Paper Piecing - Love it or Hate it

I happen to really like paper piecing (PP).  Maybe I don't LOVE it but I find it pretty simple even when it's a complicated pattern like this elephant quilt I'm working on.  If you don't know what I'm talking about, go back one post and you can read about this quilt I'm working on at the moment.

Why do I like it so much?  Well, you just stitch on a straight line.  What's more easy than that?  And, I don't have to worry about whether to use a scant 1/4" or a true 1/4".  It comes out perfect every time.

So, why do so many ladies really dislike PP?  I usually hear they don't like it for 2 reasons.  One is that they say it wastes fabric and that's probably true.  You will get some scraps that can't be used for much else.  The way I solve that problem is that I always buy a little more fabric than what a PP pattern calls for.  I do that whether it's for PP or not because I like having a little fabric in my stash that I can pull out and use for something little or different.  But if you're careful, PP won't waste much fabric.

The other thing I hear about PP is that lots of people get frustrated because you have to fit and refit pieces to get them to fill a certain space and lots of people find themselves making mistakes and the seam ripper wants to be their best buddy if you're not careful.  So, how do I solve that problem?  You really do have to be able to look at your fabric and template in weird ways.  A piece of fabric seems like it should fit but when you sew it the fabric just doesn't meet the edge or gets cut off entirely.  So, I do have some suggestions for those problems a little later on during the sewing of the pieces.

I have a couple of rules I follow when PP or doing any sewing.  One is that if I'm tired or busy, I'm going to make mistakes.  I can recognize it when I get there.  It's just best to take a break or quit sewing for the night when that happens.  You do have to concentrate when PPing.  The other thing is that you need certain tools for PP or any sewing.  I want a good ruler that's not huge and has an easy to see 1/4" line to measure 1/4" from my stitching lines.  You remember those lines I stitched without thread?  I call them the holey lines. It's essential to measure lots of times to cut fabric 1/4" away.  I found the perfect ruler.  It's the 2 1/2" x 10" Creative Grids ruler with the hearts on it.  You'll see it lots of times in my pictures. You'll also need a good sharp rotary cutter and your usual sewing things.  Don't forget the seam ripper.  If you don't have it you'll need it.  That's the rule.

The PP templates will have a sewing line (solid for my project) and a 1/4" seam allowance line (dotted for this quilt).  I like to trim away the paper 1/4" larger than the seam allowance (dotted line).  Extra paper seems to get in the way but I like having a little extra so if a fabric isn't perfectly to the edge I have a little fudge room.  You know what I mean, just a little extra room for error.

So, I'm ready to sew.  Good PP templates have numbers to tell you the order to sew the fabrics. You have to follow the correct order or you're in big trouble.  In the case of the elephant quilt, the numbers are the template piece and Violet Craft used letters to signify the order.  So, I'll put the first fabric in the "A" position with the wrong side of the fabric facing the paper.  This is the only piece of fabric that gets placed on the paper this way.  All the other pieces of fabric will be placed with right sides together.

I like to trim 1/4" away from the stitching lines for this first piece and I pin the fabric in place using tiny applique pins that tend to stay out of the way.  Fabric will scoot so pinning helps keep things from shifting.  I just fold back the template on the holey lines and measure 1/4" away and cut.

Once the 1st piece of fabric is placed, pinned and trimmed in the "A" spot it's time to position the second piece of fabric that will cover space "B".  I like to cut my big piece of fabric into a strip that will be large enough to cut several sections as needed.  I think trying to cut little pieces off the larger chunk of fabric is one place where people get messed up.  Anyway, I use that 1/4" straight edge that I cut (1/4" away from the stitching line) and I line up my "B" fabric, right sides together. The "B" piece was pretty easy to pin and stitch and fill the space.  But, now I have the "C" piece to fit and it's a wonky line.  I'll mess up if I don't audition that "C" piece.  Does it look like it will fit correctly the way it's pinned in place?

To audition my pieces before I sew,  I fold my template back flat and pin along the sewing line being careful not to bunch up my fabric. That's what I've done in the picture above.  Then, fold the fabric back to see if it fits.  If it does, great. Yup, my "C" piece fits just fine so now I can sew.  If it doesn't fit,  all you have to do is refit and repin to audition it again.  There are times when I have to refit and audition several times.  I'd rather do that than have to take out stitching several times.  I know my seam ripper doesn't like to be all alone and set aside but I'd rather not have to use it every stitch I make.

Once the piece fits and I've sewn it, I can trim the excess fabric away along the outside edges and 1/4 from the holey line for the next piece to be placed.

Okay, that's how simple this PP stuff is.  I'll take a break and add more information in the next post.  I hope you'll find a PP block that you'd like to do and sew it along with me.  And have a great sewing day.  I'll add the next instructions in a few days.