As an avid fan of paper pieced quilts I have learned a few tricks over the years. one of the most useful tricks is knowing how to ensure that the scrap of fabric I choose will cover the intended section entirely.
This is especially relevant when the template has an angle to content with, in fact, several people have told me that the reason they aren’t a fan of paper piecing is because piecing angles are too difficult and they feel like it wastes a lot of fabric. However there is a very simple technique that you can use when piecing an angle that makes it easy, and actually very scrap-friendly!
As I was working on my Shine Table Runner Pattern, I realised that the foundation paper pieced block I was using for the pattern was the perfect block to demonstrate this simple technique. Here’s how it is done:
If you are foundation paper piecing an angle and you aren’t sure if the fabric scrap you have will cover the area completely follow these steps:
1. Fold the paper back along the line.
2. Trim your seam allowance:
3. Place your fabric scrap down with the Right Side Up.
4. Put the template on top of the fabric and check it covers all of the section while the paper is still folded back. Fold the paper back (careful not to move the fabric or template) and pin in place.
5. Sew the fabric in place along the line.
6. Press the seam open and notice how your fabric flips back and covers the section you wanted it to!
As you can see from the photos, by using this technique when I sewed the fabric in place and flipped it back, it entirely covered the section that I wanted it to. The best part is that using this trick works for ANY angle when you are paper piecing, which means it makes it a lot easier to make scrappy blocks and picture blocks.
The Shine Table Runner Pattern will be available on the blog soon. In the meantime you can practice this technique on any paper pieced quilt block that has an angle!
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