Tips for Paper-Piecing Quilt Blocks

I finished my Fall Swap wall hanging and will have it in the mail by the deadline. YEAH! I wanted to use a pattern that allowed me to incorporated all the great fall colors. I selected a paper-piecing pattern from Bright and Bold Paperpieced Blocks by Carol Doak because her patterns use - obviously - bright and bold colors. Perfect. The patterns also have a kaleidoscope look, which appealed to me.

I have never had luck with paper-piecing because the instructions I had were not very clear. I wasted a lot of fabric guessing what size to cut my pieces, and I had various other issues trying to line up the fabric, removing the paper without pulling stitches, and a lining up finished blocks. Carol's instructions looked clear and detailed, so I gave it a try.

Overall, Doak's instructions worked for me and I really like the results. The greatest feature in the book is the cutting instructions and measurements for each piece. I did not have to guess what size to cut the pieces.

As I completed my wall-hanging, I created a list of tips for paper-piecing that will make your experience easier.

1. I am all about saving money so I used ordinary printer paper to print the block patterns. It worked, but with unnecessary difficulties. I highly recommend that you spend the few extra dollars and purchase the foundation paper. Foundation paper clearly shows the pattern through either side, it allows you to see the fabric through the pattern, and it tears easily when it is time to remove the pattern from the fabric.  

2. Though it takes longer, take the time to fold the paper-pattern back on the line between the two pieces you are about to sew together. Align your ruler so that it extends 1/4" over the paper and trim the fabric. This will help you properly align your fabric pieces accurately.

3. Even if the instructions say to stitch 1/4" on either side of the pattern lines, don't. When it is time to fold the paper back and trim the fabric to 1/4", you will have to rip the paper where your stitch goes past the line.

4. Do not just finger press the fabric pieces open. Take the time to iron them. This helps to reduce the bulk where several pieces come together.

5. Check out these other tips from Quilter's Around the World.

Paper-piecing takes longer, but the results are fantastic. I have not had points so sharp or pieces align so accurately.

If you have any tips for paper-piecing, please share them in the comments section.

Flower Pounding - Fabric Dying Technique

The art of pounding flowers to dye fabric was used by Cherokee women and has been rediscovered by Ann Frischkorn and Amy Sandrin. Their book, Flower Pounding: Quilt Projects for All Ages provides clear and succinct instructions, so I will not rehash everything they say. What I will do is to give you a few pointers that I learned and share a lot of photos of my experience with flower pounding.

Simply put, flower pounding entails placing flowers on fabric, taping them down and then pounding the flower with a hammer to dye the fabric with the flower's juices.

Tips:

• Be careful when taping close to the edge of the fabric. When you pull the tape you may cause the fabric to pull and fray.
• Start pounding in the center of the flower and work your way out. This keeps the shape of the petals and preserves the lighter centers.
• Pound the background petals and leaves first and then do the foreground. This give a nice dimension to the arrangement.
• Have a paper towel handy. Wipe the hammer head when you start to see frequent runs while pounding. Small runs will not show through, but the wetter the hammer head becomes, the more they show through.
• When you iron to set the flower dye, be prepared for a horrible smell. It is like moldy leaves. Maybe different flowers produce a different smell and I just picked the wrong ones.
• Dark fabrics and light colored flowers do not turn out very well. They just look like stains on the fabric.

The bad thing about this method is that the colors easily fade, so I did not want to put too much time into a wall hanging that is not going to last. Ann and Amy state in their book that direct sunlight and washing will cause the colors to fade. I am hanging my quilt where it will get occasional sunlight. I'll update to let you know how the colors hold up.


One thing that I did differently then what Ann and Amy recommended was how I outlined the flowers. They recommend using Perma pens and drawing outlines. I chose to use freestyle quilting with variegated thread. I think the effect worked well. It also gave me more practice using the freestyle quilting method. Not back for only a second attempt.

This was a fun technique and was great to do with my daughter. She had a great time.

If you cannot find the book for the instructions, they are also available online at http://www.hgtv.com/crafting/flower-pounding/index.html

Tips and Tricks for Easier and Better Quilting

Quilters are always looking for new ways to get organized and make quilting easier and more accurate. Here are some of my favorite quilting tips.

1. To fold your fabric like a pro, use a transparent ruler or for larger cuts of fabric use your cutting mat. Place your ruler or mat along the width of the fabric and then wrap the fabric around the ruler or mat. When you are done wrapping, slide the ruler or mat out of the fabric and carefully fold the fabric lengthwise. Depending on the cut of fabric, you may need to fold the fabric lengthwise a few times. Iron the folded fabric so that is lies nice and flat in your stash drawer. This also helps in creating more room for more fabric!



2. I always had trouble using fusible web. No matter how careful I was I would get some of the sticky stuff on my iron and then transfer the sticky stuff to the next piece of fabric I ironed. To remove fusible web from your iron, iron a sheet of fabric softener. The fusible web comes right off, but this also leads to the next tip.



3. Since fabric softener removes fusible web, do not place a sheet of fabric softener in the drier with your quilt if you used fusible web. The fabric softener sheet will loosen the fusible web from the quilt. Also, if you prewash your fabrics, do not use fabric softener if you plan to use fusible web. The fusible web will not adhere as well to prewashed fabrics that were dried with fabric softener.



4. Sealable sandwich bags, like Zip-lock, are great for storing pieced blocks until you are ready to sew them together. The bags help keep the blocks flat so you do not have to re-iron them. It is also a great way to keep the blocks organized because you can write on the bag with a permanent marker with the block name or placement in the quilt top. If you are like me and always have more than one quilt project going, punch holes in the top of the sandwich bags and place them in a three ring binder. This way you will never again loose a block and you can neatly and easily store them.



5. If you do not have a 1/4” foot for your sewing machine, place a transparent ruler under you needle and measure 1/4”. Place several Post-it Notes at the 1/4” mark. The layers of Post-it Notes will help guide your fabric to get a perfect 1/4” seam allowance.



6. Another use for Post-it Notes is on your transparent ruler. Let’s say you need to cut several strips of fabric at 2”. Align several Post-It Notes (approximately the depth of your fabric) on the transparent ruler at 2”. When you measure your 2” strip, the Post-it Notes will bump up against the edge of the fabric, helping you to cut the exact width every time.



7. To remove the paper from paper pieced blocks or applique blocks, lightly spray the block with water from a squirt bottle to make the paper easier to tear. This also helps you avoid pulling the stitches.

Share some of your favorites.