How I Foundation Paper Piece

Disclaimer: I have read and watched a ton of different ways to foundation paper piece and this is probably a conglomerate of a little bit of everything!

I recently got to pattern test for Violet Craft. I always oogle over her patterns, so this was a great opportunity to stitch up a brand new one and help out one of my favorite designers!

I like coloring and planning, so of course I colored in the Wolf Abstractions coloring sheet. The colors aren't exactly what I picked out, but pretty close. 

Here's my fabric pull (let's be real, purchase, thank's Christmas gift cards!).

Now the long part... cutting out all the paper pieces. I make it double hard on myself because I cut out one set to all the smallest pieces and one set to just the paper templates. Then I use the small piece set to rough cut my fabric pieces.

So I end up with a pile like this with pieces that mostly match the shapes I need, but a little bit larger. For any piece that doesn't get sewn to a template, I cut it out perfect size. I use a glue stick to lay those pieces out before cutting to size.


Ok, so here's how I piece them all together. I have these two pieces that are rough cut:

And need to get sewn together like this template:

I use an index card to get a perfectly straight fold where the two pieces join.

I take the first piece and line it up under the folded template.

Then, I take the second piece and line it up underneath everything, using the template to know where to place it. Check to make sure all edges have a little overlap (that's why I rough cut them) and that the seam allowance has enough fabric to sew.

Keeping the fabric pieces lined up, unfold the template and pin within the overlap, but not on the seam line.

Sew across the seam line. (Yes, I used teal thread for this entire project even when teal wasn't being stitched together! Weird, I know)

The, I use this add-a-quarter ruler to trim the seam. It's extra easy to refold because it was folded and now it's stitched as well. The add-a-quarter ruler has the neat lip on the underside that catches on the folded paper and allows you to trim a perfect 1/4" seam allowance.

Flip over and iron the second piece flat.

The back should have a little bit of overhang from each piece of fabric. Use a ruler to trim the fabric according to the template. (You do NOT need the add-a-quarter ruler for this. It's just what I had near me at the moment.)

Your piece should look like this. The paper is still on the back. You need that to sort out all the pieces to sew together.

Ugh! I wish I had taken a few more shots in-between, but there's a few of the larger pieces put together.

And here's the completed quilt top!