I disagree because the stitch that faces the front is angled in the way you are sewing it here. When done the conventional way the stitches are straight in the front, and the traveling stitch is in the back and behind the front.
Thank you for your comment! I offer this stitch option as an alternative to the traditional whip stitch and the flat back stitch. If it works for you, that's lovely. If not, there are other choices. The most important thing is that the shapes are stitched together securely. There is a lot of variety in the way individuals sew. With a traditional whip stitch, if your stitches are small (really small), the traveling thread on the back is mostly hidden. But if your stitches are a little farther apart, the traveling thread can be visible in the gap between the stitches. The thickness and color of the thread also has an impact on stitch visibility, no matter which stitch you make. Again, you get to choose the stitch that works best for you :-).
I suppose it depends on how you make the ladder stitch. I've seen it done well and not so well. Another consideration is that, as the piece in your hand gets bigger, your grip has to change and that has an affect on the stitches you make. In all cases, I try to use the stitch that shows the least and works the best.
I know of at least 3 stitches that people use in their EPP and each of them works for some and not others. And that's OK... I offer this as an option. Happy stitching :-).
Great tip! Will try this. I learned a tip from someone else whose name escapes me that you wanna put your darker fabric underneath, so that your needle first goes through that darker fabric to the lighter fabric so that when you open it up, you really literally hardly see any of that thread. Hope that makes sense. I’m going to combine what you’re saying here along with the placement of my darker fabric.
I have been making EPP projects for 10 years. Your method of stitching is a dream and I love it! The stitches are more even and well hidden. Thank you so much.❤
Becky have you ever tried 100wt silk thread for EPP? It does bother me when the stitches show, so I will alter my stitch as per your instructions. Thanks for the demonstration!
I do not to use silk with quilts that could be washed. Silk gets stiff when it is wet which is something that shouldn't be a surprise if you have gotten a piece of silk fabric wet. Stiff thread in a wet quilt can lead to thread breakage... not what you want. Since I am never sure if a quilt will get washed at some point in its life, I don't use silk thread. If I was making a quilt with silk fabric, I might use silk thread. Silk thread in embroidery is lovely. But in seams, I use cotton. Some people would use polyester, but I prefer to use cotton for a variety of reasons. I do have a lecture on thread on Creative Spark if you are interested in knowing a lot more. And I have a book, The Ultimate Thread Guide.
Another way to sew the pieces together is literally doing a back and forth on each side, which basically is a running stitch very close to the edge and for sure you don’t see anything. However, by then, I think I’d rather just cut the pieces up and sold them without wrapping them around cardstock paper.
Thanks for this video Becky! I am pretty new to EPP, truly enjoying it and love learning about it all I can. I too was using Aurifil 80weight, but recently I have moved over to using Sulky Premium invisible fine .004 soft and having lovely results with this! I find it doesn’t tangle as much as the other, and even though I was using tiny stitches taken from very small threads on each side of the EPP, the Aurifil always showed. The Sulky will not show, and comes in clear and smoke. Happy Stitching!!
Thank you. I want to try to do EPP, and this looks very helpful. Your tips on holding the fabric is very helpful too. May I ask, approximately how many stitches to an inch do you recommend? Thanks, Nita
I haven’t counted them but I’d guess more than 16 per inch, maybe a few more. There is a little space between the stitches and they are definitely smaller than 1/8” apart. I am using a very fine thread and that has something to do with the number of stitches. If you are using a thicker thread, you would probably have fewer stitches. The thread I’m using an 80wt cotton made by Aurifil.
Thank you very much. I am new to EPP. I have been struggling a bit with stitches being visible. Your video has helped me a lot. Calm voice and wonderful camera work make for a perfect instructional. 👍and subbed.💕
you could but I would not. As I wrote in my book, the Ultimate Thread Guide, polyester and nylon threads are made from petroleum. While there isn't any specific research, art conservators are having trouble with art made from synthetic materials. I would use polyester/nylon thread in projects that are suitable for it, but I would use fine cotton thread in a hand-sewn EPP quilt that I hope to have a very long time.
thank you for your reassurance by saying that EPP isn't one of those kind of stiching where you can reliable hide your thread. I just started EPP two days ago and and enjoying a lot, but on some pieces the thread is more visible and one other it's barely there. As a perfectionist I question this, "is this acceptable!!!?", but your thoughts about it echo another youtube video I watched where they said they didn't mind if stitches were sometimes visible as it highlights the fact it is handmade.
This is a lovely finish. Having paper pieced forever I have recently tried the flat piecing approach, it's still an easy over sew of whipping stitch yet with the pieces juxtaposed rather than face to face. The result is amazing with absolutely no visible stitching even when using a contrasting color thread. There is no right way to piece, whichever works for you, isn't it great we have all these choices? Well done with your excellent videos.
