:shock:
Paper piecing...Let me first say I think I am going to love it...I am still plucking away at the February BOM-plucking it out and starting over that is :roll: I think it is going to be good once I get it down but it really is something that doesn't come naturally to me. It seems backwards and awkward. I get what I'm doing but when I try to think too much I pin the fabric backwards or make sure I have enough material but forget to flip and measure it...know what I mean?

I also notice I have to keep at it because once I walk a way for a bit the groove I get going takes awhile to get back into...like I don't retain the knowledge. I'm also handpiecing so it takes awhile. I have a machine but I like handpiecing so far.

Anyway, just a few tips for other novice piecers. When it says print extra copies of the pattern while you're learning double whatever you planned to print ;-) I thought I could reuse the pattern if I messed up but you really can't because it's perforated.

Second, try not to overthink it...because it doesn't make sense, just do it :thumbup:

Third, beeswax or thread conditioner if you're sewing by hand. Someone mentioned it to me as a tip and I didn't get it until I had finished my first block. I got it yesterday and it helps so much. I haven't been having near as many problems with tangling.

To all of you experienced ladies-does the beeswax stain the fabric in anyway? It doesn't seem to but I just wondered.
Back to my block.
Andii

It can be. :D

what?

It can be what, Eddie?

I didn't mean to disrespect the gentlemen on here
:oops: I'd like their opinions on beeswax too.
You've heard this a hundred times, I'm sure, but your quilts are some of my favorites, Eddie.
Andii

Carol Doak showed us how to use Scotch Brand REMOVABLE tape to "fix" pattern pieces when I needed to restitch something. This tape is also repositionable! It comes in the Blue Box . She suggests using the 1/2" size. It works very well. The tape is very easy to peel off when you want it off.

Hope her tip this might help you too! :) :)

Here's is the product:
http://www.Shop3M.com/70016032032.ht...Removable-Tape

Shocking, LOL. :) When your message was first posted there was only the :shock: thingy in it, so I was agreeing that paper piecing can be shocking. But in a good way. :) I attended a quilt retreat a few weeks ago and they did a paper piecing class which really got me interested in it. The precision that can be achieved with it is amazing. A friend lent me a couple of PP books since then, so I need to get busy reading up on them. So to me, PP is shockingly great! :D

WOW I can't believe you're PPing by hand, that's got to be tuff! I really think you'd enjoy it quicker if you'd use your machine. I'm just like you on the not retaining what I thought I learned. When I started I would baste it by hand to be sure it was right, then sew it on the machine, then I would pin on the sewing line so I could flip and be sure it was big enough, then I really got the hang of it and just eyeballed it. Good luck, can't wait to see what you're making .

Ive always had issues with paper piecing too.. It seems easy, and not sure why i have issues with it but for some reason, i always end up backwards on it too lol... good luck with yours, im sure it will turn out lovely in the end.

I had problems at first, then found if I first don't think about it, just follow the instructions, and second if I find myself thinking about it I try to think backwards, that it all comes out just fine.

I am addicted to Pp. I just learned how last week, I bought Carol Doaks DVD on learning to PP, and after watching it only once, it all made sense. I was one of those who that that paper piecing was something I would never be able to do.It is so much fun!!

ANDII did I read correctly that you hand sew PP blocks? Wow you must really love sewing. I love hand applique and hand quilting - but I have never done PP by hand.. and to tell you the truth I don't think I am even going to try. ha ha ciao

I was always afraid to try paper piecing. It always seemed backwards but once you get your mind wrapped around the idea it is fun. I just learned how to do it and made a wallhanging. Now I am ready to try some of those Carol Doaks stars.

Carol Doak showed us how to use Scotch Brand REMOVABLE tape to "fix" pattern pieces when I needed to restitch something. This tape is also repositionable! It comes in the Blue Box . She suggests using the 1/2" size. It works very well. The tape is very easy to peel off when you want it off.

Hope her tip this might help you too! :) :)

Thank you, Connie. I can't believe I didn't think of that-I even have some of that for scrapbooking. I am working on my second quarter to make the 12" block so I'm sure I'll have time to make use of it yet. I just picked up a Carol Doak book at the library yesterday-65 quilt blocks which I'm going to look through tonight.
Andii

I agree, I love it.

Eddie,
This is all a learning lesson to me even down to the smilies. I had read somewhere that if you remember the words or symbols of the smilies that you can put that in instead of going to the box each time so that's what I did. Unfortunately, the smiley didn't show up in the title just the words:shock: :? I will learn.

You need to read your pp books slowly so that I don't see a posted picture of a pieced quilt that you've finished before I finish my one block!
Andii

kathy,
I am getting a bit quicker at the eyeballing part although a couple of times I cut my material a bit smaller not to waste and realized afterward that I forgot to add in the flip facture...that's what I get for feeling too cocky, huh?

I'm sure I'll enjoy the speed of the machine when I use it. I guess I am doing it by hand because it is more mobile.

Is that a turkey in your pot? My sister had a neighborhood duck claim one of her pots which still had a plant in it. She used the ivy as a screen and had a bunch of little babies in there...the duck not my sister :mrgreen:

Tanya,
The thing is it makes so much sense and I think I've got it only to find out-Not!
Andii

I'm trying to learn!

