Paper piecing question
08-30-2013, 07:08 AM
#1
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Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Ohio
Posts: 2,992
Paper piecing question
I am wanting to add borders to my paper pieced blocks; do I leave the paper on the blocks and add the borders or should I remove the paper then add the borders? I just decided to try paper piecing and I love it!!!!
08-30-2013, 07:11 AM
#2
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Join Date: May 2011
Location: Pacific NW
Posts: 9,559
I usually take the papers off. However, if you have a lot of bias edges, or feel that you need the stability the paper gives, you can leave them on until the borders are done. No quilt police, totally up to you.
08-30-2013, 07:12 AM
#3
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Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Illinois
Posts: 9,312
I typically take of the papers at this point . There are some that recommend the papers stay on until the entire top is completed. One reason to keep them on .. is that in paper piecing the outer edges of each unit can be bias and stretch while working on the borders. Keeping the papers on keeps the edges from stretching.
08-30-2013, 04:10 PM
#4
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: PA
Posts: 10,703
I always remove the paper before I sew blocks together. I draw a .25" seam line on the block to give me something to follow and pin when I need to. Just think about the size of even a twin or lap size quilt. I don't want to remove all that paper t one time. I would be a nightmare.
PP has a lot of bias edges and I starch the fabric back before I cut it to work with and I starch a second time on the back after I take the paper off, before I sew the blocks together. It just gives me more control.
You can also only remove part of the paper to sew the seam but I find this to be twice as much work.
One other thing I do sometimes is to do a basting stitch first, just on the outside of the .25" seam. Open the blocks to see if the seam is good and then do the actual seam. This helps greatly in getting accurate piecing.
As an aside, there is a phrase that is used all the time referring to accurate seams. I really don't care about the seam as much as how the block finishes. So sometimes there may be a narrow seam to compensate for a bad triangle edge or something. It doesn't matter as long as the blocks look good after they are sewn together. And yes, in a perfect world our seams would all be that scant .25", but who live there!
Happy PP.
peace
PP has a lot of bias edges and I starch the fabric back before I cut it to work with and I starch a second time on the back after I take the paper off, before I sew the blocks together. It just gives me more control.
You can also only remove part of the paper to sew the seam but I find this to be twice as much work.
One other thing I do sometimes is to do a basting stitch first, just on the outside of the .25" seam. Open the blocks to see if the seam is good and then do the actual seam. This helps greatly in getting accurate piecing.
As an aside, there is a phrase that is used all the time referring to accurate seams. I really don't care about the seam as much as how the block finishes. So sometimes there may be a narrow seam to compensate for a bad triangle edge or something. It doesn't matter as long as the blocks look good after they are sewn together. And yes, in a perfect world our seams would all be that scant .25", but who live there!
Happy PP.
peace
Last edited by ube quilting; 08-30-2013 at 04:25 PM.
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