Patchwork over papers.

(Otherwise known as English paper piecing).

Hello everyone.

I have put up a new page about how to do English paper piecing.

The earliest known examples of this type of patchwork can be traced back to the 1600's.

This method of piecing over papers has led to all sorts of fascinating finds of letters, diaries, and even newspapers being discovered having been left in the quilt.
These are often not found until the quilt needs conservation work, and they can then be used to date the quilt accurately.

The papers provided extra insulation for the quilts, so were not always removed.
All sorts of fabrics have been used over the years, and it has to be remembered that these quilts were not made as a hobby (like today), but were needed to keep people warm!

The most popular design uses a hexagon template (see my page for designs), but you can also use diamonds & triangles.

There are some wonderful examples of this type of quilt on the V&A website.

Hope you like the page.

As always, feel free to leave a comment!