English Paper Piecing for Beginners: Hexagon Size Chart and Step-by-Step Guide

How to English paper piece a hexagon rosette

1. Choose a size and gather papers. For a first project, use 1 in hexagons, which are measured along one side. A rosette needs 7 papers: one center and six petals. The Paper Pieces 1 in Hexagons set covers 14 rosettes.
2. Cut the fabric. Place the Paper Pieces 1 in Hexagon Template, which adds a 3/8 in seam allowance, on the fabric and cut around it with a small rotary cutter such as the Olfa RTY-2/C 45mm on a rotating mat like the Olfa 17in Rotating Mat. Or simply cut 3 in squares; the corners fold away.
3. Baste fabric to each paper. Center a paper on the wrong side of the fabric. Swipe a little glue from a Sewline Glue Pen along one paper edge, fold the seam allowance over it and press with a finger. Work around all six sides, folding each corner crisply. Alternatively, thread baste with long running stitches through the fabric folds at each corner.
4. Thread the needle. Cut about 18 in of fine thread, such as 60wt Superior Bottom Line 60wt or 50wt Aurifil 50wt White, in a color that blends with the darker fabric. Thread a fine sharp such as the Clover Black Gold Applique Needles and knot the end.
5. Join the first two hexagons. Hold two basted hexagons right sides together with edges and corners aligned, clipped with Clover Wonder Clips 50 if you like. Whipstitch from corner to corner, catching only one or two threads of each fold and avoiding the paper. Take two stitches at each corner to lock it.
6. Add the petals. Join the next hexagon to both the center and the previous petal. You can keep going without breaking the thread: fold the papers gently so the next pair of edges lines up, and continue stitching. Repeat until all six petals surround the center.
7. Press and remove the papers. Once a hexagon is surrounded on all sides, press the rosette from the back, then loosen the fabric from the paper and pop the paper out. Glue-basted papers release with a gentle tug, and most papers can be reused several times.
8. Build the quilt top. Join rosettes with a ring of background hexagons, or appliqué rosettes onto background blocks. When the top is complete, it is layered, quilted and bound like any other quilt, by hand or on a machine.

What is English paper piecing?

English paper piecing is a hand patchwork technique that uses paper templates to stabilize fabric shapes. Each piece of fabric is folded over a paper the exact finished size of the shape, the folds are basted, and the covered pieces are sewn together along their folded edges. The papers are removed once the pieces around them are joined.

Because the paper sets each edge, there is no quarter-inch seam to keep straight and no need to match seam intersections the way you do by machine. That makes EPP a gentle way into patchwork for anyone who prefers hand sewing, and a practical way to make shapes with many angles meet cleanly. The most common EPP shapes are:

• Hexagons, the classic choice, used alone or in rosettes.
• Diamonds, which combine into six-pointed stars and tumbling blocks.
• Jewels, kites and pentagons, for medallion quilts and more complex designs.

Machine piecing is faster for straight-line blocks like half square triangles; see how to make half square triangles for that route. EPP shines when precision and portability matter more than speed.

What size hexagon is best for English paper piecing?

Hexagon papers are sized by the length of one side, not the width across. A 1 in hexagon has six 1 in sides, measures about 1.73 in across the flat sides and exactly 2 in from point to point. The width across the flats is the side length times 1.732, and the point-to-point width is the side times 2.

Beginners usually start with 1 in or 1 1/2 in hexagons. Smaller ones are charming but mean many more pieces and stitches; larger ones grow a quilt quickly but show fewer print details.

How the table is figured: a 3/8 in seam allowance on every side adds 3/4 in to the width across the flats and about 7/8 in to the point-to-point width, so the square column is the point-to-point width plus allowance, rounded up to the next 1/2 in. A seven-hexagon rosette measures three hexagon widths across the flats. Many quilters prefer 1/4 in allowances for small hexagons to reduce bulk; the paper size stays the same.

Precuts make fabric easy: a 10 in layer cake square cuts into nine 3 in squares, so a 42-square layer cake such as the Bella Solids White Layer Cake yields 378 pieces for 1 in hexagons. The same square gives four 4 in squares for 1 1/2 in hexagons, or 168 across the pack.

How many hexagons do you need for a quilt?

