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How to Quilt with Paper Foundation Piecing

July 4th, 2008 in quilting

Mary Ray, contributor

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Paper foundation piecing ensures that the acute angles in this block will be sharp and the lines straight. Make a bunch of them to create a small quilt. Or make one, surround it with a border, and set it in a frame.

Start with a paper pattern that’s carefully numbered in the order of stitching. You can use regular copy paper, however, there are several products on the market designed especially for this technique.Be sure you make enough copies of the pattern because you’ll need one for each block you make.

Cut a small piece of fabric large enough to cover section 1 plus about 1/4 inch all around for seam allowances. Place it right side up on the wrong side of the paper.

Paper foundation piecing ensures that the acute angles in this block will be sharp and the lines straight. Make a bunch of them to create a small quilt. Or make one, surround it with a border, and set it in a frame.

Photo: Mary Ray

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I love this technique because it's fun to do, but you need to stay alert. So it’s important to number each piece on the paper in the order of stitching. For more complex patterns, you may need to break a block up into units and then sew the units together. If you become addicted to this process—which is easy to do—check out the work of Carol Doak and download some of her free patterns.

1. Start with a paper pattern that’s carefully numbered in the order of stitching. You can use regular copy paper, however, there are several products on the market designed especially for this technique.

Be sure you make enough copies of the pattern because you’ll need one for each block you make.

Straight and accurate lines on the pattern will result in a perfectly pieced block.

2. Cut a small piece of fabric large enough to cover section 1 plus about 1/4 inch all around for seam allowances. Place it right side up on the wrong side of the paper.

The first piece goes right side up on the wrong side of the paper.

3. Cut a small piece of fabric to accommodate section 2 in the same way. Place it right sides together on piece 1 and pin in place.

Sew the next piece, right sides together, to the first piece.

4. Turn the paper over and stitch along the line that connects piece 1 with piece 2.

Sew through the paper and the fabric layers, along the line that separates sections 1 and 2.

5. On the fabric side, flip piece 2 and press. Trim away the excess seam allowance between the fabrics and the paper.

Turn up the second piece and press. (Place a press cloth on your ironing board in case the ink from your paper bleeds from the heat.)

6. Add piece 3.

Cut a piece of fabric for section 3 and place it right sides down on the unit you've just stitched.

7. Sew in place using the line between piece 3 and the 1-plus-2 unit.

Turn the paper over and sew through the paper and fabric.

8. Continue adding pieces until you’ve completed the block. To help center each piece, crease along the next stitching line so you can see it on the fabric side.

Fold the paper on the next stitching line to indicate where to place the next piece.

9. When the block is finished, even up the outer edges and gently tear away the paper from the back side.

Tear the paper away gently so as not to pull apart the stitches.

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Comments (1)

ksaugustsson writes: This is a wonderful way to get a young person interested in learning how to quilt. Starting off with a small project and finishing it in a few days before moving into a large quilt project that takes months.
Posted: 4:19 pm on July 5th

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