How to Finish English Paper-Pieced Edges With Partial Shapes

A partial shape is a portion of a full paper template that completes the patchwork at its boundary. The correct piece depends on both the original shape and the direction of the edge. Half hexagons suit some gaps; other edges need a different outline. Geta’s Quilting Studio specifically identifies pointed half-hexagon templates as a way to straighten hexagon projects. Templates for English Paper Piecing

Check each side separately. In the Secret Garden quilt, Tales of Cloth adds point-to-point half hexagons at the top and bottom, then trims the projecting hexagon points along the sides. That is a useful example of why one filler shape need not solve all four edges. Secret Garden Hexie Quilt

Before preparing fabric, try this paper-fitting check:

1. Lay the panel flat with the perimeter papers still inside.
2. Place spare full papers in the gaps, matching their joining edges to the existing pieces.
3. Lay a ruler along the intended finished boundary.
4. Mark the portion of each spare paper that would remain inside that boundary.
5. Cut one trial paper and check every joining edge and corner.

This planning method separates two decisions: which shape fills the gap, and where the eventual border or binding seam will sit. If a trial paper cannot fit without bending or overlapping its neighbors, revise it before cutting fabric.

Use the pattern’s edge templates when supplied. Otherwise, make partial papers from the same full-size templates used in the panel. For a trapezoid half hexagon, cut a spare hexagon between opposite points. Sue Daley’s original tutorial uses this point-to-point method to prepare half-hexagon papers. This goes with that – Tutorial – Week 1

Check the actual joining edges rather than relying only on a size label. Hexagon papers are normally measured along a side. If printing templates, print at full size without scaling and measure the supplied test square before cutting. Molly and Mama emphasizes both these checks in its EPP instructions. How To Sew Hexies – An English Paper Piecing Tutorial

For an illustrative layout with six identical gaps along the top and six along the bottom, you would need twelve matching half papers. Six full papers would yield those twelve halves. Count corner positions separately: a piece that fits a repeating gap may extend beyond the intended corner.

Keep paper templates at the intended finished shape size. Add the seam allowance to the fabric when cutting around them.

Gather matching papers, fabric, a fine hand-sewing needle, thread, your preferred basting supplies, scissors, a quilting ruler, and pressing equipment. For the final quilt finish, you will also need batting, backing, and binding.

Place each paper on the fabric’s wrong side and leave at least ¼ inch of fabric beyond every paper edge. A little extra makes wrapping easier; keep the allowance consistent enough to manage at the corners. Molly and Mama’s preparation instructions specify at least a ¼-inch allowance around EPP papers. How To Sew Hexies

For the method here, baste around the whole partial paper, including its straight outer edge. That outside fold helps you check the developing outline. You will release it later to recover the fabric needed for the finishing seam.

Use glue sparingly and keep it slightly away from the paper edge. At acute corners, allow the folded fabric tails to project rather than forcing them into a compact bundle. Sue Daley demonstrates light glue placement and deliberately leaves these tails extending from the basted shapes. Sue Daley’s half-hexagon tutorial

Arrange the basted pieces around one edge before sewing. Check the fabric placement and confirm that the outer paper edges follow your intended boundary. Photograph the arrangement if that helps you preserve the order.

Hold a filler and its neighbor right sides together, matching the corners of their shared edge. Sew small, closely spaced whipstitches through just the folded fabric edges, avoiding the paper. Secure the beginning and end. Molly and Mama demonstrates this joining method, including catching only a few fabric threads with each stitch. EPP stitching instructions

When a filler meets several neighbors, finish one shared edge, reposition the patchwork, and align the next pair of corners. Keep projecting fabric tails clear of the joining stitches so you can open the perimeter allowance later.

After attaching a few fillers, lay the panel flat again. Compare the new edge with the ruler before continuing. This intermediate check gives you a chance to spot a rotated paper or mismatched corner while only a short section needs attention.

Complete the edge piecing before removing its supporting papers. Then inspect the entire reverse and remove every remaining template, including small pieces concealed by overlapping allowances. Tales of Cloth recommends a systematic check after the last edge pieces are attached. How to Finish an English Paper Pieced Quilt

Press the panel from the back. Keep joined seams folded into the patchwork, but release the unsewn outer allowances and press them outward. Remove any basting that prevents those allowances from opening. Bryan House Quilts illustrates this distinction when preparing an EPP top for finishing. Preparing an EPP quilt top for finishing

The opened fabric becomes the allowance for attaching the border or binding. Before trimming, check that it extends beyond the intended attachment line everywhere, particularly at corners. A straight row of paper folds alone does not establish that enough fabric remains.

For a border, square the prepared top while retaining a ¼-inch allowance beyond the points you intend to preserve, then attach the border. For a quilt without a border, Bryan House Quilts recommends quilting before the final squaring cut. Preparing an EPP quilt top for finishing

When preparing for binding, identify the relevant hand-seam endpoints. Tales of Cloth positions the ruler’s ¼-inch line over those endpoints and trims outward from them. Where endpoints zigzag, its instructions use the innermost ones. Check the whole proposed cutting line before cutting, because it may cross projecting pieces or seams. Tales of Cloth’s trimming instructions

For example, if the binding attachment line follows your planned paper boundary, a raw edge cut ¼ inch outside that line supplies the attachment allowance. Cutting directly along the former paper edge would remove that allowance.

For conventional double-fold binding, join strips, press them lengthwise wrong sides together, align their raw edges with the quilt edge, and attach with a ¼-inch seam. At each corner, stop ¼ inch short and fold the binding to form a miter. Join the ends, complete the attachment seam, then fold the binding over the back and stitch it down. The Secret Garden tutorial illustrates these steps. Secret Garden binding instructions

Use this final inspection to resolve problems while the edge is still adjustable:

• A filler will not fit: Recheck its paper against the original template and confirm its orientation.
• The edge develops a step: Compare the paper boundaries with the planned straight line; the filler may be the wrong partial shape.
• An outer allowance will not open: Look for basting or a fabric tail caught in the joining stitches before pulling it flat.
• The proposed cutting line leaves too little fabric: Move the boundary inward only if the design allows it, or replace the affected filler with a more generously cut piece.
• Trimming crosses hand-sewn seams: Bind promptly afterward, or secure the perimeter with stitching, as Tales of Cloth recommends. Finishing and trimming guidance

Work through one edge at a time: fit the paper, check the fabric allowance, stitch the fillers, and inspect the panel flat. Once the outer allowances are opened, you can judge the final cutting line accurately and finish the rectangular panel with its edge pieces properly enclosed.

• Templates for English paper Piecing — Geta’s Quilting Studio
• Secret Garden Hexie Quilt — Tales of Cloth
• This goes with that – Tutorial – Week 1 — Sue Daley Designs Blog
• How To Sew Hexies – An English Paper Piecing Tutorial — Molly and Mama
• Tutorial {Preparing an EPP quilt top for finishing} — Bryan House Quilts
• How to Finish an English Paper Pieced Quilt — Tales of Cloth