English Paper Piecing Templates
Hexagons, diamonds, triangles, half hexagons and jewels in any size, printed edge to edge so you can cut a whole sheet of papers at once. Plus cutting templates with your allowance, and an SVG for your cutting machine.
Pick a shape and type its side length (a 1″ hexagon has 1″ sides). Choose your fabric allowance and paper size, and the preview shows the page. Download the papers PDF to print on cardstock and cut apart, or the SVG to cut them on a Cricut. Switch to Cutting templates for the fabric-sized shapes with the paper drawn inside. Print at 100% and check the 1″ square before you cut anything.
How the math works
Every shape here is built from the same equilateral triangle, so the only number that matters is the side length, s. Everything else follows from it:
- Hexagon: 2s corner to corner, s × 1.732 flat to flat. A 1″ hexagon is 2″ by 1.732″.
- Triangle: s × 0.866 tall. Two make a 60° diamond, three a half hexagon, six a hexagon, seven a jewel.
- Cutting template: the paper with every edge pushed out by the allowance. Its flat-to-flat width grows by exactly twice the allowance; its corners reach a little farther, which is why a 1″ hexagon at ¼″ has sides of 1.289″, not 1¼″. At ⅜″ the sides are 1.433″.
These are the same numbers the TideStitch app uses for its English paper piecing board, worked out by hand and checked against a commercial set of 1″ papers.
Questions people ask
What does “1 inch hexagon” actually mean?
One inch along each SIDE. That makes it 2″ from corner to corner and about 1¾″ (1.732″) from one flat edge to the opposite one. It’s the most common mix-up in English paper piecing, and it’s how papers are sold, so this tool sizes everything by the side too. Diamonds, triangles and half hexagons are the same: the number is the length of one side.
Which allowance should I use, ¼″ or ⅜″?
¼″ all the way around is the usual, and it’s what most cutting templates and pre-cut fabric hexies use. ⅜″ is a bit more forgiving to fold, especially with glue basting or slippery fabric, and it gives a fussy cut more room. Pick one and stay with it for a project. The allowance changes the cutting templates only; the papers are the same either way.
Why do the hexagons, diamonds and triangles all fit together?
They all live on the same 60° grid. At the same side length, a 60° diamond is two triangles, a half hexagon is three, a hexagon is six and a jewel is seven. That’s why a diamond drops neatly into the V between two hexagons, and why three diamonds make a tumbling block exactly the size of one hexagon.
How do I print it the right size?
Print at 100%, or “Actual size”, never “Fit to page” or “Shrink to fit”. Then measure the check square in the corner of the sheet: it should be exactly 1″ (or 2 cm next to it). If it’s off, your printer scaled it and every paper will be off by the same amount.
Can I cut these on a Cricut or Silhouette?
Yes. Download the SVG, upload it to Design Space (or Silhouette Studio) and size it to 100%. The page comes in at its real size in millimeters, with one cut path per paper and a small circle for the hole punch if you left center marks on. It has no text in it on purpose, because the machine would try to cut the letters.
What’s the hole in the middle for?
Once a piece is sewn in on all sides you pull the paper out, and a hole punched in the middle gives you something to grab with a fingertip or a stiletto. Turn the center marks off if you don’t want them.
What are the rough-cut strips?
The fastest way to cut fabric for a lot of the same shape: cut a strip as wide as the cutting template is tall, then trace templates along it. For a hexagon that’s the flat-to-flat width plus the allowance twice. It’s rounded up to the next ⅛″ so the strip is never short.