Paper Piecing….love it or hate it??

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Paper Piecing….love it or hate it??

Do you like to paper piece? I seem to have a love/hate relationship with it.

I just spent the last two days working on this beautiful paper pieced block. It is a 18 inch square and I used some of my leftover Budding Blooms stack of batiks from Island Batik. I had used them in my Summer Flowers quilt. The paper pieced patterns are so precise and neat and once I get into the
rhythm I do enjoy it. It is just getting into the rhythm that seems to
take me so long.

Paper Piecing....love it or hate it??

This pattern is called Celestial Star by Diane Bohn and information about it can be found on her blog From Blank Pages. Her directions are very clear, I colored my diagram and even wrote the colors I was using on each template. I printed them out on news-print paper as it is thinner. I like to use a little glue to hold my first piece down, I have no idea why my phone is in the picture…..

Paper Piecing....love it or hate it??

Remember when I said I wrote the colors on each piece? Well, I goofed on a couple sections……wrote down the wrong colors. I had to make two more sections that had a little piece of blue in them but….I had already used up all of the blue batik. I finally found something that was similar.

Paper Piecing....love it or hate it??

At this point I’m getting a little more relaxed and things are going
pretty smooth. I still had a messy quilt room with pieces of fabric all
over but the sections were going together quite well and I was starting to
think I should do more paper piecing…..

Paper Piecing....love it or hate it??

Then I started putting more parts of the sections together…..more seams, bulk and I’m having a hard time lining everything up. Have you ever tried to rip out a seam with teeny tiny stitches?? I finally started basting first but even then I had trouble. I tried pins and I still couldn’t get the seams to line up. A couple of them did but that was just pure luck.

Paper Piecing....love it or hate it??

The finished block isn’t perfect, I really had trouble trying to line up the black border and my center isn’t perfect but it is done. I plan on doing another one and hopefully will do better. I pressed as I went but the seams really get bulky with all the layers. Anyone have any tips for me???

Paper Piecing....love it or hate it??

Remember when I said I just spent two days working on this block? I can’t imagine how long it would take me to make a quilt. Last week I made another  River Squares quilt in one day – cutting, piecing, quilting and even the binding! Now that I enjoy.

River Squares Wheel Chair Quilt
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Paper Piecing….love it or hate it??

I updated this post to include a link to the finished Paper Pieced Celestial Star in batiks.

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29 Comments

  1. Createology says:

    I did try paper piecing and am not a fan…but then I don't quilt. Your block is beautiful and I can see how confusing all those colors and pieces could become. This is not for me.

  2. Createology says:

    I did try paper piecing and am not a fan…but then I don't quilt. Your block is beautiful and I can see how confusing all those colors and pieces could become. This is not for me.

  3. Gwyned Trefethen says:

    Thanks for sharing your block and angst. True things didn't line up perfectly. However, they lined up well enough. It is one thing to look at a block from a judge's eye, another from a viewer's eye at gallery distance. That is about six feet back from the quilt when hanging on the wall or draped over a bed. Then you see the whole picture versus the individual pieces. The eye naturally matches the seams.

  4. I love to paper piece, but …. I'm an impatient person and paper piecing takes longer than traditional piecing….
    I scanned what others have replied and I will agree with the removal of paper at the seams. I believe it is Carol Doak who says to start your stitching at the intersecting seams, stitch one direction then go back and stitch the other. Also, do a couple 'hand sewing' stitches at the intersections – you won't get the 'bulk' that some pins can cause. And… be sure you're pressing with a dry iron and no steam – I've actually had paper shrink using steam….
    Don't know if any of this will help… and I truly love your block. It's stunning with those colors.

  5. I love to paper piece and I have a large quilt started but it is a long term project as I seem to need to take breaks from it. The best advice I have on the matching seams is pinning. I put a pin through the top piece at the exact point I want to match, then put the pin through the exact spot on the matching piece so they collapse together where I want them to meet, then pin it as normal. That gives me the best results. Hope it helps!!

  6. I joined in the quiltalong last year to make these blocks and I made two. They are time consuming but they do look amazing at the end if you get your colour placement right. Those are challenging but there are other paper pieced blocks that I prefer such as those I made as part of the And Sew On quiltalong at Quietplay. Kristy has made some great block designs, including a lot of free LEGO ones. Having said that I am definitely going back to my Celestial Star blocks to finish them – just not sure when!

  7. Stunning! I love paper piecing-once I get started. It's just turning your brain inside out with straight line stitching. Batiks real did this pattern justice.

  8. That turned out really good Connie. Great color choices.

  9. Jacqueline says:

    I feel your pain. I hate it when the pieces don't fit correctly. I think in this case it is all those seams.

  10. I know how you feel. I love the precision, but it sometimes catches me out.

  11. I feel the same as you. It takes a while to get the sequence down and it makes a real mess with all the trimming that has to be done. I do paperless paper piecing where you put print your blocks on freezer paper. You do everything the same except you fold the paper back on the line and stitch against the edge of the paper. When you iron your pieces, they stick to the freezer paper, keeping everything lined up. Same exact precision but no paper to tear away. I'm sure there are YouTube videos out there on the technique.

