FOUNDATION PAPER PIECING
Foundation Paper Piecing, or FPP as it is sometimes referred to, can be used to make simple blocks, like Flying Geese, or complicated designs that would be hard to achieve with classic piecing. FPP starts out with a design printed on paper which you use to align your fabrics in the correct positions and then sew along the lines. Starting out with FPP can feel a bit daunting, but with practice you can achieve some remarkable results!
NOTES ON FOUNDATION PAPER PIECING
■ Paper – the thinner the better. You can get speciality FPP paper, but equally you can use some thin printer paper. Ideally you will be able to see through the paper if you hold it up to the light.
■ A ruler on which it is easy to see the ¼in mark is best.
■ Reduce your sewing machine stitch length to approx 1.5. This will make it easier to remove the paper at the end without pulling the stitches apart.
■ In addition, you will need a rotary cutter and access to an iron.
HOW TO DO FOUNDATION PAPER PIECING UNDERSTANDING FPP PATTERNS
1 FPP templates include either numbers or letters for each of the sections. You complete the template in numerical or alphabetical order. It is important to follow the correct order as this takes into account which fabrics need to be sewn first and last.
2 Some FPP templates come in several parts, which are completed seperately before sewing together to complete the whole design. If it is a complicated design, then there will be markers for where to join and instructions on the order in which to sew together.
3 Most patterns will be printed including the ¼in seam; it is important that the fabric extends beyond this line. If a pattern does not include a ¼in seam then use a ruler to add ¼in all around the template.
4 This tutorial uses a simple Christmas tree as an example, broken down into two parts.
Part A is the main tree and Part B is the tree trunk (Fig 1).
PIECING THE CHRISTMAS TREE
5 Print out the FPP template you will be using. (Find the Christmas Tree template featured here by searching bit.ly/LPQTemplates). If you are new to FPP then it can help to print out an extra template and cut apart the sections. You can use the cut out pieces to get the correct sized fabric pieces. It can also be helpful to colour a little piece of each section, to help you remember which colour fabrics to use (Fig A).
6 Place the cut pieces onto the wrong side of the fabric and cut out with a generous ¼in seam added on (Fig B).
7 On the uncut template, fold along each line and then open out. This will help in a later step. Note that you place the fabric onto the back of the printed template, because the template is the mirror image of the finished design.
8 On the back of the template, place the fabric for Section 1, right side up, over the whole of the Section 1 (Fig C). You can hold up the template to
a window to make sure that the fabric extends ¼in beyond the Section 1 lines (Fig D).
9 Place the fabric for Section 2 RST with the fabric for Section 1 (Fig E). Turn over so that the paper is facing you and pin along the line between Section 1 and 2 (Fig F).
10 Before you sew along the pinned line, turn the template over and open out the fabric for Section 2. Make sure that it is big enough to cover the whole of the Section, plus some extra for the seam allowance (Fig G). Once checked, place the pieces RST again.
11 Turn back over and sew along the line between Section 1 and 2 with a short stitch length. Lock the stitch at the start and end (Fig H).
12 Open out the piece and then press with an iron (Fig I).
13 Before you add the fabric for Section 3, fold over the template along the line between Section 1 and 3. Using a ¼in ruler, trim back the seams to ¼in. Trimming back the ¼in seam helps to line up the next section (Fig J).
14 Unfold the template and turn back over. Place the fabric for Section
3 RST, matching up with the ¼in seam you just trimmed (Fig K).
15 Pin along the line between Sections 1 and 3, turn over and check that when sewn it will cover the whole of Section 3.
16 Sew along the line between Sections 1 and 3. Open out and press (Fig L). Repeat steps 14–16 to add the fabric for Section 4 (Fig M).
17 Turn over and trim back the completed Part A template to the ¼in seam line (Fig N).
18 For the Part B template start with the centre Section 1 and then, using the same method as above, add Section 2 and then 3. Make sure you are covering the ¼in seam line as well as the individual sections. If Section 1 is a small piece of fabric, you can use a bit of fabric glue to hold it in place (Fig O).
19 Once Part B is completed, trim back to the ¼in seam line.
20 Place template Part B RST with the bottom of Template Part A and sew together with a ¼in seam; this will be along the solid line (Fig P).
21 Press the seam open and press. Carefully remove the paper to finish (Figs Q and R).