So pictured below are a few great supplies to have on hand for foundation paper piecing. I absolutely love my add-a-quarter ruler. It has a little lip that you butt up against the edge of your fabric for easy trimming. I’m also a big fan of Cristy Fincher’s glue basting tips that you can get HERE. They screw onto the top of a regular bottle of Elmer’s school glue and are fantastic for distributing just the right amount of glue to the fabric. And some 8.5″ x 11″ newsprint paper–you can use standard printing paper if you don’t have this on hand and don’t want to make a special trip for it. The newsprint tears away a little easier than the heavier weight printer paper, so that’s why I prefer it. And a glue stick! The rest of the supplies are pretty standard sewing supplies.
Foundation Paper Piecing Supplies |
When you foundation paper piece, you sew on the printed side of the paper. The fabric is secured by using a little glue from the glue stick to adhere it to the opposite side, and the elmer’s glue to add another piece of fabric. Be sure you shorten your stitch length–a good rule of thumb is to shorten your stitch length to 1.5 or smaller. This perforates the paper enough to easily tear away later. If you don’t shorten the stitch length, you could play tug of war trying to tear the paper away once your blocks are complete!
Use a ruler to trim away the excess fabric and paper (you may want to use a rotary cutter that you designate for paper use for this), making sure you leave the 1/4″ seam allowance in tact!
Visit the Janome Website for the full instructions on how to finish this sweet project!