Oooooo!! Me, ME!!!

I simply LOVE to paper piece! I love the methodical, exactness of it. I love how it produces such wonderful points that can't be achieved any other way. Blocks can appear so intricate, but when you break it down into portions, it doesn't have to be that hard.

I think the problem quilters have with learning paper piecing, is that they have to retrain their brains on how pieces match up. In PP you have to think in reverse, and that's not always easy. It takes practice.

That would be the second problem quilters have. I think when someone tries PP, it's as a new concept. They give it one or two tries and then make a decision on whether they 'like' it or not. Well, a beginning (regular) piecer is going to make a 9-patch block perhaps dozens of times until it's perfect and they have the skill. Most won't give PP that much effort. They decide rather quickly that "it's just not for them"... not giving it half the chance they gave the skill of a 'scant 1/4"', or points matching, etc.

I don't know that instructor by name, but I say, give it another chance. Then practice it regularly a WHOLE bunch before deciding if you like it or not.

Just finished a foundation-piece crazy quilt. Don't always think of it as paper piecing. I recycle things like ol sheets into foundation for quilts and those quilts wear like iron. There is no 'tearing away' of paper, either. The cloth foundation remains under the pieces and in the quilt. Mostly I use this technique for log cabin and crazy quilt blocks. It just makes constructing them almost mindless and that thin layer of cloth to which your piecing is sewn really helps support the seams so that they don't separate. It also makes a nice alternative to batting for quilts you'd like to keep light-weight, supple and thin (like for summer use). The picture I embedded is the quilt I just finished yesterday to use up a whole bunch of pink odds and ends in my fabric stash. It's foundationed on twelve inch squares of recycled cotton.

Callipe,

Foundation piecing IS different from paper piecing. The simple distinction being that the foundation is fabric and does not get removed.

You could reuse fabric/cotton, lightweight interfacing, or products just for this use that can even be run through printers for lines. I've even heard of reusing dryer sheets.

jennifer

Wow, Calliope;

I love your quilt. It is modern yet charming. Thanks for the response.

Monica

I love paper piecing. To me it's relaxing but I do agree it takes some training. I tried it a couple of times but once Jennifer taught me the tricks at retreat, it clicked in and I've done it ever since.

There are always things that are new and difficult to some. You just pick your battles and learn what you need to know. If it doesn't serve a purpose for you, skip it. If you like knowing more and learning new things, try to get used to it. It can be habit forming.

I love paper piecing! Ditto the reasons that Jennifer gave. It does use a lot more fabric, but the results are wonderful.

Calliope, I love your pink quilt!

Here's my latest block I made for a quilt, with paper piecing.

Calliope - nice use of pink scraps in your stash. It reminds me of the big patchwork of the 70's~lol.

Monica, I also love to Paper Piece for all the reasons Jennifer stated. You can sew for 2 minutes -stop- and come back and know exactly where you left off. I also think the concept of paper piecing may be easier for experienced garment sewers because much of that process is reversed. The fact that you never finished a class before indicates to me, that this process is not one you really want to embrace -- so why punish yourself? :~)
If you want to try foundation piecing, there are lots of string and less intricate foundation piecing easy methods on the internet achieving simple blocks and borders.

I just googled Jane Hall -- Personally, I would love to take a workshop from her! If you decide to, buy whatever book she is going to use for the class early, read it quickly just to get the idea of her method, and go to the workshop with an open mind.
Prepare for her class as she recommends, and have all the supplies she lists including the type thread and needle. Give yourself every advantage possible to have a FUN, successful class. -- OR-- don't beat yourself up that you don't like the method---and enjoy piecing.

I also enjoy foundation and paper piecing. I would recommend taking the class if it's not too expensive. One of the things that has helped me is taking foundation/paper piecing classes from different teachers. I have taken from 4 different teachers, and each one has had some different tips or tricks that really help.

If you do take the class, try to keep an open mind! Think of it as learning something new, rather than trying something again that you didn't really like the first time. :)

Donna

I love paper-piecing. I started a birds of paradise wall hanging on vacation and haven't had the time to get back to it yet. It does take practice, and it can be counter-intuitive at times - like when you are trying to get adjoining pieces to align using directional fabric. I think I had to rip that second piece out three times.

I think if you enjoy it, go for it. If not, do what you love. Quilting is a wonderful pasttime, however you do it.

"Callipe,
Foundation piecing IS different from paper piecing. The simple distinction being that the foundation is fabric and does not get removed."

Jennifer, I know the difference between foundation and paper piecing. I do both. The orignal question was about foundation piecing and that's why I spoke to foundation piecing, instead of paper piecing and mentioned that the foundation does not get removed. I wasn't sure if the OP actually meant paper piecing or not or foundation piecing. I see you interpretted it as paper piecing. That's also why I came on and described what is now popularly called foundation piecing and how they differ.

Thanks for the comments on the pink spread. It was a very ambivalent project. I ended up smiling at the finished product, because I liked it better than I thought I would. I have to keep reminding myself that tastes differ and somebody might think a plethora of pink is just perfect for them.......and lots of little girls especially can't get enough of it. Most of my house is more earthy and tends to tans/greens/reds and I can't think of any place I'd display or use this quilt without having some sort of tonal seizure. I also kept looking at the big stack of pink cotton (mostly inherited from other quilters and seamstresses) and laughing at Magothy river girls remark it looks seventies.........I think she hit it on the nail head. I suspect most of those fabrics date from that era.

Hi, When I posted the original post, I followed the description from the class. Yes, I thought the wording should have said if it was paper piecing, but it did not. From the teachers web site, I thought she did paper piecing. Still don't know.

