How to

How to Foundation Paper Piece – Part 4

HOW TO FOUNDATION PAPER PIECE, Uncategorized

TOP TIPS

These are my top tips for foundation paper piecing some of them will be familiar if you have read the previous 3 parts of my “how to foundation paper piece” guide.   Read them here – Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.

Everyone paper pieces differently; you get some really accurate piecers, and you also get some slightly more “It will be all right on the night style piecing”! I tend to land somewhere in the middle of these two styles. I really like to use every scrap of fabric and of course sometimes I get things wrong and fudge them and that’s ok in my eyes!   

1 – Make notes on the paper. Some patterns are confusing and it can be tricky to remember which fabrics go where.  To make the process quicker either write a word or mark a colour on the pattern to help you sew the right fabric next. 

2 – If you are using more than 3 fabrics or colours are similar make a reference page with swatches stuck or sewn on and labelled to refer back to and check scraps against.

3 – As a beginner and for complex blocks pin the sections to a board or design wall to see how they will eventually be sewn together.  This helps you to keep an overview of how they will go together and I like to see my progress.   

4 – Glue basting first and last fabrics.  When I learnt about this it was a game changer. I was not stabbing myself with pins or warping seams when unbasted fabric shifted while sewing.   I use a super cheap kids Pritt stick and I try to use as little as possible.

5 – Use fabric efficiently by folding over paper pattern backwards along seam to check you have enough fabric and you are not creating much waste.  This is difficult to explain in writing so I have done a video.

Alternatively, I’ve broken it down into little steps to help you understand.     

  • Fold the paper pattern back on itself along the seam line so the printed sides are touching. 
  • Select a scrap or section of fabric you think will be big enough.
  • Hold the fabric finished side to finished side against the block.
  • Line-up the new fabric to the seam allowance.
  • Holding fabric and block with both thumbs and first fingers I flip backwards and forwards to check the fabric covers the whole area. 
  • If the pattern it is large or I’m struggling to see through the copy paper I make sure I have folded the pattern where the next seam will be and hold my fingers where the fabric needs to finish as I flip backwards and forwards

6 – Prep and piece multiple areas at a time either on one section or multiple sections.    This means you save a little time not going back and forth between the cutting mat and sewing machine.  I suggest only doing this once you are confident and when areas on the same section are not next to each other. 

7 – Fray Check – I occasionally screw up a little and don’t allow quite enough fabric.  The area I want is covered but after use the fabric might give on the seam.  Obviously try to avoid this but sometimes you only notice once it’s too late or don’t have enough fabric to redo … shhhh… don’t tell anyone.  A small section of lightweight iron-on interfacing can also help after the paper has been removed. 

8 – When joining sections, line up the important/obvious fabric intersections first and not corners.  If the corners are slightly out it doesn’t matter much as long as you take any difference into account when sewing a perpendicular seam to the one which is out.    

9 – Don’t be afraid of Y-seams! To be honest I have never had a problem with Y-seams but I think it’s because I didn’t know they were scary and didn’t mind un-picking and do a lot of pinning/ clipping and taking it slow! I have done a video showing the making of my nice iced ring back block which you can see here if you want to know more.  Happy Sew Lucky also has a good video here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pyDBxy6bFk

10 – A victory lap round the block when you finish helps to ensure seams stay flat around the edge and do not pull apart.   If I’m not going to be quilting much over the panel, I also like to iron a lightweight interfacing on once I have removed the papers.  I do also love to starch from the back (before interfacing) to make my block nice and crisp!

11 – Scrap bin for each project.  If I’m working on multiple projects at once, I like to have a scrap bin for each where I store any offcuts (unless smaller than ½” or 1.5cm) in case I have a purpose for them.  I then also don’t have to hunt through too many scraps.  Then when I have finished the project I can easy sort those scraps into my main scrap storage. 

12 – The seam ripper is your friend – don’t be afraid you use it!  It’s ok to get things wrong. If you’re not happy with a block, take a section apart or just part of a seam. I have done “surgery” on my blocks many times as you will have seen on my Instagram stories if you follow me!

How To Foundation Paper Piece – Part 3

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JOINING SECTIONS

This is the 3rd part in my 4-part series called ‘How to Foundation Paper Piece’.   Please read the previous part one here and part two here if you have not already. 

Joining sections together accurately is really important in FPP.  The visual effectiveness and impact of the image can be lost if key intersections are misaligned. 

