What is Glue Basting?

(Please note that affiliate links have been used in this post.)

I never knew Elmer’s washable glue would come in so handy as a 33 year old adult. 😉

Just a year ago, using glue and fabric for a sewing project was quite foreign to me. Truthfully, I’m not completely sure where I first learned of glue basting. The only kind of basting I knew of was basting my quilt sandwich and basting these hexies by hand with thread.

I’ve recently been a bit enamored with English paper piecing. I think it’s because it always involves a sewing project that doesn’t require sitting in front of a sewing machine.

Spending almost all waking hours with my three young boys doesn’t leave much time for sitting at my sewing machine. But, honestly, some days I find them completely smitten playing pirates outside. They’ll play for hours independently, and I wish I had a little hand project to work on while I keep an eye on them.

These stockings have been my most recent endeavor to perfect some of my EPP skills. Whether you are making stockings or a pillow or a quilt using English paper piecing, glue basting is likely an option.

Here’s how it works. You’ll need:
+ Elmer’s washable glue.
+ Paper pieces for your English paper piecing. I have templates available for hexagons or diamonds.
+ Fabric. Almost all the fabric in these pictures is from Cotton and Steel’s Christmas line called Noel. (Much of it is still available at Fabric.com or Sojo Fabrics.)

1. Cut out your templates. I always punch a hole in my pieces. If they get a bit tricky to finagle out of the fabric, I can always use tweezers to hold the hole.

2. Cut out fabric pieces just a bit larger than your paper template. Fussy cutting is entirely appropriate and encouraged.

3. Lay your paper piece on top of the wrong side of the fabric in preparation for glue basting.

4. Using thin layers of glue, begin gluing one side at time. In an effort to ensure sharp points, you will need to glue one side and then fold. Then glue another side and fold. Then glue another side and fold. And so on.

You will NOT end up with sharp points if you glue, glue, glue and glue, and then fold, fold, fold, and fold.

Make sense?

5. Flip your template over and you have the cutest little snow leopard ever.

THE MOST IMPORTANT TIP I CAN OFFER YOU is to ensure that your tips are POINTED. As you are gluing around your diamond, make sure your glue is spread all the way to the tip. Ensure each point is nicely wrapped up like a present.

That, my friends, is the simplest way to glue baste your EPP projects. 🙂 Now I shall go continue working on this stocking because my goal is to finish five of these before December 25th. Realistic? Likely not. But I’ll try.

Once you are finished glue basting and stitching your little diamonds together, here’s what your project could look like after removing all your papers. Once of the blessings of paper piecing is the sharp points.

(If the hand quilting strikes your fancy, be sure to check out Mary’s feed or blog for more hand quilting inspiration! Once I saw her work, I knew I had to try it!)

I finished a set of three stockings for my three boys for Christmas. You can see all three stockings and the techniques I used for them in this post.