foundation vs paper
 

This might sound silly to some of you. But, I have to ask it any way. Is there a difference between foundation piecing and paper piecing? If so, what? Is it just the complexity of the paper piecing where you piece onto an actual printed pattern verses random placement?

In my experience, paper piecing is done for blocks with a very specific pattern where the pattern is printed on the paper and you follow exactly where stitching lines are drawn. AFter piecing small sections, they are combined to get the final block and the paper is taken out. Foundation piecing is more general - while you may end up with a pattern, it's usually less detailed - usually strips or squares/rectangles that are stitched to the foundation sequentially to form a larger, simple shape. The foundation can be anything - paper, or fabric - and if it's fabric, its left in. In short, paper piecing is foundation piecing, but foundation piecing is not alway paper piecing....just like a square is always a rectangle but a rectangle is not always a square....does that make sense?

There is also foundation fabric that has a stitching template printed on it that is used in foundation piecing.

Leesa, I'm so glad you asked this question. I have always wondered about the same thing. Another thing that puzzles me is leaving the paper in. Someone posted earlier a neat string quilt done on phone book pages. I was embarrassed to ask it she let the paper in. Wouldn't that be uncomfortable? I do know from history that women did newpaper piecing for those in the war. This was to keep them warm. I just can't imagine washing a quilt that has paper foundations.

My definition - I know it's not the one everyone uses - is that paper piecing means using paper as a foundation. Paper piecing is just one form of foundation piecing.

i love your informative reply

I prefer paper piecing to foundation. With foundation you are more limited on what designs you can make. With paper you can make several small and intricate parts of a block and then join them whereas with foundation you must stick to a specific pattern. I don't know if that makes sense if you haven't done both. Foundation may be better for "crazy" quilts, but you always run the risk of getting some unwanted puckers sewn into the foundation that cannot be removed. The paper is all torn out. It can be messy, but works great once you get the hang of it.

Now we take paper out...at least I do! I think n the antique quilts the paper was added insulation...remember they were not as toasty warm in their houses as we are today...and I also think their quilts were not washed routinely, if ever so the paper just deteriorated slowly by itself. JMHO

For me, paper piecing is when there is a pattern printed on the foundation. You can use paper, fabric (iron fabric to freezer paper and run it through your ink jet printer) or use non-woven sheets (June Taylor has a product that you can use for this) that you can run through an ink jet or lazer printer. If you use paper, you would remove the paper after all the blocks have been sewn together. If you use fabric or the non-woven sheets, you would leave them in.

Foundation piecing is when you are sewing fabrics together without a pattern, as for string quilts, coin quilts or crazy quilts. The foundation can be fabric or paper, or non-woven sheets. Some people also use pressed (flattened) coffee filters or used fabric softener dryer sheets. If you use paper, you should remove it, but fabric or non-woven materials can be left in. I have talked to quilters who use adding machine paper, tissue paper, TV guide pages, yellow pages, paper like you find in a dentist or doctor's office on a roll or just plain photocopy paper cut to size.

Of course, as was said by someone else, all paper piecing is foundation piecing, but not all foundation piecing is paper piecing.

Foundation piecing results in a heavier quilt because the quilt has an extra layer of fabric in it. In paper piecing, the paper is removed nowadays so it makes for a lighter quilt.

PP is a type of foundation piecing I believe. PP uses paper but you can use muslin and other things as well