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Home » Sewing » How to Paper Piece for Beginners
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May 22, 2017 by: sewwhatalicia

How to Paper Piece for Beginners

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How to Paper Piece for Beginners

Foundation Paper Piecing is such a fun way to get detailed and intricately pieced quilt blocks. We are going to start at the beginning and go through the very basics of foundation paper piecing. I can’t wait for these fun tutorials! Here is how to paper piece for beginners. Make sure and check out these Paper Piecing Patterns for more fun paper piecing.

How to Paper Piece for Beginners: This is a great walkthrough tutorial for anyone wanting to learn to foundation paper piece. Click through for the full sewing tutorial.| www.sewwhatalicia.com

This is just one of my 50+ easiest sewing tutorials. Check out the rest HERE.

How to Paper Piece for Beginners

Try this DIAMOND paper piecing pattern from my March Quilt Block Challenge. See the full challenge HERE.

Supplies:

Printed Tulip Template (Scroll down on that page and grab the “New Beginner Block”)

Fabric (The template is numbered, here are the fabric cuts that correspond to the numbers.)

#1 Pink 2 ¼” x 2 ¼”

#2 purple 2 ¼” x 2 ¼”

#3 purple 2 ¼” x 3 ¾”

#4 green 2 ¾” x 3 ¾”

#5 green 3 ¾” x 6 ¾”

#6 purple 3 ½” x 7 ½”

#7 purple 3 ½” x 7 ½”

How to Paper Piece for Beginners: This is a great walkthrough tutorial for anyone wanting to learn to foundation paper piece. Click through for the full sewing tutorial.| www.sewwhatalicia.com

Instructions:

Paper piecing is all about sewing through the paper template as you attach the fabrics, so first off, we need to print off the template. We also need to choose our fabrics and cut them to the dimensions listed above.The great thing amount paper piecing is, you don’t need to be too precise at cutting out your fabrics, as all the pieces are slightly bigger then needed, you can get more accurate as you go along and develop your skills.

Take your template, and cut it out along the dotted line, this is your seam allowance so you can join blocks together or add an edging at a later stage.

How to Paper Piece for Beginners: This is a great walkthrough tutorial for anyone wanting to learn to foundation paper piece. Click through for the full sewing tutorial.| www.sewwhatalicia.com

Place your template right side down on a light box, or you can use the window. You just need something where the light can shine through so you can see the lines.Fabrics are added in number order to the wrong side of your template, so that you can sew along the right side of the template. Pin #1 (pink) with right side of the fabric facing up and on the back of the template.

How to Paper Piece for Beginners: This is a great walkthrough tutorial for anyone wanting to learn to foundation paper piece. Click through for the full sewing tutorial.| www.sewwhatalicia.com

Take #2 purple piece and place the fabric right side down, directly on top of the pink fabric (right sides together) pin in place.

How to Paper Piece for Beginners: This is a great walkthrough tutorial for anyone wanting to learn to foundation paper piece. Click through for the full sewing tutorial.| www.sewwhatalicia.com

We are now going to turn our template over and sew along the line that connects #1 with #2.

Pin #1 (pink) with right side of the fabric facing up and on the back of the template

Remove the pin in the purple fabric and finger press the seam open. Using the same process, take #3 purple piece, and lay it right side down, directly on top of the last two pieces, pin in place, turn the template over and sew along the line joining 1 and 2 with 3.

How to Paper Piece for Beginners: This is a great walkthrough tutorial for anyone wanting to learn to foundation paper piece. Click through for the full sewing tutorial.| www.sewwhatalicia.com

Pin #4 in place, turn your template over and sew along the line that joins 1 and 2 with 4.

How to Paper Piece for Beginners: This is a great walkthrough tutorial for anyone wanting to learn to foundation paper piece. Click through for the full sewing tutorial.| www.sewwhatalicia.com

Remove the pin and finger press the seam open, you can now start to see your paper piecing begin to take shape.

How to Paper Piece for Beginners: This is a great walkthrough tutorial for anyone wanting to learn to foundation paper piece. Click through for the full sewing tutorial.| www.sewwhatalicia.com

Pin piece #5 as shown in the photo, turn your template over and sew along the line joining 3,1 and 4 with 5.

How to Paper Piece for Beginners: This is a great walkthrough tutorial for anyone wanting to learn to foundation paper piece. Click through for the full sewing tutorial.| www.sewwhatalicia.com

Almost there! Pin piece #6.

How to Paper Piece for Beginners: This is a great walkthrough tutorial for anyone wanting to learn to foundation paper piece. Click through for the full sewing tutorial.| www.sewwhatalicia.com

Once pinned in place, turn your template over (pattern side up) Sew along the line that joins 5 with 6. Finger press seam open and pin fabric flat.

How to Paper Piece for Beginners: This is a great walkthrough tutorial for anyone wanting to learn to foundation paper piece. Click through for the full sewing tutorial.| www.sewwhatalicia.com

Pin your final piece, right side of the fabric facing down, with ¼” overlapping the line that joins 4 with 7.

How to Paper Piece for Beginners: This is a great walkthrough tutorial for anyone wanting to learn to foundation paper piece. Click through for the full sewing tutorial.| www.sewwhatalicia.com

Turn the template over and sew along this line (4 joins with 7). Finger press your final seam open and pin fabric in flat.

How to Paper Piece for Beginners: This is a great walkthrough tutorial for anyone wanting to learn to foundation paper piece. Click through for the full sewing tutorial.| www.sewwhatalicia.com

We now need to trim off the excess fabric, this can be done with scissors, but a rotary cutter with cutting mat makes this more accurate.

How to Paper Piece for Beginners: This is a great walkthrough tutorial for anyone wanting to learn to foundation paper piece. Click through for the full sewing tutorial.| www.sewwhatalicia.com

Sew along the solid black line that goes around the edge of the template.

How to Paper Piece for Beginners: This is a great walkthrough tutorial for anyone wanting to learn to foundation paper piece. Click through for the full sewing tutorial.| www.sewwhatalicia.com

Using a seam ripper or a small pair of scissors, make a hole in the paper, then carefully tear all the paper away.

How to Paper Piece for Beginners: This is a great walkthrough tutorial for anyone wanting to learn to foundation paper piece. Click through for the full sewing tutorial.| www.sewwhatalicia.com

You’re finished – well done!

If you wanted to make another one and sew them together, just lay the two square right sides together and sew along your ¼” seam allowance line. (Do that about 1000 more times and you will have a full quilt!)

Be sure to show us your paper piecing tulip creations with us in the comments below. Was this tutorial “how to paper piece for beginners” helpful?? We would love your feedback!

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About Alicia

Hi I am Alicia thanks for taking some time out of your day to be with me! I am crazy about sewing and blogging! I love creating tutorials and patterns and sharing ideas with people! Read more...

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Comments

  1. Carol says

    February 28, 2019 at 10:03 pm

    Yes it was wonderful. I need to make a Scotty dog block for a Friendship Day swap and seeing this tutorial put it all in place for me. Thanks Carol, Talbingo Australia

    Reply
  2. Anne Christine Shutt says

    March 13, 2019 at 2:54 am

    I have been having real trouble starting the sewing off, which side to put the papers and fabric together. This has made it really easy. Thank you very much

    Reply
  3. BEV says

    August 9, 2020 at 12:25 pm

    Great TUTORIAL! It’s a definitely must try project. Thanks

    Reply
  4. Elizabeth says

    June 10, 2021 at 9:04 am

    Enjoyed your post. I have done EPP hexes but not foundation paper piecing as it makes me nervous but your post makes it more approachable. Thank you

    Reply

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