Paper Piece Quilt Patterns

Paper Piece Quilt Patterns

Paper piece quilt patterns, also known as foundation pieced patterns, are more popular than ever. That's because paper piecing enables us to sew complicated designs with ease.

If we used traditional methods to sew the same block, we would find it more difficult to construct.

Not only that, but this technique produces nearly perfect quilt blocks. Of course, we all know there's no such thing as a perfect quilt. But, this method is about as close as you're going to get.

So, what is paper piecing? It's a technique where you sew fabric strips onto a paper pattern. Each strip must be sewn in a specific order, indicated by the numbers on the pattern.

Now, here's the key to paper piecing success: The pattern displays all your stitching lines! As you might imagine, sewing on the lines produces extremely accurate seam allowances. It couldn't get any easier than this!

Paper Pieced Pattern

Another advantage to paper piece quilt patterns is that the paper stabilizes your fabric, so it won't stretch out of shape. This results in sharper points, matching intersections and squarer blocks. What more could a quilter want?

Paper piecing is also known as foundation piecing or flip and sew. But, don't confuse these terms with English paper piecing, which is a totally different technique.

In English paper piecing, you fold the fabric over a paper pattern, and baste it into place. This technique is great for sewing hexagon shapes which are quite common in Grandmother's Garden quilt pattern.

Paper Pieced Frog

There are two types of foundation piecing: Temporary and permanent. A paper pattern is a good example of a temporary foundation. That's because we eventually separate it from our fabric. Besides paper, one could also use removable or dissolvable interfacing.

A permanent foundation, on the other hand, stays attached to your fabric forever. This provides stability and an extra layer of warmth in our quilts.

Typically, we'll choose lightweight fabric or nonwoven interfacing, so it doesn't add too much weight to our quilt.

I love Paper Piece Quilt Patterns because they're so easy and fun to sew. Try it out for yourself!

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