I recently finished my first paper piecing project using this heart pattern from Carol Doak. With paper piecing, the block is printed on paper and you sew on the lines paper side up, fabric down. It can feel disorienting at first! But paper piecing facilitates very accurate piecing compared to traditional methods. It’s easier to piece small and complicated patterns with this technique.
What I learned:
-
Start small! I made a small quilt (17×34”) but starting with a block would have been better.
-
It’s worth buying the special paper piecing paper. I used printer paper, and I had to resort to tweezers to get all the paper out of the seams.
-
This technique takes practice. I had several do-overs. Let go of perfection on your first project. It’s probably best to let it go in general. Perfectionism blocks progress – I probably need that as a tattoo.
-
Cutting the pieces a little bigger than the shape on the paper will pay off even if a bit of extra trimming is involved.
-
Set your machine’s stitch length smaller!
