March Meeting Recap

Blocks assembled using foundation paper piecing methods

Foundation Paper Piecing

Speed Dating Style

We had the fun of speed-dating several kinds of paper piecing techniques. Designs ranged from simple to complex and used printer paper, vellum or freezer paper. Did you find a method you loved?

Toni showed us how to make a simple paper-pieced string block and this one is great for beginners. She used a red strip down the diagonal of her printer paper squares, added other colors to each side, and ended up with a unified design. 

Toni presses a string block

Audrey's striped stars

Toni presses her seams after each addition. After the paper has been covered with fabric strips, she turns it over and trims even with the paper. No fuss at all and the blocks end up square with no distortion that sometimes results from strip piecing.

Audrey used a pattern for a striped star. Like Toni, she used printer paper for her foundation. Her pattern was numbered (1-8) and she showed how to add fabric in order of number. 

Audrey recommends using your old machine needles for paper piecing (paper dulls needles just as it does scissors). 

Also, sew along the lines of the pattern with no thread in the needle to perforate the paper before you sew with fabric, especially along the outer edges. 

Delores demonstrates chain piecing

Sandi recommends the Add-A-Quarter ruler

Delores prefers to use vellum as she pieces because she can see right through it. She prints her pattern onto the vellum using her home computer and then lays out several patterns on a fabric strip in a form of chain piecing.

Sandi works with freezer paper instead of printer paper or vellum. She cuts the freezer paper to 8.5” x 11” then uses a warm iron to adhere only the top half inch to a piece of printer paper—it glides right through her printer that way. Sandi prints her pattern onto the freezer paper (dull side up).

When she constructs her blocks, she folds the paper on the seam line and sews beside the paper. No tearing of paper is involved, and a pattern can be used three or four times before it loses its stickiness.

Sandi recommends the Add-a-Quarter Ruler as a super-helpful paper piecing tool.

Denise showed us how to construct complex paper piecing patterns. Some designs cannot be sewn as single blocks, so they are broken down into sub units, paper pieced, then joined into a whole. 

Denise recommends the book Quilt Block Bonanza by Nancy Mahoney. She demonstrated how to make a complex geometric block. 

Check out the slideshow for more pictures!

Mary Keasler and her quilt "Not Easy Being Green"

Sound the trumpets...

We have a QuiltCon award winner!

Congratulations to Mary Keasler for winning the Best Machine Quilting—Frameless award at QuiltCon! Her textural masterpiece Not Easy Being Green hung in the winner's circle with the best of the best and will be featured in an upcoming MQG publication.

Our latest Habitat for Humanity quilt

Habitat Quilts

Jean has become a manager extraordinaire of all things Habitat. Her latest design uses 3.5" squares—preferably of bright, modern prints and solids—set in a solid color to show them off.

Members sewed individual blocks for the quilt pictured here; Theresa then assembled the top and quilted it on her domestic machine!

When you are working on your own quilts at home, think about cutting a 3.5" strip of one of your fabric, then cut that into 3.5" squares and bring them to our next meeting. We appreciate all of your contributions, and so do the Habitat for Humanity homeowners.

 

Show and Tell