Foundation piecing is based on the careful organization of squares and rectangles called quilt blocks.
Foundation piecing (or paper piecing) is a method of quilt construction in which the quilter attaches a pre-designed pattern template directly on one or more pieces of fabric to aid in binding them together. After the template has been attached (typically with a tiny dab of glue), a sewing machine is used to sew the pieces together along pre-designed lines. The resulting quilt blocks are organized into collections of squares and rectangles, which you can attach together to form larger patterns. In the final stage, you trim the fabric ends with scissors or a rotary cutter and then remove the pattern template. The results are comparable to hand-sewn quilting projects, but they take a fraction of the time!
Newcomers to quilting will find books of interest in our recommended reading list. You may also be interested in taking a quilting class from Kim Halvorson (in the Seattle area) or an instructor who uses Sweet Peas, Inc. quilts at your own local fabric store.
Links
To visit a recommended web site with lots of useful information about foundation piecing and quilting, click http://www.quiltsdepot.com/quilting.html.
Curved surfaces, such as faces, circles, or arcs are not technically permitted, although you can created close approximations.
By combining several different quilt blocks together, you can create many interesting shapes and motifs.
The materials necessary to complete a foundation piecing quilt include a sewing machine, sizzors, straight edge ruler, thread, and fabric.
