Episode 31 – Paper Piecing

Today we talked about Paper Piecing and I caught you up on my going ons for the last three weeks.

Congratulations, Patricia!!!  She got a new Long Arm machine.  Check out her first completed quilt using the machine.  I love the fabric choices.  Patricia, your stitches are wonderful.

My knitted dishclothes. One stitched with a size 6 and one witha  size 8 needles.

My niece was knitting on a loom on Christmas.  She used sparkly crochet thread and was making a cool looking scarf.  Sorry no pics but I found this YouTube video on how it was done

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pPIT9Us7ZE]

Paper Piecing!

I got the pattern for my project here.  I did enlarge mine to full paper size.  Loved the pattern, but a miniture wouldn’t work for what I wanted to make.

Print out your pieces – I used Carol Doak’s paper (wonderful) and printer paper when I ran out (works, but harder).  I number/letter mine for future placement.  Plus, I used colored pencil to indicate what fabric to put where.

Get organized.  Cut out rough pieces approximately the size you need.  You don’t have to be exact.  My largest piece on the block was about 6 1/2″ x 1 1/2″ so I cut my pieces 7 1/2″ x 3″.  I only cut strips of the novelty fabric so I can fussy cut what I needed.  I laid everything up in front of me with discard piles to use for smaller sections.

Paper piecing does create a lot of waste.  It is hard for me – but you need to learn to get over it.  The technique is fun, so a little extra waste is worth the joy of the project.

Turn the pattern upside down.  You want to place the fabric on the back of the pattern so that you are not covering the sewing lines.  You must be able to see where you need to sew.  Place the first piece of fabric in place, right side facing up.  I always pin this first piece.

Place your next piece in place, 1/4″ or more above the sewing line, right sides together.

Hold it in place and flip it over. Sew on the line.

If you used a large piece – longer than the sewing line, you can use your scissors to trim.  This pieces can be set aside for future use in a smaller area.

Keep the fabric where you originally laid it.  Fold the paper back on the line you just sewed.

Use a “Add a Quarter Inch” ruler and trim.  This will reduce bulk.

Finger press the piece in place. You can press – most professional would recommend pressing with an iron.

As you move on, it may become difficult to know where to place your pieces.  I fold over the pattern on the sewing line and finger press.  This leaves a visible guide line.  Then I place the fabric about 1/4″ above this line.

Looks very messy when it is done.  Don’t worry.  Flip it over and trim on the dotted line.  Notice that this line is 1/4″ from the edge.  The solid line it the sewing line for sewing the blocks together.  Once trimmed – it looks great!

Sew your blocks together using the stitching line.

Tags: Paper Piecing