Is that your beagle? Your avatar is one of the first I noticed consistantly.

I had problems at first, then found if I first don't think about it, just follow the instructions, and second if I find myself thinking about it I try to think backwards, that it all comes out just fine.[/quote]

Ninnie,
Are you good with numbers? I figure this has got to be a right brain/left brain thing you know what I mean? You saw it and it clicked for you. Math was never like that for me, I got it but I had to work at it so I'll get this too.
Andii

dannypanny,
I think I'm doing it by hand because I can carry it around with me into the front room. I'm also not real good on the sewing machine yet so it seems like I'm able to control it better. I'm trying this first time by hand and my next will be by machine.
Andii

Zennia, did you post a picture of your wall hanging? I'd love to see it. I'll keep an eye out when I am looking at the pictures.

you'll never regret using the machine for PP. But I still cannot understand how the heck you manage to handsew it. I still get confused sewing the blocks by machine. So cannot see myself handsewing.
:roll:

Posting a smiley I hope it is the correct one. Just learned how to do it.. Just don't know which is which yet. but I shall learn... ciao

This is how I paper piece ....

http://www.twiddletails.com/store/in...age=page&id=21

It makes much more sense to me and I adore it, I will NEVER go back to the regular way of paper piecing again!

Cheers!
Rachel

Thanks, Rachel, I will look at it.
Andii

athenagwis- too much work for me. I will stick to the, method I know.

PP is so fun. Yes, when you get in teh groove, it is hard ro leave it and come back.

Pp is fun when you don't have to spend half of your time un sewing!

You must be brave to hand stitch paper piecing. How do you get real small stitches through the fabric and paper? I even use a smaller length machine stitch when I pp. It makes it easier to tear away the paper when finished. I enjoyed the pp process but did find it confusing. However, by the time I finished enough blocks for a queen sized quilt I had it down pretty good. Have fun!

I do it the same way and LOVE IT!!!!


Andii,
Give it a try.....

Yay! Glad I am not the only one!! It may take slightly longer (though I am not convinced of it), but it's so precise, and hassle free because you don't have to sew from point a to point b, you just sew straight across like a regular seam. I never was good at starting and stopping in the right place, so this method just makes more sense to me!!

Oh and I do not pre-score my lines, though it may make it easier to do, I usually just fold when I am ready to do the next section. Actually now that I think about it, scoring may be easier! hmmmm may have to try that next time LOL

Cheers!
Rachel

I had problems at first too, but kept at it. Seems sewing backwards is great for me lol.. But do print out extra's. Yes the tape would work great, I have some that I use for making cards. But its so expensive that printing out extra sheets is the answer. I am not much of a sewer, worked real hard to paper piece, and I think I have finally gotten the hang of paper piecing. But I am still on the easy blocks. I wondered if you could paper piece by hand and now you have just answered that question. Thank you and good luck with yours. I would really love to try them hand piecing.

Rita

When I first started paper piecing, I got so mixed up. Had to do lots of taking out . The picture on my avatar is what I started with. I originally was going to have mariners compass all around the border but after making the first one, I decided "maybe just in the four corners". One of these dys I will try again. I think I just started out with too hard of a pattern.

Eddie, I look forward to seeing what you come up with in paper-piecing. One of the comments on this thread was using 'right brain/left brain'. For me that is like shifting gears from low to drive and there isn't much oil in the transmission. LOL!

Hey, Rita,
It can be done! I'm on an easy block too and it's my first one. Have you looked at the block of the month section? I started following along in March so I'm going back to work on January and February and the Feb block is paper pieced which is where I've started. Why don't you join in if you haven't and do it by hand too?
Andii

Janice,
Your quilt is beautiful but I can't really see the corners. Could you show us a close-up or is there already one in another section?
Andii

Carol Doak (aka The Queen of Paper Piecing) has a Yahoo Group with lots of free patterns. All the members are extremely helpful with any questions you may have. They have swaps and a Yours Truly Round Robin (YTRR) plus pictures of projects the members are working on or have completed. Check it out:

www.groups.yahoo.com/group/CarolDoakQuiltingGroup

I hope this helps for the new pp'ers wanting help.

I would post a closeup if I had a camra. I have a large picture of this on my PC, but I havn't been able to get my photos posted. Just too tech challanged

Andii, I put the corner picture on my avatar

Andii, that's a hen in my flower pot, it had some real nice flowers in it untill the chickens discovered it had dirt in it, they took so many dust baths that that's all there was left in it. Now I have a ball cactus in it, let's see 'em get in there now!

I have pp for years. You can also use blue masking tape to reinforce when you have to rip out. It works fine also. One other thing you must always remember, make a Master Copy of your block. Use this copy and make all of your copies from this MC and on the same computer or copy machine. If you don't and you make copies of copies they will not be the same size.

PP is agreat project for take along; picking up gkids, doctor office etc. Once you get the hang of it, it really is quite relaxing. I have only made several pillows and a few lap size throws and all I do is hand piecing.