Faux Paper Piecing how to...

Did you think I was never coming back? Me too. No interesting vacation or story to tell, just the blahs and nothing really interesting to blab about really. It's tough to post when you have absolutely nothing to show or write about. I read a blog the other day where the gal said "her quilting mojo was back!" Well it sounds like a good definition for me...except that my quilting mojo left and it's nowhere in sight.

I am working but I'm sitting on the sofa and hand quilting my long wall hanging Shirley, Goodness and Mercy. I have a few more hours work and then I'll be able to show a nice finished piece. It's a very nice thing...hand quilting...but unfortunately doesn't show real progress being made in a picture. I'm also working on a swap piece that cannot be show on the blog so that makes for a difficult picture requirement in posts. Sorry.

But I did take a few pictures while working on some blocks this morning to show how you can do paper piecing without sewing through the paper, just in case everyone didn't know about this trick. It of course uses freezer paper.

You mark your pattern with pencil on the paper side and using the side of a ruler, make a nice fold on all the solid pencil lines where you are going to sew. Get your first piece, preferably in the center and iron it on the back. Standard paper piecing rules apply here...do things in order. I had already cut squares so I used those, but you just need a piece big enough to cover the area in question and your seam allowances.

Pull back the first section on the fold and cut the seam allowance using my Add a Quarter ruler. It rides right up along the folded paper and you cut the seam allowance perfectly. Get the next fabric piece that will be sewn at that spot and put right sides together, matching the fabric edges. Make sure the piece is big enough to cover the area plus any outside seam allowances.

Holding tightly so nothing slips, line up on your sewing machine and get ready to sew...and sew right NEXT to the folded back paper. Not through the paper. This is the trick! Enlarge the picture so you can get a really good look. You don't have anything to rip out later and these pieces can be used over and over! Sometimes the foot sticks to the freezer paper, so I use a piece of notebook paper cut about and inch wide over the freezer paper and it sews like a charm.



Then still keeping the freezer paper folded back, I press open the fabric and press slightly with an iron on the right side. Turn to the freezer paper side, make sure you fabric lays out flat and press the freezer paper down in place on the fabric. This keeps your pieces stuck and in the perfect spot! Now fold the paper at the second pencil line and cut your second seam allowance just like the first side with the Add a Sean Ruler. Keep adding pieces until your block is complete. Simply peel off the freezer paper carefully and no picking paper out of the seams!


Hopefully by Friday I'll have my swap mostly done and the ladies finished and can move on to something a little more exciting and photo worthy...maybe I'll find that mojo around here somewhere too!

One other tip. Again...sometimes the foot on your machine can get stuck riding along on the waxy back of freezer paper, so cut a thin strip of regular notebook paper and lay it right over the freezer paper and the foot will glide along without sticking. Judy Mathieson had a non stick foot that she used on her machine, but I just laid down my little strip of paper and it worked like a charm!!