I agree - you can get better points with paper piecing. I've attached photos of my first attempt at doing a Carol Doak Challenge with the quilt attached. Tons and tons of points.

I also attached a practice piece I did first - the 4th of July placemat. Both were fun to do and I love pp. I'm not that great in the cutting area, so this works out beautifully for me.

Since on a limited budget I buy the newspaper pads from craft store (using coupon of course). I learned to buy the large -somthing like 10x16 pad - then cut each page in half again and you get double the amount for pennies. With a paper cutter this goes very fast and my type of cost.

I also put my stitches at 1.5 and the paper tears wonderfully. When joining larger blocks I use a 3.5 or 4 stitch length the first time to make doubly sure the points meet, then do it again with the 1.5 stitch length.

Karen

Karen -- Beautiful quilt!!!!

And thanks for the tip about using the newsprint pad. So it goes through your copier/printer okay (after cutting)? :D

The newspaper pads are a great idea! The paper is pretty flimsy and low quality so it would come out easily. How clever of you!

LOVE IT!

I have 2 printers, one is HP and the other is a Dell that we were going to throw away, then I realized that I could just set the Dell up in an out of the way place and use it strictly for the newspaper pad paper (no need for wireless or computer hook up - I just lay the pp pattern on the flatbead and copy and can enlarge or reduce size right ther on printer).
If I use the HP I have to make sure the paper is cut perfectly, but with the Dell, because it has a drawer type set up for paper you can cut a bit off and it doesn't matter.
This style paper works for me just great and like I said the cost is perfect for me and like you said he paper is thin so it tears very nicely.
Karen

I'm with Salmonsweet; I tried the 'regular' method of pp and was ready to try something else when I learned the method of sewing beside the folded paper and not through it. What a difference!! Now I LOVE paperpiecing.

I'll try to attach a pic of a wall hanging I did with a lot of pp blocks in it. Some of them I found on the web, others I designed myself. I had so much fun with this; the blocks depict all the birds/animals you might see in my backyard habitat. It hangs on our wall now so I can still enjoy the habitat in the winter when it's too cold to be out there.
Dusty in Colorado

Paper piecing is how I started quilting. I don't think Tumbling Blocks is going to work with foundation piecing, however. I think you must mean English Paper Piecing like Grandmother's Flower Garden--where you baste the fabric around a template and whip stitch the pieces together. The paper/plastic/mylar/cardboard template just pops out after you get all the adjoining pieces connected. It's a fun take-along project. As for foundation paper piecing, I've found cheap typing paper but I had trouble finding it so switched to news print. I crease the sewing lines before stitching and I use a smaller than normal stitch length (about a 2.0) I don't have a problem picking out little pieces unless I use copy paper. The flimsier the paper, the less fuss & muss to get it out. I haven't tried the freezer paper method yet but have seen it demonstrated & agree that it would be much easier for some projects like flying geese.

Beverly in Missouri

Kaye Wood has everything you need to make the "tumbling blocks. Lots of fun.

Kaye Wood has everything you need to make the "tumbling blocks. Lots of fun.

A novice's question....Why can't you use a thin muslin instead of the paper and NOT take it out when finished??????Is BULK the only reason? If that's it, I'd rather have the teeny extra bulk without the tearing out. Tell me please but be kind!!!Thanks