quiltology...

The queen of scrappy patchwork goodness has been busy—Jan Aaron has been digging deep into her stash and using up all those bits and pieces of fabric to create a series of fun paper pieced baby quilts. And we’ve got the one pictured to the left hanging in the shop. We’re calling it “Urban Amish Too” because it’s a simple way of taking strip quilting to the next level.

Why paper piece? Well, my friends, because it will make your life so much easier!

Sound good? You bet. Paper piecing is a great way to achieve accuracy. You can totally avoid that annoying stretching problem that results in distortion—and—you get to use up all those small pieces of scrap fabric you just couldn’t bring yourself to throw away!

What more could you want?

Paper piecing (aka foundation piecing) has been around for ages. Crazy quilters often used muslin to stabilize their odd size pieces of delicate silk, satin and velvet fabrics. Now we use paper—often printed with lines to follow—nice! Using paper as a foundation to piece patchwork will allow you to construct more complicated patterns easily and accurately. Whether you’re into taking on a Mariner’s Compass or the amazing New York Beauty—this is a technique you’ll use over and over again. And basic triangles—forgetaboutit—you’ll never fear bias again!

Jan will be teaching the paper piecing method in the April studio class. You can work on one of her patterns—or bring in your own. Personally I’m excited about this class because I’m planning to join in and work on a project I’ve wanted to do for a long time now—piecing my dad’s neckties into diagonal blocks. Join us!

Paper Piecing Studio Project Class

Thursday nights April 10, 17 & 24 @ 6:30p to 9pm

$125 + supplies