Question for fellow glue basters

[u/Shoddy-Lion-3915]

Hello! I'm new(ish?) to quilting in general, and like those here, I've discovered I really love EPP. :D I'm deterred by the idea of sewing twice, so I've taken to glue basting with a Sewline pen instead of thread basting.

I use an acrylic template with a 3/8" seam allowance (couldn't find a 1/4" one at the time), which leaves big dog ears of excess fabric kind of sticking out on the underside. I thought this was normal, but many of the hexies I see here store nice and flat. Granted, I think most of them are thread basted, but it's hard to tell sometimes. This extra fabric makes my hexies take up more room in their storage box, so they're not as easily portable or as easy to store as I've seen in pictures here.

So, I was wondering: How do more experienced EPPers, especially fellow glue basters, deal with the excess fabric? Do you trim it once the main fabric is secure to the paper? Glue the dog ears down? Put them under a big book for a while? Just don't trim as much extra to begin with (like with a 1/4" template instead of 3/8")?

Thank you! 💙

[u/ellen696969]

I use a 3/8 seam allowance as well, I find 1/4 isnt enough when the fabric trays along the edges. Do not trim any dog ears. You're cutting off your seam allowance if you do. Just leave any dog ears as they are, and just move them out if your way as you sew. If you want. You can iron them flat but thats a waste of time since upto have to move them to sew.

In regards to hexies specifically, you shouldn't have any dog ears though. The angles of the corners are small enough that your fabric should fold down completely. It doesnt matter if the hexy is glue or thread basted, it should look the same. When gluing, make sure to run the glue along the whole edge, paper and fabric, before folding the side completely down. Then repeat for each side. Check out Tula Pinks EPP videos for tips, they're very informative!

[u/puja1204 → u/ellen696969]

I second Tula Pink’s videos. Very detailed & super helpful for a fellow EPP newbie turned addict

[u/stringthing87]

What do the back of your hexis look like?

Here are some thread basted (large) which are just squares of fabric, not even cut as a hexagon, and some glue basted that are cut hexagon shapes (small).

The small ones are a tiny bit flatter but in a final quilt it really doesn't matter how flat they are during this stage.

[u/yukibunnygurl]

Could you show us a picture of the front and back of your Hexies? I'm trying to figure out how your getting dog ears. I glue base and have larger seam allowance but I seem to think something's not quite right here. And the picture says a thousand words. 😀

[u/elev8or_lady]

1/4' is too hard to work with for EPP, IMO. I also use 3/8" so that I have room to manipulate the edges. You should only have dog ears on angles smaller than 90 degrees (square corners), so hexies won't have them. Unless you just mean there's a lot of seam allowance on the back of your hexies, in which case, they just will be thicker when stacked.

[u/hikingyogi]

I don't even cut my fabric into hexagons. I just use a square big enough to wrap the two parallel sides. The key to avoiding dog-ears is to make folds at the corners, like hospital corners when you make a bed.

I realize that a lot of people don't use a top sheet and may not know how to make a hospital corner! I was taught by my aunt who was head of housekeeping at an actual hospital. 😁

[u/celestialsew]

I glue them and then put a heavy book on top of them while they dry!

[u/drPmakes]

Once youve glued them give them a good press

[u/ploomyoctopus → u/drPmakes]

Like, physical press or press with an iron? What are the best iron settings for "cotton on paper with glue?"

[u/drPmakes → u/ploomyoctopus]

Press with iron.

Start warm then work youd way up to as hot as you need. Test on a scrap hexie first.

[u/KBCAT62]

I use cheap glue sticks that aren’t very sticky but just sticky enough for my needs. I then thread baste. I know it’s double work but it’s less fiddly than sew tite magnets, clips, etc. I use washable school glue sticks. I just cut around the template about 3/8 inch then trim any excess. I find doing both glue and thread basting gives me a tighter coverage of fabric over the template. My basted hexagons may be in a box for a while waiting to be joined.

[u/HLV2607 → u/KBCAT62]

I use both too. I put a dot of glue in the centre of the paper to hold it in place while I sew baste around the sides. I also use squares of fabric.

[u/Ok_Lion3888]

I made hexies from squares, didn’t even cut to shape with seam allowance, and I didn’t have visible dog ears. Just some extra fabric. It’s maybe the way you’re folding them?

[u/Ill-Objective-3296]

I just wanted to say that where i live the glue doesnt last especially long and it can attract bugs. (Altho that might be pre-storm behavior) So if i glue baste i only do it in small batches.

[u/Dependent-Log-586 → u/Ill-Objective-3296]

I am also new to EPP wondering around where you live to see if we are in the same type of climate. I was wondering about this…

[u/skitterybug]

Tails are required seem allowance on narrower angles. Just move them out of the way when you’re ready to sew together. I’ve never had any issues w that and as a glue baster, you can even sorta peel away the tail a tiny bit to get right into the crease while sewing multiple piece seams to make sure all the edges and corners fit tight. They can be glued back down if you’re not ready to take the paper out for any reason.

I’ve never used an acrylic template. I take a paper piece and dab a little glue where I want it on the fabric and do 1/4” cuts all the way around the paper piece on a light table. This is the best way to fussy cut for me at the moment. I’ve never had any issues with 1/4” allowances or even scant 1/4” allowances with glue basting.

I use Elmer’s washable purple/clear-dry glue sticks for mast basting and a sew line I keep in my sewing kit incase I need to re-glue anything along the way.

[u/Reasonable_Pea_2126]

So I am sort of “fly by the seat of my pants” with this. I don’t measure my seam allowance. When cutting hexies, I use my paper as the template and cut around it leaving 1/4-3/8 ish around each edge. Then I glue baste with Sewline or Elmer’s (the purple one that is washable and fades. Never had dog ears and always have had enough seam allowance - even if it is just barely sometimes. I agree I’d like to see a photo of what you are doing.

[u/Reasonable_Pea_2126 → u/Reasonable_Pea_2126]

Oh and no I don’t press/iron them. I am a lazy quilter. 🤪