The center of my star
12-03-2013, 07:36 AM
#71
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Menomonee Falls, WI
Posts: 560
I love to paper piece and I cannot imagine doing this without paper. I am sure you know these things, but I have picked up some great tips recently: Press the seams open and trim to 1/8" seam allowance vs 1/4 if it is a small area. In the center, spin the center seams. I also find it helpful to stick a pin through the line of one seam, through the paper, and through the other line when you are joining pieces RST.
On really difficult areas where centers meet, I line up and sew a basting stitch on the line first - like at a 4.0 instead of a normal 1.5. (tighter stitching for PP) That way, if they do not meet, it is very easy to rip out basting seams. If the match is perfect, there are no pins in the way when you join those complicated sections at the regular stitch length. Lastly, it sounds silly, but I pre-fold and crease with my fingernails all the lines on the sections. This sounds like a big job, but 1 night in from of the TV and they are done. I bend on the line, forward and backward and then crease with my finger nail. This makes it REALLY easy to line up pieces because you do not have to flip over the foundation to see if a piece fits. You will be able to see the area by the folds. A bonus: when you go to tear out the paper, you can give a quick, short pull at diagonal corners, most of the pieces will pop out. Good luck
On really difficult areas where centers meet, I line up and sew a basting stitch on the line first - like at a 4.0 instead of a normal 1.5. (tighter stitching for PP) That way, if they do not meet, it is very easy to rip out basting seams. If the match is perfect, there are no pins in the way when you join those complicated sections at the regular stitch length. Lastly, it sounds silly, but I pre-fold and crease with my fingernails all the lines on the sections. This sounds like a big job, but 1 night in from of the TV and they are done. I bend on the line, forward and backward and then crease with my finger nail. This makes it REALLY easy to line up pieces because you do not have to flip over the foundation to see if a piece fits. You will be able to see the area by the folds. A bonus: when you go to tear out the paper, you can give a quick, short pull at diagonal corners, most of the pieces will pop out. Good luck
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