Paper-Piecing Quilts: Getting Started!
by Terry Crawford
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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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April 17th, 2007 at 5:10 am
I enjoy reading your articles.One sentence says PP is a way of sewing blocks together,when it’s more a technique for making blocks. “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)”. Thanks for the links with each article.Pat L
April 17th, 2007 at 9:35 am
I’ve done a fair bit of PP in my short time as a quilter. The technique allows for extreme accuracy, yes….however, I can spot a PPieced block design a mile away. I’m not always sure I like them either; they look sort of “chunky” to me. The one exception is the look of points and curves, i.e. NY Beauty blocks. In my opinion, PPiecing is the best way to get that level of accuracy.
April 17th, 2007 at 9:41 am
> I’m not always sure I like them either; they look sort of “chunky� to me. The one exception is the look of points and curves, i.e. NY Beauty blocks. In my opinion, PPiecing is the best way to get that level of accuracy.
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I totally agree with you on both points! In fact, there was an old rerun of a paper-piecing show on “Simply Quilts” yesterday and even the designer admitted that these quilts were impossible to hand-quilt, due to the bulk.
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As for the NY Beauty blocks, like you, there are some instances when I feel paper-piecing is the only option, as in your example. Another example would be if you needed something that is impossible to piece. I made a Bug Jar quilt and needed frogs, so I paper-pieced them in the borders. No way could I have done that any other way.
April 17th, 2007 at 10:25 am
Thank you for the great article Terry. I don’t prefer to paper piece but I know that it’s needed sometimes. I would never attempt a Mariner’s Compass without paper piecing, for example… there is no way I could get the points as accurate as they need to be. But there are some cases where PP is not needed. For example, someone I know paper pieced a log cabin quilt, whereas I have always just tried to be careful LOL.
April 17th, 2007 at 10:34 am
> someone I know paper pieced a log cabin quilt
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Whoa. That would take way more patience than this ol’ gal possesses!
April 17th, 2007 at 11:20 pm
I have yet to try paper piecing, although I have made a few foundation quilts. I enjoy foundation, but just haven’t taken the time to do paper piecing. I do love the way the PP quilts look and even my fella now recognizes a PPed quilt. You can seemingly do so much more with details.