  12. Lisa Marie says:

    Paper piecing is my favorite! I agree with other comments that taking the paper off the sections before joining them is best. I line up places that should match and sew just 3 or 4 stitches right over that spot. Then I check to see how I did. If it doesn't match to my satisfaction I can just pull the stitches out by the thread end and try again. Basting is good too. But here is the best tip I've gotten for paper piecing — use a wooden wall paper seam roller to flatten your seams. I use it when piecing the sections and when joining them. I press the sections with the iron just before trimming them to size. I learned about the roller technique in a class with RaNae Merrill. She has some info on her website about it. Seriously, the roller is the best thing EVER.

  13. Debbie -- Sheltered Stitches says:

    In the middle of a 2 day class for Tea Time placemats.. I got the concept, I am making beautiful placemats, but I'd personally rather piece a 600 piece lap quilt (put to the side for this class/project) than do paper piecing again.. All that flipping, folding, cutting, flipping some more, ripping, reaching under for the pins.. nope.. learned a new sentence.. class? is it paper pieced? oh, yea.. thanks I'll pass 🙂

  14. Apple Avenue Quilts says:

    I love paper piecing, not so much the actual piecing but the results are wonderful. I have been doing some fairly intricate patterns of my own lately and have broken a cardinal rule and it's helped enormously. I have started removing the paper before I join the pieces(gasp). After all if we were traditionally quilting we would have to work with bias edges. I'm just very careful not to stretch as I'm sewing them together. It has worked great and it's sooo much easier to get those pieces together right. Another advantage is that I can use a larger stitch since the paper is already gone. All that said I love your block and cannot spot any mismatches!

  15. At one time, I did a lot of paper piecing. I remember feeling the same way with the more complicated patterns…so much bulk. It's beautiful, though!

  16. Your block is beautiful. I do like paper piecing, but find that I get a little impatient with it at times. Last summer I did a 30" round table topper that was entirely paper pieced. I love it, but it pushed me out of my comfort zone. But that was part of the fun.

  17. Even though you had troubles Connie, this is really beautiful! I think anyone would have difficulties with 12 points all converging on one center. The goofs are barely noticeable and really only because you pointed them out.

    The Summer Flowers quilt you made is gorgeous!

    I adore paper piecing, despite its frustrations. Whenever possible, I like to create a mirror image pattern and then print it out on the back of the paper too, that way the lines are on both sides and the fabrics are super easy to put in position. The part I dislike is tearing off all the papers.

  18. Arlette Trana says:

    I recently attended a lecture by Paula Nadelstern who's famous for her kaleidoscope quilts. She has an interesting way of avoiding the bulk in the center of the star. Joining 12 wedges that are 30 degree angles creates a lot of bulk in the center. So she would sew two of the wedges together and then add a small triangle to the tip of that wedge. That way you're joining 6 wedges that are 60 degree angles — not as much bulk at the very center. It would change the pattern a little because you'd end up with a hexagon in the center.

  19. While I have yet to try paper piecing. I feel the same way. I would much rather make a simple quilt in a day. I do love the look of your block.

  20. Sally Hurley says:

    Paper piecing things can be so pretty! but so much work. I've only done it a few times. That star is beautiful!

  21. My suggestion is the same. Remove a little bit of paper from the seam allowance area where the seams will converge. It helps with lining up and you don't have to worry about picking bits of paper from difficult areas. Also, pounding that knot of seams in the center (after pressing) and then put a stack of books on it to help flatten. I wish I had done that part on a baby quilt I recently finished. I ended up with bumpy areas which are not desirable in a baby quilt. But grandbaby loves it!! Paper piecing is a challenge but I find it enjoyable. And you did a great job on your star! Perfection is overrated.

  22. Connie, your block is beautiful! Like you, I have a love hate relationship with paper piecing. The part I hate the most is removing the papers. Following various tips and tutorials it still ends up being frustrating. It has been quite a long time since I have even attempted paper piecing, I really do not have any advice. Sorry. Thank you for sharing everything that you do. I enjoy reading your posts everyday. Have a wonderful creative day!

  23. Libby in TN says:

    No fan here. I know there are situations where paper piecing is the only way to get precision; otherwise I'm going to try traditional piecing. I, too, will take the paper off to aid matching seams. Don't be too critical of yourself, your star is lovely!

  24. Kaelyn Angelfoot says:

    I know everyone says not to remove the paper until the whole block is complete but I always had better luck getting things lined up if I took the paper off the wedges for stars. You do have to be careful about bias edges and stretching but pins and starch help with this.

  25. Wonderful block! I love paper piecing, but I hate making stars and other "circular and spiky" patterns! Those are pretty difficult and frustrating but there are tons of much simpler patterns where PP makes your life easier rather than harder 😉

  26. The real secret in successful paper piecing is to have the seams pressed in opposite directions when sewing together. Could you reverse the sewing in every other wedge? I use my small rotary cutter to remove those tiny stitches when I make a mistake. The block looks great in those bright colors.

  27. I love FPP, is that the block, that is FOR IB?
    yours is just gorgeous

  28. It made feel so good to read your post about paper piecing because I pretty much feel the same! I hate it at first, but once I get my brain thinking that way- it seems to go smoother. UGH..I feel your pain getting all those points to line up with all the bulk. Misery loves company! (sorry!) , but I'm glad after 30 some odd years of quilting I'm not the only one who struggles :)! Your Block turned out Beautiful!!