Happy National Quilting Day! We are so excited to be teaming up with an amazing group of quilters to bring your lots of fun tips and tutorials today. After you watch our video, scroll down and make sure to check out all the other quilters as well!
What is Foundation Paper Piecing?
Foundation paper piecing is making quilt blocks using paper with the pattern printed on it. You sew directly on the pattern (through the paper and fabric) and then tear the paper off after you are done.
Why use foundation patterns for Quilting?
Using Foundation Paper piecing (or FPP) patterns makes it possible to do very intricate patterns without piecing lots of tiny templates and awkward shaped fabrics together.
How does freezer paper work in quilting?
Freezer Paper has a sticky side that sticks to fabric when it's ironed. This allows you to complete the pattern without having to sew through the paper, meaning no papers to tear off afterwards. It's also really nice for larger pieces as it holds the fabric down and keeps it nice and flat.
Do I need to do anything different than I do for regular paper piecing?
There are a couple differences. The first is getting the pattern on the paper. With regular paper it's easy to just print it out. With freezer paper you can still print it directly on the paper, you just have to cut the paper to size first. I also find that you'll need to flatten it out first as well. Roll it backwards or leave it under heavy books for a while to do this so it will feed through your printer. You an also trace the patterns on to the freezer paper, but this can take a long time. There are also foundation paper piecing papers you can buy pre cut to size, just make sure they are the kind that will stick to your fabric and not just super thin paper so it's easy to tear.
The second difference is that you will not be sewing through the paper. You'll be folding it back and sewing right next to the paper. Due to this, it's important to be super accurate on your folds. A light table can really help with this. You can find cheap ones on Amazon for under $20 (ones at this point do have to be plugged in all the time, so keep that in mind).
How to Foundation Paper Piece with Freezer Paper:
- Following the pattern, find the first fabric and iron it to the pattern.
- Fold back the pattern on the line between fabric 1 and 2. Line up fabric 2, making sure it covers the entire pattern section.
- Sew the fabrics together right along the fold line.
- Fold the pattern back flat and press fabric 2 to the pattern.
- Repeat, folding back the pattern on the next line (next to fabric 3), add the next fabric, sew right along the edge of the line).
- After all fabrics have been added and pressed to the freezer paper, trim to size.
- Pull off the freezer paper prior to joining FPP sections (do not sew through it at all).
- You can reuse the pattern a few times before it will no longer stick to fabric!
Where do I get the Quilt Pattern?
We are using our I Love You quilt pattern, featuring 6 different FPP hearts. This pattern looks great in solids, prints, or scrappy. You can get your copy of our pattern in our shop.
Now that you've watched our video, go find some other amazing creators and spend your day quilting!
- https://youtu.be/P4wuUN5Zn_A by Hailey Stitches
- https://youtu.be/I41sB1GFMhU by Homemade Emily Jane
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZitESFyBy0 by A Needle N Thread
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdIvP-qVAas by JCT Quilting
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlL7v8ZN8Ag by True Blue Quilts
- https://youtu.be/LmztpC56D_U by Color Girl Quilts
- https://youtu.be/_PwMj2cZJr8 by terriblyrad
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBgeHb54y4U by Epida Studio
- https://youtu.be/5Sz-elVj5SE by Hilary Jordan
- https://youtu.be/xP9XECvrDfQ by Stitch Obsessed
Happy Quilting!
Kimie and Missy
