Originally Posted by
pollyjvan9
I have read all the tutes, watch videos on utube, and made at least two pp'd projects, and it is still hard for me! I am working on a very simple pp'd chicken, only 6 pieces, and I still have to baste each piece to make sure it is going to be correct. Does anyone else have these problems?
Make sure that you sew directly on the line and trim carefully. My guess is that you are not cutting your pieces big enough. An easy tip is to cut out the shape that you will be piecing with scissors, on the sewing line. Stack your scraps or strips in a pile. Use a piece of double stick tape (or scotch tape rolled in a tube, so it is sticky on both sides). Stick down this shape to the top of your strip/scrap pile. using a rotary ruler and rotary cutter, line up your ruler and cut 1/2" to 1" BIGGER than the cut (finished) size of the shape you taped on the pile. Work your way around the shape. Leave the piece taped on the top one, so you know which piece of the unit that pile is for. In the beginning, you can add 1" - later, 1/2". Remember, if you have "odd shape" - skinny triangles, etc, it is WAY easier to just cut a slightly larger rectangle than having to line up all of those skinny triangles, and make sure that they are flipping the right way.
Last few tips, use the "Add a quarter" or "add a half" rulers...and if you "pre score" your lines with a credit card etc, while sitting in front of the TV, (you can do this for all the lines that make up a block-enough for a quilt), in a very short time. The advantage is that is becomes much easier to line up your next piece, as the scored line is the "sewing line." June Tailor also makes a PP very thin paper that you can leave in the quilt, and one that disappears in water. I love them both.
Her is a larger paper pieced unit and 2 layouts for you to try. Both quilts are made with the same block, just turned a little differently. I posted this last night, but made a mistake in not posting the paper pieced foundation directly with the quilts. Sorry.