ABC Wednesday--A Quilter's ABC--P

P is for Paper Piecing

These pictorial blocks were made by a method called Foundation Paper Piecing. It's kind of like Paint by Numbers. A paper foundation is used with the design traced or printed on it. The fabrics are sewn using the lines as a guide.

With foundation Paper Piecing, you can piece very precisely, even with very tiny or odd shaped pieces.

This balloon flight wall hanging was done with paper piecing too.

Watch as I make a square in a square block using paper piecing. I printed this foundation out using my quilt design software--Electric Quilt. You can see the pin...

...which holds the first two fabrics in place on the back of the printed foundation. You have to be sure they are in the correct position by looking through the paper to make sure you meet the lines correctly. (A thin, easy to see through paper is the best to use.) Piece #1 goes directly over position #1 face up. Each following piece is added face down, in such a way as it will fold back into its position.

And then you sew on the line.

Back on the other side, that stitching line holds the two pieces together.

Each piece is added in sequence. With a simple pattern like this one, the sequence might not be crucial, but something like the hummingbird must be done in order or you will run into problems.

Do you see how I was able, because I was stitching directly on the lines to cross the point of the triangle very precisely?

Because of that, you don't end up accidentally cutting off the points of your triangles.

Now I trim the block along the seam allowance lines.

Once you have removed the paper from the back (another good reason to use a thin paper) the block is

ready to use in a quilt. I made this block four inches square (4 1/2 unfinished--remember quilt math?) but it could have been done just as precisely even smaller. Those who like to do miniatures can use paper piecing to get precision piecing.

So P is also for miniature quilts.

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Links to other ABC posts for the letter P can be found at the ABC Wednesday Round 3 site or see posts collected in the ABC Anthology. Denise started the ABC Wednesday which is now in round three.