Originally Posted by ckcowl
yes- it takes alot more fabric than a pieced top- the first time i tried paper piecing i was so distressed over how much fabric i was cutting off and throwing away- i swore i would never paper piece again! that didn't last long- as i went along i learned ways to not waste so much- and i also stopped throwing it in the waste basket = i saved those pieces- and figured out ways to use them.
now i paper or foundation piece all the time- still takes alot of fabric= but i don't waste it.
This was true for me too. As a beginner, you'll want to give yourself ample pieces to work with. But then as you gain experience and become more comfortable, you will discover that you can reduce the size of pieces so that there's very little waste. And, of course, you really won't waste those extra pieces. Just make a scrappy crazy quilt or string quilt with them.