Guest #48 Elaine, paper piecing and LOOK PURPLE bag giveaway!

Thank you Madame Samm for asking me to host today!  My blogging skills are limited - but dear friend Jane has encouraged me to give it another try!  I TRULY appreciate the monumental undertaking this 3 MONTH extravaganza has been for Madame.  It's been like Christmas morning every day!  Doesn't get much better than that!

I've always loved paper piecing - but once I was taught this method by a friend and fellow quilter, Barb, I was "hooked" forever!

In keeping with the ORANGE theme, I've designed a very simple candy-corn pattern!  You can also find many paper piecing patterns on the internet. 

"How do I get the pattern onto the freezer paper?"

Freezer paper can be found in the grocery store aisle with aluminum foil, waxed paper, plastic storage bags, etc.

You can either trace the pattern using a light box or on a window.

Paper piecing patterns are marked with numbers, so you will just follow the numbers as you add the fabrics.

Lay pattern plastic side down on a firm surface. BEFORE you begin to add fabric, crease every solid line as shown.

Cut a piece of orange fabric at least 1/4" larger than section 1.

Iron the wrong side of the fabric to the PLASTIC side of the pattern.  

NOW fold on the solid line between section  #1 and #2. Trim fabric to 1/4 inch.

Ready for step #2!

Cut a piece of yellow fabric at least  1/4" larger than section #2.

With right sides together,  line up the edges of the orange and yellow.   You may wish to pin the paper and fabric to prevent it from shifting.

Sew (with small stitches) along the fold of the paper - do not catch the paper - but RIGHT next to it! Be sure to begin sewing at least 1/4" before the sewing line and 1/4" beyond the sewing line.

Open the orange and yellow fabrics and iron it in place from the fabric side - making sure it's flat without a tuck in the seam line!  

For  #3 cut a piece of white fabric larger than the section.

With right sides together,  line up the edges of the orange and white.  You may wish to pin the paper and fabric to prevent it from shifting.

Head to the machine and repeat the sewing. Remember not to catch the paper and remember to sew a 1/4" before the line and after the line!

Flip it over and iron the white section.

Here is how it looks so far!!

Onto section #4.

Fold back section #4 and trim fabric to 1/4 inch.

Cut a piece of background fabric about an inch larger than section #4.  The extra fabric is to cover the fact that this is an angle (oh no!  not an angle!!) piece!  In the photo you can see that I've lined up the black fabric with the orange/white/yellow edge and then flipped it out so that I'm SURE it will cover before I cut it!  Now sew!

Trim to 1/4 inch.

Repeat for section #5.

Last step!!!

Time to trim the block.

Peel off the freezer paper.

DONE!!!

I decided that a cute mug rug would be perfect for this "corny" little pattern!!  (Just a note - a friend from my quilt guild is the granddaughter of the man who invented candy corn!!  Neat, huh?!!)  But you could use it for anything!  If you go to Google - there are tons of tutorials out there for mug rugs, coasters, teeny pot holders - or make several and whip up a wall hanging or table runner! 

One of the "beauties" of this method - the freezer paper pattern is good 10 for more uses!  Say you want to make a pineapple quilt - you don't need to make gazillions of copies of the pattern!  Only using it once? - save it for another day!  AND when you peel off the freezer paper - no messy bits of paper or pulled out stitches!  It's done!!

Here are some examples of work I've done using this method! 

  

Hope you will give this a try!   I silently thank my friend, Barb, everytime I use it!


Editors note:
Oh my Elaine....this has been an area I have
struggled with ..paper piecing...YOU know
it is one of those things for me, I have to keep seeing
till I get it....I think by golly I am almost there lol
And a simple one with CANDY corn...I think I can
get sweet on this...great tut and your assistant Jane-
well what can I say...both sweet on you...


SEW in your honor look what we have today....
( wish it was orange..they don't make orange ones lol)


This is for our QUILTERS...and we know
how you  love to take your machines wherever you go...
well now you will go in style...

This beautiful large wheeled bag - has more compartments

than you can possibly imagine...

it is perfect for even the largest machine...

it has an extension handle sew easy to tag along on your next

quilt retreat... and it is PURPLE

BLUE FIG is our sponsor of these bags...

and to add to it a Winter quilt Batting from Bosal 

who has Katahdin lightweight organic cotton, stable enough

for all of your hand and machine quilting...

( Did I mention there are a few extra surprises in the bag too?)

We have had a few winners of these bags 

and I just know they loved them....

SEW what say YOU?

Would you like one? ASK around there are 

many treasures inside too...

Elaine does not have a blog

sew all you need to do today well

is to SWEETen her up with compliments

here and be a follower on this blog..

And tell me this...I really want to know..

When was the last time you purchased fabric

and what was it?

Who is wheeling this out of here?

( color is more in the photo I took)