I am so new to quilting.Please tell me what paper piecing is. I need all the help I can get. Thanks

Some quilt patterns come with paper patterns. You sew right on the paper. It keeps your seams very accurate. After you sew a section, you rip off the paper. It is good for intricate patterns. Also for patterns with very small pieces. Sometimes you can download patterns and print them off with your printer. Usually when you buy them the patterns are on very thin paper, like dress patterns.

You either like paper piecing or you hate it.
There are about five or six steps involved.
You start out with a piece of fabric larger than the part of the pattern you are working on. You add the next piece and sew. Then you trim off the extra fabric, and add the next piece. It can help you make intricate patterns, but it can also be tricky and frustrating. Hard to explain until you've tried it. :?

I am working on one right now that was created in EQ6 (the computer program for creating quilt designs.) It is very beautiful and it is very frustrating. If I don't loose my mind it will be beautiful when I'm finished. :wink:

Here is a tutorial:http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art14116.asp
There are several tutorials on line. I hope this helps.

tutorials available on youtube.com But start with a block with the fewest pieces possible. 6 or 7 pieces is a good starter.

Thanks everyone that really helps.I have been reading the posts the last few days or so and have really enjoyed it.I know I can learn alot here.

here is a link for you

http://www.patchpieces.com/files/demoFPP.pdf

Hi Nancy! Thanks for asking the question. I'm learning so much from the answers on this thread.

PS...Love the purse in your avatar! Good job!

Thanks so much ! The purse was my first attempt .

I agree that paper piecing (aka foundation piecing) is one of those love it or hate it things however I'm in the rare "it's better for certain stuff" category. I wouldn't even attempt a New York Beauty or Mariners Compass type block without paper piecing. Some people also call it flip & sew because you line your fabric up on one side of the paper and then you flip the paper over where your printed lines are and sew o the lines. You'll get even more confused when you read about freezer paper foundation piecing where you don't sew through the paper, muslin foundation or QuiltSmart foundation where the pattern is printed on muslin or interfacing and is not removed--crazy quilting is often done on a muslin foundation, and English Paper Piecing which is fabric wrapped or basted around plastic or paper shapes and then the shapes are whip stitched together by hand--think Grandmother's Flower Garden or Hexagon quilts but there are many different English Paper Piecing designs.

Many people can't seem to sew a pattern with triangles to save their soul so they are in the "Love it" category. Other folks would rather sell their soul than have to pull all the paper back off or just can't get the hang of "flip & sew" so they are in the "Hate it" category.

A very good pattern to practice on is Square in a Square or a simple Log Cabin/Courthouse Steps type block where you are sewing basically the same shape over and over. That teaches you the flip & sew method without having to line up odd-ball angles. I screw up the weird shapes repeatedly even after paper piecing for the past 7 years.

If you've never sewn before or are working on an unfamiliar machine; paper piecing is good for teaching you to sew in a straight line.

My avatar was paper-pieced and I had only been quilting for about a year when I made it. The first thing I did as a newby quilter was join a swap and then chose blocks that were way beyond my skill level so paper piecing was the only way I could accomplish what I had stupidly promised to deliver--Stars. The second over my head swap was paper pieced butterflies. That mistake taught me how to design my own paper pieced patterns so I could deliver what I promised.

I don't want to confuse you, but be aware that there are 2 kinds of paper piecing. Foundation paper piecing (the sew and filp kind) is a machine technique where you sew right on the foundation paper. English paper piecing is a hand technique where you baste your fabric pieces around shaped papers that you have cut or purchased. You then whipstitch the pieces together and then remove the papers. This is commonly used for patterns like Grandmother's Flower Garden. I like both kinds of paper piecing! My crab avatar is foundation paper pieced with lots of very little pieces!