I lay out sections with fabric facing up to help you visualise how it goes together. If you’re working on a larger project you might like to pin the layout to a cork board or your design wall if you have one. Remember they won’t line up exactly when flat like this as each section has a seam allowance round it!

Start with the shortest joins between sections.  This will be tight under the sewing machine but it means you can practice where a small amount of slippage doesn’t impact as much as it’s over a shorter length.   In my example this is sections C & D. 

Place the sections fabric sides facing and roughly line up the seam to be joined.  As these section don’t have any important intersections between the fabrics that must line up, I start in the corners.  Take a pin and push through exactly in the corner. Push through to the second section aiming to hit the corner exactly again. 

You may have to re-adjust and try a couple of times but take your time. Practice makes perfect. I almost always now push the pin through perfectly aligned 1st time.

Now push the pin all the way through up to the head.  This helps to keep the fabric from slipping down and the pin ending up at an angle through the 2 sections.  Do the same for the other corner.

Next use wonder clips or similar (I don’t like pinning together as I find it shifts the fabric) to hold the sections in place.  As it is a short seam (1-1.5” long) 2 positioning pins should be sufficient. 

Remove the pins (at 90 degrees) and just have the clips holding the seam in place.  

Sew on machine only on the line and not into the seam allowance.  This can be sewn at your normal straight stitch length but I tend to leave mine at a length of 1.5 to make tearing the paper easier without straining the thread. Remember to do a lock stitch at the beginning and end. Remove the clips as you sew the seam ensuring neither section shifts.

Remove any remaining clips and open up the seam to check you’re happy with the alignment.  If you’re not happy, unpick and try again with the same process as above.  Sometimes I find the alignment looks off but once I have pressed it open a bit it looks good so don’t rush for the seam ripper. 

Turn block over, open seam with fingers and press so it starts to stay open. 

Use the roller, pressing firmly over the open seam.  I do this both on the front and back.  This will now be known as section ‘CD’.  Other designers’ instructions will similarly combine letters when sections are joined. 

Lastly remove the paper only in the area of the seam allowance so it sits as flat as possible. 

For longer seams the process is similar, just with more pins and clips.  In my example I am joining sections CD and E.  Place the sections you are joining, fabric face together, along the seam you will sew. My pattern sections have * where important junctions of fabric need to line up.  These marked line intersections are where I will pin through first. 

Check on the fabric sides of the pattern when pushing the pin through, as sometimes the fabric has has shifted over the intersection line.  

Check the positioning of the fabric and paper as you go through the second section, (with the locating pin) so you go accurately through the line intersection again.   Push the pin all the way through.  

Do this for any important intersections (these may not be marked, unlike my patterns). 

Now clip to the side of the pins to hold the fabric together. 

Next use more pins to accurately locate the corners using the same method as before.  

Place more clips round the pins and remove any pins that are not at important intersections.  I leave these pins in until the last possible moment to try to prevent the fabric sliding.

If there are any seams longer than 2” that have not been lined up using a locator pin then check the alignment with a pin and replace with a clip to hold it in place.  I also clip open any perpendicular seams so they stay open when sewing and don’t cause bulk. 

Sew on machine along the seam line (only on the line and not into the seam allowance at either end).  This can be sewn at your normal straight stitch length but I tend to leave mine at a length of 1.5 to make tearing the paper easier and without straining the thread. Remember to do a lock stitch at the beginning and end. 

As before, open the seam up and check you are happy with the intersections between the fabric. 

The intersections of fabric should match closely – the smaller the block or more different the fabric is, the more important this is.  It really is worth getting right so don’t be afraid to use your unpicker.  You can unpick part of a seam to correct an error but don’t do this too many times or stretch the fabric to much as you may distort the block. 

Finger press seams open.

Roll to get as flat as possible

My example shows blocks C, D and E joined – don’t worry if it doesn’t look square at the moment you can trim it once the whole block is together and ironed. 

Repeat the above steps for the rest of the sections. 

Once I have sewn the whole block together, I iron it (without steam), trim it square, and stitch all the way round 1/8” from the edge. 

Lastly, I remove the paper (much easier with the foundation paper from Pattern Trace) and as this crumples the block I iron it again with a little starch (or similar) and pin it to my design wall until I use it!  

Next up….. Part 4 – MY TOP TIPS

Thank you for reading and keep stitching!!