Divide the area you want to cover by the area of one finished hexagon. A regular hexagon's area is about 2.598 times the side length squared, so a 1 in hexagon covers about 2.60 sq in. The figures below are approximate: they do not count the partial hexagons trimmed at straight edges, or any border.

Those numbers explain why many first EPP projects are pillows, table runners and mug rugs rather than bed quilts. A 50 x 65 in throw in 1 in hexagons is more than 1,200 pieces, while the same throw in 2 in hexagons is about 313. Use the quilt size calculator and the quilt size chart to set your finished dimensions first, then plan hexagons to fit.

What supplies do you need for English paper piecing?

The essentials are inexpensive, and most fit in a pencil case.

• Papers: precut Paper Pieces 1 in Hexagons, about $7 per 100. Precut papers are more accurate than hand-cut card.
• Fabric template: the Paper Pieces 1 in Hexagon Template, about $9, adds a 3/8 in allowance for rotary cutting.
• Basting: a Sewline Glue Pen, about $8 with a refill, or thread for thread basting.
• Thread: fine 50wt cotton such as Aurifil 50wt White or 60wt polyester such as Superior Bottom Line 60wt.
• Needles: fine sharps or applique needles such as the Clover Black Gold Applique Needles in sizes 9, 10 and 12.
• Clips: Clover Wonder Clips 50 hold pairs of hexagons together while you stitch.
• Snips: spring-action Gingher Thread Snips for trimming thread without putting down the work.
• Cutting: a 45 mm cutter such as the Olfa RTY-2/C 45mm and a small rotating mat like the Olfa 17in Rotating Mat make cutting around a template fast.

A thimble is optional but welcome for long sessions, and a small pressing tool such as the Clover Mini Iron presses finished rosettes flat without heating a full iron.

Glue basting vs thread basting: which is better for EPP?

Both hold the fabric to the paper; they differ in speed, cost and how the papers come out.

• Glue basting is fastest. A swipe of a water-soluble glue pen along the paper edge holds each fold. Papers pop out easily and can be reused, and there are no basting stitches to remove. The downsides are the ongoing cost of refills and a slightly stiffer feel until the glue is washed out.
• Thread basting through the paper is traditional. Long running stitches go through the fabric and paper, and the basting is snipped and pulled out before the paper is removed. It uses no glue but takes longer and punches holes in the paper.
• Thread basting without piercing the paper stitches only through the fabric folds at each corner. The paper stays whole, the basting can stay in the quilt, and papers slide out easily.

Most beginners find glue basting the quickest way to a finished rosette. A tip from experienced piecers: keep glue a little in from the very edge of the paper, so it does not end up in the whipstitched seam and make the needle drag.

What is the best thread weight for English paper piecing?

Fine thread is the secret to invisible EPP seams. Thicker thread shows as a line of dots across the seam on the right side; fine thread sinks between the folds.

• 50wt cotton, such as Aurifil 50wt White, is a popular all-rounder: fine, strong enough for whipstitching and easy to match to cotton prints.
• 60wt polyester, such as Superior Bottom Line 60wt, is thinner still and very strong, so it disappears into seams even in contrasting fabrics.
• Heavier 40wt threads show more and are better saved for decorative stitching.

Match the thread to the darker of the two fabrics, or choose a neutral gray or tan that blends with most prints. Compare threads in our best quilting thread roundup.

How do you finish an English paper pieced quilt?

There are two common routes from rosettes to a finished quilt:

1. Appliqué the EPP onto background fabric. Remove the papers, press the outer edges under, and stitch rosettes or a hexagon medallion onto squares or a whole-cloth background by hand or with a machine blanket stitch. Our applique for beginners guide covers both.
2. Piece an all-over top. Keep joining hexagons until the top is large enough, then trim the zigzag edges straight, leaving a seam allowance, or appliqué the edge hexagons to a border.

After that, layer the top with batting and backing, quilt it and bind it. Quilting many small seams by hand is lovely but slow; a machine designed for patchwork and quilting, such as the Janome 3160QDC-G, whose listing names appliqué, patchwork and quilting among its uses, makes the finishing weeks faster. For the full finishing sequence, see how to make a quilt for beginners and how to bind a quilt.