A pieced pattern can often be changed to a paper pieced pattern, if you prefer to work with that method.

Materials needed for the process include:

paper - either blank or square ruled
pencil
ruler/square (I use a 6 1/2" squaring ruler)
pattern

I have chosen two patterns as examples. The first is Job's tears.

As you look at the block, there are 4 squares in the finished block that are identical. Those areas would be good candidates for paper piecing.

Once you determine the portion readily adaptable to paper piecing, determine the size. You can measure the pattern, if you have a full size pattern, or you can draw your own pattern for this. In this case, I needed a 12" finished square, and set the measurement of the center as 2". That left me 5" for each block. I drew a 5" square, added seam allowances, and proceeded to add the lines of the fabric pieces needed.

Numbering of the parts for piecing needs to be in an order that makes sense to you. For me, the center piece was largest, and allowed seams to be pressed away from the center. So it became 1. 2 and 3 were arbitrary.

Another block I have done this way is crown of thorns.

As you look at the pattern, there is an area to the side that would lend itself to paper piecing. The center is square in a square, and can also be paper pieced, if you like. The sides require a little extra comment.

As you look at the sides, and try to determine what order to place the fabric pieces, it appears too complicated for one piece of paper foundation. It can be broken down into more than one piece, to accomodate the process.

Here is what I did.

After drawing the side in its entirety, I looked for a portion that would be better suited to paper piecing. The center triangle worked for my purposes. So I broke the pattern into two patterns, the center and side triangles, with one center and two sides needed for each side portion of the block.

Thank you for this, I do enjoy paper piecing and have tried to make my own, but the thing I have trouble with is determining when to break the pattern into more than one piece, do you have a tip for like how you knew that the second pattern should be two different patterns instead of one?

Thanks!
Rachel

The thing to look for is y seams or something similar. I try to make the paper pieced pattern as simple as possible. The second pattern would have had a y seam when left as a whole. So I broke it down to another level.

Another way to look at it, is to check how things are going to be pieced. Do you have a seam that will not be workable by machine? You want to do all seams by machine, presumably.

Do you have a particular pattern you are working with?

No I don’t remember which one it was that I was trying to do. But if I come across it again I will post it here. I think I get what you are saying about the Y seam, maybe I just need to try drawing some out and test it with scraps to really see what will and won’t work.

Rachel

Thank you for the awesome tute!!! :D:D:D
When I convert, I also try and keep the individual blocks small enough to fit on one page, I don't like to tape pages together.... Or use a legal size piece of copy paper :wink:

CArol DOak has a very good tute on her web sight you can download for free on changing regular patterns to PP.

thank you so much for that tute. I have often thought I would like to make my own, but since I am not very good at pping yet, making a pattern???? Yah right.

Thank you.

Rita

Quilt Mom, Thank you very much for this lesson! I have a baby block pattern that I have started to cut out...have had it that way for a very long time...but it involves freezer paper pieceing!!?? I have never worked with this method (freezer paper) so I got disappointed and just put it aside. Using freezer paper and turning the sides etc...just looked too complicated and time consumimg for me. I am hoping I can use your info to turn it into a paper-piecing project and finally get the baby block quilt done before she graduates from high school!! :-) Thank you again! Julie*

Mar,
I looked at Carol's web site and couldn't find her tutorial...could you please direct me more to get to the right place please :oops: I am a big fan of Carol's and would like to find it... I am a Doakie :lol: Thanks Julie*

Hi Sede, I got an email from [email protected] with her newsletter. In the NL got to her traveling schedule ( which by the way, she's retiring from at the end of this year) and at the top it will list free patterns. There's some super patterns, some very easy and some not so. Scroll down and you should find the article.

Let me know how you come out. If you can't find it, contact me privately with your email and I will send it to you.

Marion

Thank You Mar, I found it! :D I have looked at that area on her site probably 20 times and never noticed that tutorial! Thanks again, Julie*

Oh, by the way...I am soooo very excited! I am going on her Quilting Cruise in March 2011, so I get to meet her!! I just can't wait! Only 11 months to go! LOL :D

You lucky dog. Wish I could afford it. Have fun.

I am going crazy trying to find this tutorial :(....can you put a link in?

Margie

WELL...dont you know...as soon as I wrote the above...I went back...lQQked again and found it lol DUH always the way

Margie

awesome

those blocks are beautiful, and thank you for showing that. Penny

All the tutes so far have been for geometric designs. I have a pic I want to use with my bird project that I'm going to try to PP design. Wish me luck.

Please post when your finished Mar, I would love to see if it worked out and how you did it.

Awesome lesson ... bookmarked for future reference.

Awesome Tutorial! Thank you!

You all are welcome. Mar

awesome thanks for this tutorial

So far, I'm not having a great success. You have to think three steps ahead. First you have to divide the pic into workable sections. Then you have to figure out which pieces go 1st, 2nd etc.

Third, you have to remember the phone number for the "happy house" or where you put the aspirin.

Bring out the chocolate

Curves can be done using small slivers of fabric in what appears to be a spray. Each straight line contacts the desired seam in such a small place that a curve appears. I will try to draw one and upload it.

I start with the figure itself, and angle the pieces depending on the shape of the figure. A full circle might be an unusual piece to do, but this illustrates the process. Then you just have to decide where to start, and proceed around the curve.

Thanks QM. I'm beginning to see how it works. I am drawing on see thru graph paper which goes quickly. It's a challenge but then I love challenges. My Dad used to tell me I never took the easy way. After 82 yrs. I still don't.

i like your way of thinking. i tried to make a church with a steeple an it took more than a few tries i was just winging it and those try's went to the trash, will try your way. thanks

i like your way of thinking. i tried to make a church with a steeple an it took more than a few tries i was just winging it and those try's went to the trash, will try your way. thanks

Such a helpful thread. Thanks for sharing.

You are welcome. I hope the information helps.

thanks for the tutorial

Went over this again....it takes some getting used to.....

Yes, it takes a while to get used to the process. But once you have it down, I find it saves time in my piecing.

What a grand tutorial!
Nothing changes the way we look at a block as someone who can break it down and show us a bit of independent thought.
I know there are a lot of paper piecing tutorials out there, but it is so much nicer to know how to make our own foundations and paper pieced blocks.
Thank you for taking the time to help us be independent thinking, self-sufficient quilters. <wave>

I looked on her sight but could not find that tute Mar. Could you post a link to it please? I love to paper piece with freezer paper!

Thanks, Kit