How I Paper Piece

I have had several of my friends ask how I paper piece, and how I do it so fast. I am not sure that I do it any faster than the next person but I do make patterns so this may be to my advantage. I wanted to help those who are new to paper piecing and those who want to learn new tricks or maybe just a refresher on how to paper piece.

I created a few videos to show you how I foundation paper piece.

Foundation Paper Piecing Part 1 This is the video of how I piece the fabric on to the paper.

Foundation Paper Piecing Part 2 Time-lapse of the rest of the pieces.

Foundation Paper Piecing Part 3 Time-lapse of the rest of the pieces.

Foundation Paper Piecing Part 4 Time-lapse of the rest of the pieces.

Foundation Paper Piecing Part 5 This is the time-lapse video of me trimming the edges of each section with my ruler at 1/4.

I line up the solid thick line with my ruler at 1/4 inch, I then trim the extra fabric and paper. If you have an old blade on your rotary cuter, now would be the time to put a new one on. Do this all the way around on each piece. This way you know each piece now has a perfect 1/4 inch and when you sew and line everything up it will be perfect.

Foundation Paper Piecing Part 6 This is the final stage of piecing each section together.

Make sure to follow the patterns order of piecing, as this will help you sew the pattern together in the correct order. In the video I am working with my own pattern and simply know the order of how it should go.

Please leave a comment with any question you may have.

You can also check my Craftsy and Etsy pages for easy patterns, more intermediate and also many advanced patterns. I do have free patterns but those can only be found on craftsy.

Give Thanks December, Week 2

December 8:
     I am so thankful for a new sewing machine that helps me bust out a ton of new products, and items to sell, give as gifts, or just to try.

December 9:
     Thankful that these paper piecing patterns I made of birds, are working out perfectly and the fabric and colors are looking amazing together.

December 10:
     I am so thankful to hangout with one of my best friends and see her pregnant belly and wonderful and amazingly adorable kids. Thanks Kim for making time for us, I am so blessed to have you as a friend.

December 11:
     Thankful and amazed at what wonderful people I have in my life. One of my friends sent me a TULA and not just any tula, a toddler one in the fabric that I have been eye balling for weeks! I cried when I opened it and I can not thank her enough. THANK YOU SARAH!!!! (yes, she has the same name as me).

December 12:
     I am so thankful that I have two adorable nieces to spoil, I mean, come on, how do you not love that face?

December 13:
      I love sewing, and when friends or family members ask for my help I am so honored and thankful that they ask me. I love to show my brothers, girlfriend, Tiffany, anything and everything I can while I am here.

December 14:
     I love trying new sewing items, and thankful that my friend Erin thought of me when she needed a set of garters for a friend who is getting married soon. They turned out great.

Give Thanks,
Sarah

Give Thanks December, Week 1

December 1:
     Thankful for a warm but cool day here in southern California, so we could be outside and helping grandma Pitcher plant the Poinsettias in the front.

December 2:
     I always enjoy a wonderful dinner out here in there with family or friends. I am really thankful when my mother takes the boys and I out for sushi! Sushi is the one food I can not afford on our tight budget, and I often only have it when I come down here to visit. Thanks mom for some yummy sushi at my favorite sushi restaurant.

December 3:
     The one thing I love and am soooo grateful and thankful for when I come to southern California, is that my father-in-law and sometimes mother-in-law make lunches and dinners for myself and the kids. I rarely have to make anything other then breakfast. Its just a nice break from the grocery shopping, cooking, and cleaning up after.

December 4:
     Excited and thankful for another etsy order! I am so lucky to have such amazing friends who are willing to take chances on me.

December 5:
     Thankful for the real christmas tree my father-in-law purchased for everyone to enjoy. The boys are loving the "Chwistmas twreee". I am enjoying the wonderful smell too.

December 6:
     Had to wait for its arrival to the shop, but after a long week, I am thankful to have my new sewing machine set up and ready to sew!

December 7:
      I love, having a nephew, and I am so thankful that I get to hangout with him a lot this vacation.

Give Thanks,
Sarah

Give Thanks November, Week 1

Nov. 1:
     Thankful for a husband who is an electrician and can fix our dryer, which broke AGAIN! I know, samsung front loader dryer, you suck... stop breaking PLEASE!


Nov 2:
     So thankful that my client, Renee, loved her first quilt that I made and finished today. Its a great feeling knowing she has something to remind her of all the wonderful days she put her son in those adorable outfits. I am so happy for her, and glad she loves it!

See more pictures at Pitcher's Boutique FB Page.

Nov. 3:
     So thankful for the cooler weather, not the rain, just the cold air. I love snuggling in a quilt, with my tea, and watching a Holiday movie with the kiddos.

Nov. 4:
     Thankful that I finished the MA portion of my class, and got an 86% on my final! Now on to the EKG portion of the class.


Nov. 5:
      Thankful that my friends and family are willing to pay me to make items for them, and help promote and push my Pitcher's Boutique Etsy shop forward!


Nov. 6:
      Thankful for the little extra few coins and random change in my purse, house and my car. It helped me get a REALLY WELL NEEDED coffee from starbucks, while I drove around to get my kids to nap, because they are not sleeping well, thanks to being sicks, and are on nap strike...... HELP!!!


Nov. 7:
     Can't thank all my friends enough for spending this wonderful Friday at my house for a play date! I am so thankful for each and every new mom, and old moms I see and get to know. Its crazy how much my life has changed, and how many new friends I have truly been blessed with.


