Tutorial- Paper Piecing Part 2

In Part 2 of my paper piecing tutorial, I wanted to share my method for cutting fabric and sewing angles, and give you a practice block which is joined together in sections.

Before we start, download my free block pattern HERE, and choose your fabrics:

This block would usually be paper pieced as one block, but for this tutorial I've sectioned it to give you some practice:

The sections may look complicated, but they're worked in exactly the same manner as in Part 1 of my tutorial and then sewn together. 

Cut around the dotted line of each section of the pattern, as before:

Cutting fabrics for angles or odd shapes is a little trickier. So many times I have cut and sewn my piece and when I turned the fabric back, the section was not fully covered due to the angle. 

Be generous when cutting your fabric to ensure each section is fully covered, including seam allowances as ripping out seams is frustrating.

In this example, I've already covered sections A1 and A2 and I have cut a piece of fabric for A3:

To ensure that my piece fully covers the section I'm working on, I pin it into place first, then flip the fabric over, so it covers the section I'm working on and then turn the paper over:

When I fold the paper back along the other sewing lines, I can see that the section is fully covered and that I have a generous excess. If you need to make any adjustments, you can do it now. You could also hold it up to a light source, to check, if you prefer. Remove the pins and sew into position and continue as normal.

This step is particularly important when sewing angles. and although this is my method, there are many excellent tutorials that also share their solutions for sewing angles. You can them visit HERE and HERE or search for some video ones on You Tube. 

Once you have covered all the sections in A, trim along the dotted line, and don't forget the notches. These help you line up your pieces when joining. 

Paper piece section B, in the same manner:

You are almost there; now just to join the two sections together.

When I'm joining sections, I position them together and then push a quilting pin at either end of the seam allowance on the front section. When I push the pin through it should match with the seam allowances on the back section.

Hold the sections together with some binding clips or a bulldog clip and remove the pins prior to sewing.

Press the seam flat to completed your block which should measure 6 1/2" square :)

I hope this two part tutorial has helped a little with the basics of paper piecing. I will be back very soon with my first PP pattern; I can't wait to share this mini quilt, I think it's gorgeous :)

Happy sewing :)