I use tissue paper for pper piecing You can see through it quite easily

You don't use dryer sheets because they are flamable, so I really wouldn't use them as a foundation and leave them. If you do use dryer sheets, I would remove them after your block is finished.

Cotton is flammable, too. If your quilt is close enough to a flame it will ignite whether or not you use dryer sheets.

I use used dryer sheets to make my string quilts.

Thanks for that info. Guess I won't be using dryer sheets after all.

I use deli-paper for foundation piecing. Cut it to size on my paper cutter and start filling each one in. It is my go to project when the frustration level gets too high when trying to FMQ, or just piecing at the end of the day.

You can buy "end rolls" from your newspaper office with a printing press on site. There is usually about 1000' on them and they usually cost between $2 to $5. They come in regular newspaper width or dink width (1/2 regular size.) Newspaper is clean and white and tears easily. Call and see if they are available.

I also use the coffee filters, I have some of the 15 gallon tea machine ones but can't find any to buy I can afford. I also used the cone one, cut them open and it make an unusual shape, great for corners. I have filters in all sizes. Anyone know where I can get the 15 gallon ones cheap?

I use everthing people mentioned plus newsprint end rolls that you can buy at your local newspaper office. End rolls are the part of a roll that is too short to go through the printer. Some newspapers give end rolls away. Others charge two or three dollars for the paper, which is neatly rolled on a center core. The paper will probably turn yellow with age before you use it up.
Teachers love end rolls for projects with students because it is inexpensive and they get to recycle it twice, once when their students use it and once when it goes into the recycle bin. froggyintexas

I have used muslin, dryer sheet, the middle part of bed skirts, and am just getting read to use the coffee filters. Always looking for ideas to use something up.

LOL - I don't use dryer sheets because mine are too small! When I buy a box of dryer sheets, I take them all out of the box and cut them in half, then stack them back in the box. I find half an unscented dryer sheet is plenty to keep away the static cling!!

Another source of foundation material is old white sheets from a second hand store. If you're careful, you can get some nice ones, and if they are the thin, polyester blend kind, they really make fine foundations and you don't have to pick them out like paper. Only drawback is they are not easy to see through. But it's good recycling!!

I use Parchmnt paper that I found in a box of stuff at a auction years ago don't know what I well do went at gone. But just had to say coffee filters would not have come up with that but the ideas are just running away with them self now, sew them up and cut into 4th and sew back togother. how about makeing drunker path? look out sewing room here I come. LOV AT thanks

This board is just filled with ideas. Love it! Thanks for sharing. We all learn.

Scrap flower with coffee filer? I see a new quilt in the making.

I have a sister who works for a map printing company. Once in a while I ask her to get me the end of the roll (for some reason the machines don't use the last bit.) Another thing that works is the packing paper you can get at moving van stores. Lots of companies now ship using this type of paper so it is free.

Newspaper works fine as long as it is about a week old. The ink just needs time to dry. Rub your finger tip along it and if no ink comes off on your finger it will not come off on your fabric. Also you can run a hot iron over the paper to dry the ink. My Mum in law and I used to make crazy quilts this way. We just left the paper in and then during the first wash it just dissolved. We used to joke that the paper just added another layer of warmth.

Paper piecing patterns. You can make almost anything this way. :thumbup:

my local newspaper gives away the end of the roll. i have more newspaper than i will ever use. but it is great for paper piecing. i just cut it up to fit in copier

yep...me too....working on a second roll at the moment...there was just enough for a quilt and a half on my first roll...lol I also plan on using old sheets cut up in strips...

today's newspapers use a vegetable based ink, it would be OK, and it should not bleed anyway!

make sure they are USED ones....

Where do you find the erasable typing paper? Is it thin like phone book paper without the print? I wonder if these thin papers would come off easier if they were dampened along the seam or if it would leave more bits behind.

I was curious where you'd buy this from as a home user. I've wanted to try the exam table paper for a while. Thanks

I even salvaged some pellon type "frost cloth" that lowe's used to cover their plants when the temps dropped. They were throwing out hundreds of yards of it...talk about spendy..

I cut the lengths I needed for my own garden beds and made some BAGS to cover a few plants in the flower bed and the rest got cut into 2 yard lengths and washed and folded...

I sewed on 6 1/2" squares the other day and it is amazing...and it can stay as a foundation!

Foundation piecing has been around longer than any of us.....it was how they SAVED their scraps in the old days so as not to lose them!

AT yard sales/estate sales/thrift shops, I am always looking for the OLD carbon paper, onion skin typing paper, etc...they go through the printer just fine for paper piecing patterns!
I have even used the newspaper end rolls (free at most printing places, just not MINE), the medical end rolls(free at my base clinic), ironed tissue paper, you name it! IF you can sew on it, you can foundation piece on it!

I can actually order it from one of my quilting supply distributors now!

I crazy quilt on muslin, linen or light cottons...

my sister buys old used linen napkins at yard sales etc and uses them for her crazy quilting!

One of my favorite bloggers for ideas is SewManyWays. Here is her link to coffee filters for quilting...may not be the one you were looking for but worth looking at: http://sewmanyways.blogspot.com/2009...uesday_21.html
I love her "Tool Time Tuesday" ideas!
I tried the "dryer bars", for keeping away static cling & don't have dryer sheets anymore; happily. My first dryer bar lasted 4 months & cost about $4...I do about 3 loads a day & am thrilled with them. If you dry on hot they will probably go faster, I always use low, as it leaves my clothes less wrinkled.
My husband turned out to be allergic to some of the chemicals in dryer sheets! Some mentioned flammability, although I don't know if that means they may be highly flammable or just equal to cotton. I suppose you could cut a piece of cotton & a piece of used dryer sheet & light them on fire to see.

As many phone books as we get, I use them (we got about 10 last year)

I love using the adding machine paper (3 inch wide). A friend gave me about 50 rolls when they changed machines. I always have a roll by my machine, and at the end of quilting, I sew all strips and crumbs- I call them "Scraggly Bits"- to my roll, wind it up and leave it there for next time! Fun, Fun!!

you can do this on UGLY fabric as well...or thinner, not the best quality fabric! It is great for a scrappy border or sashing!

I have been trying the tissue paper that you use to wrap gifts with or stuff into bags to fluff/fill them up. You can get 40 sheets of it for $1 at the $1 store. I have only done one thing with it so far and it worked fairly well - still testing the fragile part of it.

Yes, my mother used newspaper for everything. She made patterns for a vest, skirt, coat, etc. by laying the newspaper on the floor, a trusty tape measure, and bingo - we had nice looking clothes to wear !!

Marysewfun

Our local newspaper sells the remainder rolls (what's left when they pull it out of the presses) of clean newsprint for a few dollars a roll and there's a LOT of paper left on a roll. I use it for paper piecing as well as making patterns.

You girls are so clever and thrifty.

Oh and by the way I've used plain old dinner napkins and they worked.

I could only find 2" paper rolls in Staples would love to know what the yellow rolls are! Could you kindly pm me if you find out?? Many thanks.

I like printer paper. It tears easy. I tried the sheets made especially for pp. I won't use it for anything with really small pieces because it doesn't tear away as easy as paper but I'll try it for pp that uses big pieces (anything over 2").

I use dryer sheets (used).