Paper-Piecing Quilts: Getting Started!
Tuesday, April 17th, 2007 |
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| What is paper-piecing? In a nutshell, paper-piecing is a technique used to sew blocks together using a sewing machine (set on a very small stitch) and plain paper (copy/typing paper). Blocks that have many pieces, or a lot of points, or even gentle curves, can be constructed with a degree of accuracy that is impressive to even the most highly skilled quilter. This is also an excellent way to use up smaller scraps of fabric that you never dreamed possible to use. How does paper-piecing differ from foundation piecing? Traditionally, paper-piecing uses paper as the foundation to sew your pieces of fabric to, while foundation piecing uses a fabric foundation (usually muslin). There are advantages and disadvantages to each. The primary advantage of using paper is that it is removable and less bulky than sewing onto a muslin-type foundation. On the other hand, this advantage is also a major disadvantage in that the paper removal is time-consuming, tedious, and just plain messy (tiny bits of paper all over the place!). The primary advantage of a foundation pieced block is that it is faster because you do not have to remove anything when the block is finished. The major disadvantage is that the extra layer of fabric adds bulk to the quilt. Regardless of which you prefer, the stitching technique used is basically the same as you sew your block together. There are many free patterns to be found on the Internet and also an abundance of books available for purchase. One of the earliest quilters to jump on board the paper-piecing train was Carol Doak, often thought of as the queen of paper-piecing. Ms. Doak perfected the technique, taking it to a new level of accurate piecing, and has created some stunning patterns and quilts. Ms. Doak is not only a talented designer; she is also a superb teacher, so if you ever have the opportunity to attend one of her workshops/seminars, do not let it pass you by! Carol also has a new DVD, Carol Doak Teaches You to Paper Piece, in which she shows you step-by-step the entire paper-piecing process. Current popular books include: Piecing Workshop by Ruth B. McDowell, Mastering Precision Piecing by Sally Collins, The Experts Guide to Foundation Piecing by Jane Hall, Painless Paper-Piecing by Marjorie Rhine, and Piece by Piece by Nancy Wong Spindler. |
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Here are a few Web sites with valuable information and/or free patterns and projects to get you started:
One of the most awesome aspects of paper-piecing/foundation-piecing is that it allows quilters to be extremely precise in their measurements, yielding practically perfect blocks every time! This is ideal for small blocks, but can be used for any size block you choose.
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