Tuesday, July 30, 2013

BOB's Tuesday Toast - 7/30/13

Here’s to quilters who don’t like -
Or get confused by Foundation Paper Piecing -

May they realize that the “Standard” method -
Is not the ONLY way to do it - ;))

===

I often read blogs where the blogger mentions -

How much she dislikes Foundation Paper Piecing -

Or how difficult it is -

Or how backwards and confusing -
The whole process is -

Trying to cut the right shape -
Putting the fabric on the back -
And sewing from the front - ;))

I thought the same thing -

Until I did it differently one day -

Totally by accident - ;))

I thought that I was doing it "correctly" -

The fabric was right-side up -

The pattern was right-side up -

I cut a couple of "chunks" of fabric to cover the areas I wanted -

And because my foundation paper was see-through -

I just put the fabric on top of the pattern -

Flipped it over -

And sewed on the line - ;))

I didn't realize that I had done it "WRONG" -

Until I saw that my block DIDN'T come out REVERSED - ;))

Oh, dear!!

I did it BACKWARDS!!

The block came out STRAIGHT!! - ;))

Funny how the "CORRECT" way is REVERSED -

And the "WRONG" way is STRAIGHT - ;))

But I didn't care -

I LIKED it STRAIGHT!! - ;))

It was easier to cut my fabric the right shape -

Because everything was right side up - ;))

I even fussy cut a patch -

And had it come out the WAY I wanted it to -

WHERE I wanted it to -

When I made the heart for my Wolf Song quilt - HERE - ;))

You can read How I Do It - HERE -

And try it yourself by using a Sharpie -

To draw a heart -

On a coffee filter - ;))

Granted, you have to be able to see the sewing lines -

Through your foundation paper -

And that may be a problem for some -

But - all things considered -

I think that it is easier -

More intuitive -

And not nearly as backward and confusing -

As the "other" way - ;))



But then again - it’s probably just me - ;))



8 comments:

Linda C said...

I have never had a problem with foundation piecing so maybe I am one of the lucky ones. I actually enjoy it, LOL but having said that, I am NOT left handed and throwing that little wrinkle into the mix. I think that any way that works for YOU, or another individual is the best way.

I am not sure that I follow just what you did differently but I know there are other ways to foundation piece. Judy Niemeyer does it differently, I am told. I have some commercially printed patterns that are printed differently as well---maybe more like how you describe.

Whatever floats your boat, right?

A Left-Handed Quilter said...

Actually, being left-handed has nothing to do with it - ;)) It's really just a matter of whether you put the fabric on the back and sew from the front getting a reversed image or vice versa.

I don't know how Judy Niemeyer does it - but I put the fabric on the front and sew from the back - and it floats my boat - haha - ;))

Jessie Fincham said...

how funny I've just come across you blog and read your first post - I am a leftie and just tried foundation paper piecing for the first time recently in a class - it was a complete disaster!! I was the only one who just couldn't get it, eventually though I tried it at home and a few **evenings** and lots of unpicking later, I got it! finally! :) there is hope for us lefties :) xo

Katie M. said...

I 'tried' paper piecing once - swore I'd never be that stupid again. Then I was that stupid again and ended up buying a book with CD from Carol Doak - changed my stupidity to where it actually finally made sense to me. As much as I like the precision of paper piecing, I stick to smaller projects as I just feel it takes more time than 'traditional' piecing and I do dislike removing all that paper......

Linda said...

I agree with Linda about enjoying pp and I usually don't have a problem with getting mixed up. Well that is until I made this last quilt and found out I had reversed that first block. ;-) Those blocks had to be precise in the color placement.
I'm going to keep in mind what you've explained the next time I have to be specific about the direction of the pattern.

A Left-Handed Quilter said...

Welcome to my blog, Jessie! You show as a no-reply commenter so I'll respond to your comment here if you don't mind - ;::

Because I had done FPP before - the "correct" way - I didn't bother to re-read the instructions before doing it again. I did what made sense to me - and THEN I realized that I had done it backwards. Backwards to the rest of the world maybe - but not to me - ;))

A Left-Handed Quilter said...

Thanks, Katie - I agree with you about removing the paper - it can be a PITA - but I'll tell you the same thing that I told another reader -

It’s not like I’m trying to sell anybody anything - it’s just another way of doing something that a lot of people seem to have trouble with - ;))

A Left-Handed Quilter said...

Haha - do me a favor - ask yourself why you "reversed that first block" - ;))

I think that you did it MY WAY - purely by accident - BECAUSE it made sense to you. Then you read the instructions and were told you that you had done it backwards. I still wonder - Why is the "correct" way counter-intuitive??? - ;))

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...