Give Thanks,
Sarah

The Craziness

I have to apologize to everyone, as I have been so busy lately. I have been working on school work and trying to get through the last part of this section in the class, and hopefully take the final soon. I have been also working extra hard to promote and update my new Facebook page for my business, Pitcher's Boutique. On top of all that, I have been packaging up blocks for a swap, put my Moms birthday gift together (still need to mail it), and lastly decorate the house for Halloween.

I promise when I get a few minutes Ill try my best to upload a ton of stuff. Its just been crazy.

Thank you to everyone who has been stopping by, reading my posts and or watching/reading tutorials. Please check out my Pitcher's Boutique FB page and Etsy shop!

I am finally off to sleep, I am exhausted and will be up in roughly 6 hours to run an errand.

Thanks again to all my wonderful supporters and viewers/readers.

See You All Soon,
Sarah

Give Thanks October, Week 4

October 22:
     I needed a lot of interface for a few quilt projects... So, while at Joanns I was able to get an entire BOLT of interface and use a coupon on top of the already 40% off. So thankful that I was able to get over 40 yards of interface and save more money then I paid!!!!

October 23:
     Thankful for the several hours of nap time (for the kiddos) today, because I was able to finish another section of my MA class, and took the section test and received 100!!!

October 24:
     I am so thankful for our Friday Playgroup, it has turned into a wonderful group with some amazing moms and I am just feeling extra lucky to have all of them in my life and in my home each week!

October 25:
     Well, woke up to our fire alarm screaming at us that it had a low battery, and noticed our power was out. Once we all woke up it was just too hot and stuffy in the house, so I have to say I am thankful for a small adventure for the day, of getting out and just going wherever.

October 26:
     I am so thankful for all the amazing people who are giving my business so much love! Check out my facebook page and like it, then check out my Etsy shop and favorite it! Thank you to everyone who has supported me in this new adventure.

October 27:
     Thankful that today I can say Happy Birthday to my wonderful Mom, and know that I will get to see her in a few weeks. I hope she has a special, wonderful and amazing birthday! I love you so much Mom, and I really can not wait to see you!!

October 28:
     Its been a crazy day with a lot of running around, but one thing I am thankful for is that I was able to get our appointments made and our cars tire rotated and balanced today. I know I have had those on my to do list for too long, CHECK!

Give Thanks,
Sarah

GIVEAWAY!!!

I recently was able to test out a paper piecing pattern for a fellow quilter. We both are in the Late Night Quilters Group on facebook, feel free to join us. Check out Kitty's blog, and see her amazing display of her TWO paper piecing patterns. She did a great job on both patterns and I would love to tell you all about them. 

Lets start with the leaf paper piecing, which you can purchase on her Craftsy page. I was really excited to try this pattern out. I have been wanting to do a leaf, a feather, and a few butterfly/bird patterns. When Kitty let me trial run this pattern I was so excited to check this off my list of must try items! The pattern went together really quickly, it was easy to follow. If you are a beginner paper piecer, this is a great pattern to try. If you are a more advanced paper piecing, this is still a great pattern, and still has a few challenges even for the more advanced. I found the one issue I had was with the stem of the leaf, as they are very tiny pieces, and somehow I kept sewing them into the seam. I eventually got it, as you can see from the photo below, but that was my only major issue. I also found lining up all the leaf lines was a little challenging, but if you make sure to square everything up, and double check as you are sewing along, then it should come out great! 

I would recommend this pattern to everyone.

The other paper piecing pattern I got to try out, was the fishies panel. You can purchase it at Craftsy. This pattern I did both facing right and left. The pattern is set so your fish end up facing right. I decided to change it up a little and face my second one to the left. PLEASE NOTE: when you purchase the pattern your fish will swim to the right. So, what did I think about this pattern? I actually found this pattern to be so much fun, and super easy. This pattern is great for beginners and for those more advanced paper piecers. My biggest struggle, sadly, was getting the fish tails lined up with their bodies. I am very OCD, so this might just be me, but it drove me nuts when I did it the first time, and they were just ever so slightly off. So, at most that will be the biggest challenge you face while making this pattern. I love how all you have to do is flip the fish and you have fish going any direction. You can change this up, move them around, add them to other ideas or projects. This is a great pattern to have. I found this pattern to be so much fun, and its a great panel for a girls room, a boys room, a play room, a bathroom, a guest room... see where I am going with this!?

I would highly recommend this pattern to anyone.

NOTE: I flipped the fish on my own, this is not how the pattern will be provided.

Be sure to mark Kittys Craftsy page in your bookmarks, or follow her if you have an account. She has a few other great patterns available as well. Feel free to check those out.

NOW FOR THE GIVEAWAY!!!!

The giveaway will be your choice of EITHER the Fishies Panel, or the Leaf Panel. You get to pick the one you want. In order to win, you must do the following steps below, good luck and be sure to check back here NEXT FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17 to see who won! Feel free to share this blog post or any other social medias you prefer. 

To enter the giveaway please,

1. Follow me on Instagram: QuiltNSew

2. Favorite/Follow my Etsy shop: PitchersBoutique

3. Lastly, leave a comment below with your Instagram name, and which pattern you want to win and why?

Good luck, you have until OCTOBER 17, so be sure to tell your friends, and check out my instagram for another chance to win other goodies, later on!

Good Luck,
Sarah

A special thank you to Kitty for providing the giveaway.