Always yearned to make perfect point or perfect piece stars or triangles? Ever wish you could make miniature or intricate quilts with small pieces fitted together perfectly. Then paper piecing can make these wishes come true. Paper piecing equals perfection!
Paper piecing exercises your brain, requires a little different perspective, and a tiny leap of faith. But when it clicks in place, you'll wonder why you hadn't used it before.
In paper piecing the entire design for a quilt square is first printed or hand drawn onto paper. The quilter not only uses this for layout, but stitches directly onto this paper. The pattern is printed on one side of the paper; the fabric is laid on the unprinted side face up or away from the paper. Once it is aligned the quilt maker flips the paper and fabric sandwich over and lays it beneath the sewing machine needle with the paper on top.
Then the quilter stitches on the paper along the printed seam line. Remember that fabrics face up -- away from the paper. But of course when sewing two fabrics together along the design line, right sides are fitted together. The paper design is usually numbered to show which piece should be first, then what should be added second, third, etc. It is important to do the paper piecing in proper order. The log cabin pattern often works well as a first effort.
Once a quilter gets comfortable with the manipulation of fabric and paper, things go smoothly and the results are perfect. Carol Doak, quilt maker, designer and author, offers a few tips that make the whole process work much more efficiently.
Prepare Fabrics in Advance
In order to use less fabric and to ensure that it will cover the area for each piece of the design, first cut fabric into specific sizes. In Doak's books she gives this information as to what sizes to pre-cut the fabric for each pattern she includes. Having these organized and properly marked with 1, 2, 3, etc. to correspond with numbers on the printed paper, it reduces wasted fabric and time, and eliminates ripping out mistakes. The quilter reaches for the right fabric and knows it is the correct size.
Stitch and Needle Size Matters
Use a larger needle and a smaller stitch. The larger needle, Doak recommends a 90/14, makes a larger hole making it easier to tear away the paper. For the stitch, smaller stitches make a more substantial seam, and also makes it easier to rip away the paper. Most machines automatically default to a certain stitch length, shorten this until the stitch is about 18-20 stitches to the inch. Use an open-toe presser foot so the needle is clearly visible.
Paper Suggestions
Doak has perfected piecing papers and sells them through her website. They're available at most quilt stores. Copy paper or freezer paper also work well. When using freezer paper, print on the dull side, not the shiny side. Often the freezer paper will pull away in one piece and can be reused.
Secret Weapon: Quarter Inch Ruler
Perhaps the best tip of all of Doak's suggestions involves a quarter inch ruler. Before stitching the seam, between two pieces, trim away excess fabric along the seam edge of the previously stitched piece. She suggests using a piece of cardboard or something similar that has a straight edge and is fairly thin. Place this cardboard on the right side of the printed paper and fold the paper back over the cardboard along the seam line to be stitched. While that is folded back, position the quarter-inch ruler on the fabric snug against the line and trim so that only an extra quarter inch is left. This eliminates bulk and makes it much easier to see what you're doing.
Secret to Perfect Points
To keep seams from pulling loose and to ensure perfect points, simply begin stitching 1/2 inch before the line and continue 1/2 inch past the seam line. This will not interfere with stitching the next piece because the paper can be pulled away easily.
When finished stitching together all parts of the quilt square, carefully pull the paper away from the fabric and admire your perfect seams, points, intersections. If you will be stitching these squares together, leave the paper on until all stitching is completed. The paper acts as a stabilizer.
For more information, visit Carol Doak's website or pick up one of her books. This quilter enjoyed her Simply Sensational 9-Patch Stars book which comes with a CD from which you can directly print accurate patterns.
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Dawn Goldsmith - Dawn Goldsmith is a freelance writer and former news reporter with Freedom Communications and Gannett. Her work has been published in a ...
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