One reason I love Callipes spread is the new popularity of modern quilts. The seminar I took said that a solid color or and almost no print fabric was always used in modern quilts. Lots of pure white, etc. I am older, but the quilts I make go to grandchildren so I want them to like the quilts.

Thanks for the help.
Monica

I can see that I am in the minority as I don't enjoy paper piecing. I do it when there is a REAL need and there are some blocks that can only be a success with it but I find it wasteful and time consuming. I have only used PP on smaller blocks so maybe if I were working on something larger it wouldn't be as involved.
I have made a couple of things with foundation piecing and find I like that a bit better but the added wt. of the foundation can be an issue.
I think it is a learned process and it takes time. Jennifer provided a good positive view. I just don't believe it is for everyone.

I can see that I am in the minority as I don't enjoy paper piecing. I do it when there is a REAL need and there are some blocks that can only be a success with it but I find it wasteful and time consuming. I have only used PP on smaller blocks so maybe if I were working on something larger it wouldn't be as involved.
I have made a couple of things with foundation piecing and find I like that a bit better but the added wt. of the foundation can be an issue.
I think it is a learned process and it takes time. Jennifer provided a good positive view. I just don't believe it is for everyone.

I've done some paper peicing (PP) and like Jen,love the results. I started with Carol Doak's learn to paper piece and have gone on from there, re-teaching myself each time. I would not want to do an entire quilt in PP, but when you do a block or two and insert it into a quilt...it truely stands out. I've not ventured into foundation piecing just yet, but I'm sure it will find it's way onto my project list.
If you are interested, I say go for it...but stay simple with the design. I know I have had to retrain my thinking each time I PP in the past, simply because I had to think about what I was doing vs. a simple cut and sew quilt block...but again the results are really nice.
I hoping to try New York beauty soon- inspired by Jen's block that I saw at the retreat.
good luck,
V.

I took a workshop on PP and although I did well at it while there, I found it hard to figure out once I was home. I took a quilting class and we were making The Underground Railroad quilt. Our teacher was Denise McKenna of Meadow Lily Bridge. She designs PP patterns. She showed us her method and suddenly it clicked. I love PPing now.

Maryv

"I can see that I am in the minority as I don't enjoy paper piecing." I don't think you are NanaJane. Most quilters I know in real time run from it screaming. I also remember when it was offered in the quilt lottos, most of the time the audience was pretty limited. I have to be in the mood for it, and find that it actually saves me material, because I can use scraps smaller than what I would if I were patchworking. I also like it for the geometrics I'd go crazy with were I working in piecework. I do not like sewing together little triangles no larger than postage stamps, and have a hard enough time making precise angles, but with paper piecing, it's a no brainer. It only takes me a block or two to get back into the swing of the technique and visually being able to flip the dimensions around to not flub up. However, it gets old very, very quickly. The sun/moon/stars quilt I finished a few months ago, was paperpieced for the stars. I was so danged bored with the whole process by then, I wanted to spit. Here's another little blue baby quilt I made using foundation piecing, with a nursery print panel on the reverse to use up the extra blue I had in my stash. It sits on a dark sun/shadows foundation pieced spread I made a few year ago. It's very understated, but one of my favs and has not batting, but the foundation.

I do see the benefits of paper piecing, and I will do it if necessary. I do NOT enjoy it, LOL. I don't have any problems doing it - I know I'm working in reverse, I know how to check the fabric coverage, etc. I just do not enjoy it. And then - all that paper to rip out! UGHH.

I have made a couple of foundation pieced quilts, and I like that better than paper piecing.

I love to paper piece, the precision you get is wonderful and so much less aggravating than trying to cut out small pieces accurately and then seam them together. I also like removing the paper later, yes, I'm easy to entertain. LOL

I made this miniature Wheel of Fortune quilt last year for a swap, in a rainbow layout. Each wheel finished at 3.25", so it's pretty small.

This post was edited by FlamingO_in_AR on Sat, Mar 2, 13 at 9:42

I love that miniature wheel of fortune. Love the colors.

Our guild has a speaker this month on foundation piecing that looks interesting. She does it just like paper piecing except on a sheer fabric that you leave in. If you don't like PP, this won't help. But, it does save removing those papers. I might try it next time I get the urge to PP.

Here is a link that might be useful: Deborah Gansberger's Leave-In Foundation Piecing

I have tried it a few times and I think I'd like it if I really got into it.
I have trouble deciding how much fabric to use. I either have too much or I don't completely cover the area.
Do you have any tips?
Are there links to websites that address this problem?

Thank you.

~Geraldine

Geraldine, I think the fabric problem is universal. The answer is to just expect waste and not be thrifty with it. If the pieces are oversized, you'll be fine. But, it's hard to cut off that strip and throw it away when we've been trained to be thrifty our whole lives. You can precut pieces that are too large and you'll be fine.

Thanks for the prompt reply.
I have too much actual quilting to do this month to even venture into anything else. I will give the PPing another try come April.

Have a nice day.

~Geraldine

Here is another technique to use to get the right sized piece of fabric...

Take a copy of your pattern and cut it apart on the lines to separate each piece. Take this pattern piece to your fabric and cut roughly a 1/2" all around. You can do it on freezer paper too so you can iron it to your fabric before cutting if you wish, and you'll be able to press it to your fabric multiple times.

With a 1/2" extra fabric all around, you should have some wiggle room while piecing to your paper, but not necessarily waste as much. You'll also have roughly the right shape so you can place it more accurately and avoid having it flip the wrong direction (esp. helpful with triangle pieces!)

Hope that helps!