Paper-piecing - Cutting Fabric for Pieced Sections

You’ve got your paper-pierce ("PP") block chosen. You printed it out and are ready to go but no where does it tell you how many colors to cut or how big the pieces need to be. It simply gives you an order for putting the pieces together. So now what? Easy, just get out your ruler, a piece of paper to write down measurements and follow the steps below to avoid having fabric pieces which are too large and difficult to work with.

After you print the pattern, cut out the various sections leaving the ¼” seam line untouched. If there is no line outside of the pattern, ensure you leave a minimum of ¼” extra paper around each section.

Take one section and measure each space within the section by taking your ruler and measuring the line of the two longer sides and adding ½” to each end.

For example, this line measures 2 ¼” but if I cut that, then I will have no room for a seam allowance.

So, I move the ruler to start the measurement at ½” and then at the other end, I add another ½” making the total length of one side to cut 3 ¾”. Measure the second side the same way and come out with the same (it’s a square), 3 ¾”.

Therefore, my “A” fabric will be 3 ¾” square.

For the “B” fabric, I am using 2 different colors. One of the triangle sides measures 1 7/8”.

If I can avoid cutting in 1/8 increments, I do so I will round this number up to the nearest ¼”. Therefore, for the blue B fabric, I come up with 2”x3”, need 5 pieces.

For the red B fabric, I need 6 pieces at 3”x2 ½”

and for the C fabric, I need a 6”x6” square.

There you have it. Cutting is complete. Now move on to how to the tutorial on how to piece it!

Paper-piecing Tutorial - Removing the Paper

1) After your block is completely sewn, get comfy somewhere and start tearing paper away from the stitches, as close to them as possible.

2) Gently pinch the stitches as you near them when tearing, this helps them stay together instead of being pulled apart by a too hard tug on the paper, especially if the paper isn’t tearing easily.

3) When you have little pieces of paper stuck under a stitch or in corners, use your teasers to grasp them and gently work them out.

4) Once all paper is removed and discarded, press the block and set aside until you are ready to complete your top.

One pineapple block complete!

And only 29 more to go! lol Doesn't sound like a lot, right? It isn't actually but when you struggle with trying to remember accurate paper piecing on a 15" block, it takes a LONG time. Really long. Say, 3 days long.

Pick block up, set it down, sew one piece, walk away, figure out how to cut long strip off and sew next piece, walk back and sit down, sew another strip, forget what I just did, get up and ponder all over again.

THAT was my routine for three days. For a 15" block. Truly.

However, once I got to piece 30, I was making better progress and went straight from 30 to piece 52 without needing to get up. So really, it took me 3 days to figure out how to get 30 pieces together and only 1 hour to do the last 22.

Sad, isn't it?

My mother joked and told me it all starts going down hill on my 35th birthday this past month but really, my memory? Nah, forget that, I'm choosing to say it is because the alternative is to say I never had much retention capabilities in the first place!

Alright, back on topic. So this got me thinking, how can I make life easier on myself. I really enjoy paper piecing once I get going, it might be my favorite technique so far but getting started after a hiatus just stinks.

I am thinking I'll write the how-to down somewhere. But, if I go through that trouble, it better be where I can find it easily. Well, that would be here and, it might just be a nice little helpful tool for anyone else who wonders along and reads. Today, I will piece another block, or two, and add a tutorial this weekend unless something goes horribly wrong in which case, you will have a how NOT to screw up paper piecing tutorial!

Found a new blog & it has a giveaway!

I found this blog today and I've searched around the store and hey, I like it! I'm going to link it as soon as I find out how but in the meantime, I'm entering for the giveaway so I am shamelessly posting a link here, in this blog.

Check it out, you won't be disappointed.

Cheers!

http://fabricfamilyfun.wordpress.com/2009/01/17/one-fabulous-year/

Dad's quilt

Finally, a UFO completed. This is Dad's quilt, or "F's quilt" from previous project to do posts. I entitled this quilt, "A daughter's perspective on a father's memories."



I finished binding the quilt and presented it to my father this weekend. I showed him the back:



I showed him the front:



He loved them both. He cried. Then he decided to stop so picked up the camera and took random pictures of us (those you don't get to see, let's just say it's a realization I really don't like the way I've let myself go. -wink-)

He served in the Air Force. Geisha girl fabric for Iwo Jima. Each state he lived in or was stationed at was represented. Pictures of kids, grandkids, grand-pets, and his wife. Fabrics with his favorite foods: steak, hot dog, hamburger, a grill, chocolate chip cookies, and ice cream cones. A couple plaid, flannel pieces to represent those flannel shirts he loved so much when I was growing up. Snowy scenes to remind him of the snow we tolerated in upstate NY. Hobby fabrics: fishing, bowling, golfing and sporting fabrics for his favorite teams.

The cat, appropriately named "Crook," has stolen it for himself not 2 days after it's appearance in the house.

Here's a close up of the quilting, not a good picture for stitch quality, but you can see the swirls and loops I did.

Dad happy = happy daughter. :)