is where the real magic happens, where your ideas come together to make an eye-catching design that will make your friends jealous. Tula tells you where you can save time and be a more efficient sewist, and where you can focus your efforts on beautiful paper pieced projects. Tula covers thread choice, starting and stopping an edge, stitch technique, and how to remove the paper pieces!  If you are reading via email, please click here to watch the video.

“Anybody that judges you by the back of your quilt and not your front isn’t your real friend.”- Tula Pink

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