Are you going to the Festival of Quilts Kirsty? I'm flying over to go on Saturday and back home on Sunday night. I'm hoping to pick up some fabrics there for this quilt.

I have never paper pieced before. Is this too complicated to try to do and learn paper piecing at the same time?

anything, the more you do it,
The first 5 blocks in Quilts for Rosie are not complicated or difficult. They only use 2 colors for each block & if you refer to its block assembly provided with the cutting instructions for each block you shouldn't have any problems. Just take your time and refer to the block page you are working on. The cutting instructions are excellent. I would suggest you do the 10" blocks since it is easier to work with larger pieces of fabric, but the process is the same whether it is a large or small block.

For me, the hardest part is matching up the first 2 pieces to sew. I usually use a dab of Elmer's Glue Stick (washable) on the paper to hold the 1st piece before laying the 2nd piece on top. Then the rest are easy to add. I don't know how many times I've had to take one apart & resew it because I reversed the fabrics. Be sure to keep some Scotch Tape handy in the event you have to do this. It helps to keep your paper together so you have a sewing line after removing what you have sewn once or twice! (Hope this makes sense!)

Also know that if you need help or support, we are here for you. Good luck & hope you join us in September when we get started with Quilts for Rosie.

Toucanlady--I think with a little practice you will be fine. It is really fun and simple once you get the hang of it. Believe me if I can do it anybody can. lol I would suggest the add-a quarter ruler, you don't have to use it, but I love it and it makes it much simplier for me. Good luck and I hope you join us.

Toucanlady, joining a group like this is the best way to learn new techniques. I had never done pp until I joined the Pony Club Quilt group. They encouraged and taught and nagged LOL until now it's my favorite quilting method. You can ask any question and no one thinks it's a silly question. We all like to share our tips and methods to help each other.
PatriciaFaye has a good suggestion about going to QuiltersCache and finding the tutorial. And yes, the first 2 pieces are the trickiest for me, too. I also have a habit of cutting my pieces too small; but I'm learning. Here are 2 of the tips from PC Quilt group that helped me the most:
Crayons: mark each piece of the pp pattern with a crayon in the color you're going to use.
Clips: I use the red Wonder Clips instead of pins. Trying to pin thru paper and fabric tends to skew the seams (and bends the pins). The clips allow everything to lay flat and easily slip off when you sew up to them.
I know you'll get lots of hints--I look forward to learning more from this group.

janRN - thanks for sharing those tips because I will use them too! Using the crayons will be also be helpful on the Rosie patterns too!

Ahem JanRN ... I heard that about nagging! ;)

Jenniky ... Talk about coordinating to the book! Lovely mix of colours/fabrics that you've assembled. You're still missing a bit of the mustard and would make a great pop and punch here and there in your quilt.

I was a little ahead of JanRN ... and learned to like PPing while doing my FWS. Here's some tips as to what has been working for me!

To hold fabric in place ... I just use some machine basting stitches and then take them out later on. That's what worked best for me, to be sure to keep it all laying still, straight and tight! A lot of the time, I do not cut til after I stitch it in place. I have been hesitant on glues, for fear of residue marking later.

For colour marking and coding ... I keep a set of washable markers handy, and mark each section for the colour I want in it.

And when you need a bandage ... sometimes when PPing, some of the paper comes off all too soon. A roll of painter's tape sits right next to my machine to come into action, and bandage the parts together. You can stitch thru it easily.

For pinning PP sections together ... ITA with JanRN that pinning can skew things. What I do ... is create a picket fence of straight pins, matching points and seam allowances. Let those pins all stand straight. That picket fence holds all in place and prevents the shift when pinning in the normal in-out way.

QuiltE, what's a picket fence?

Just passing thru and saw this. I'll do a photo sometime and show you if you don't understand. For now ... try this explanation ..........

STab the pins thru matching the seams and corners etc. The pins will only be in once, not in and out like we are pinning to sew. Get them all standing up at right angles to the paper/fabric so that it's holding it all together. I put a whole bunch in .... sometimes as close together as 1/2" and sometimes further apart.

Then once it's like that, then go along and put more pins in and out in the normal way. Then take out the standing up pins. Yes, it takes time ... but it works ... well it works for me! :) Good Luck!!!!

And as I said, if it is not clear as mud .... remind me later, and I'll do you a photo!