Sewing Foundation Blocks

Sewing Foundation Blocks
Contents:

Foundation Piecing Tutorial
Sewing Blocks Together
Removing the Paper
Correcting Mistakes
Sewing Sectioned Blocks

How to Sew a Foundation Block: A Tutorial

In this tutorial, we will learn how to foundation piece by sewing a simple Diamond In Square block. What's really great about foundation piecing is that you use the same technique for each and every block that you sew. Once you have mastered this simple block, you can do any block, no matter how complex! Just follow the numbers.

You may find the number of steps rather a lot at first. I have broken down the technique into many small steps so that you can easily master it. Once you have done a couple of blocks, you can easily make foundation blocks without having to think about each and every little step.

Like anything else, foundation piecing has techniques that you must master. Follow the directions closely and you will soon learn it. Once mastered, you will be able to sew any block in the Foundation Factory library. So, let's get started!

Diamond Foundation Block
Step 1: Print one copyof the Square in Diamond block . You will find this block in the Diamond folder. Print the block 4" x 4" inches. You may want to print extra copies in case of mistakes.

Cut off any excess paper around the dotted seam allowance lines. Be sure you don't cut off the seam allowance! Don't laugh, I've done it myself!

Step 2: Cut a fabric square of either dark or light fabric measuring 3 1/2 ". This square will be the center diamond and is piece number 1. Next, cut 4 triangles of contrasting fabric approx. 2 1/2" in width. These will be pieces 2, 3 and 4. Note: you may want to cut larger triangles for practice.

Fabric for Piece #1 pinned to front side of pattern
Step 3: Place the fabric square (right side up) on the front side of the pattern. (The front side is the non-printed side.)

Keeping the fabric in place with your fingers, hold the pattern up to the light to see that the fabric is positioned at least 1/4" beyond the edges of the diamond in the pattern as shown. If the placement is not correct, reposition the fabric.

Pin the fabric in place. You can also hold the fabric down with a dot of glue. Use a glue stick or other light-hold glue.

Piece 2 positioned against center diamond.

Step 4: Place the pattern on a table so that the right (fabric) side is facing you.

Place one of the triangles on the center diamond as shown . Note that it covers one quarter of the center diamond. Line up the two fabric edges.

Use your finger to flip the triangle over after you have pinned it into place.

Check that the triangle is positioned correctly by holding up the pattern to a light, printed side facing you.

Step 5: In this step, you will check the placement of piece #2. This is a very important step, and can be tricky, so I have explained it in detail.

Holding the triangle with your fingers, turn the pattern over to the printed side and place a pin along the line between pieces 1 and 2. Turn the pattern over to the fabric side and gently flip the fabric triangle.

Hold the pattern up to the light with the printed side facing you. Check to see that the fabric triangle covers the entire triangle area. The fabric should also extend beyond the edges of the seam allowance. If the fabric is not correctly positioned. remove the pin and reposition it. If the fabric does not extend beyond the seam allowance, cut a larger triangle.

Note: You will be more successful if you cut a larger triangle. Don't scrimp on fabric! Also, as you gain experience, you will not need to pin the fabric pieces as you add them. You will be able to place the fabric just by holding it up to the light.

Sewing the Block
Step 6: Once the fabric is positioned, you are ready to sew.

Thread your sewing machine with neutral colored thread. Set the stitch length to 18-20 stitches per inch.

Turn the pattern so that the printed side is facing you. You can leave the pin in if you wish. Fold back the fabric so that it lays flat.

Place the pattern printed side up under the presser foot of the sewing machine. Remove the pin. Sew by following the line between piece 1 and 2.

Don't worry if you sew into the seam allowance. Sewing into the seam allowance will not affect the block . Do not backstitch. Cut off all threads.

Ironing the triangle

Diamond Block with Pieces 1 and 2
Step 7: Now you are ready to press the fabric.

Turn the pattern over so that the fabric side is facing you. Flip the triangle over and gently press at the sewing line. If the fabric extends beyond the edge of the seam allowance, don't worry, you will trim the edges later.

Trimming Excess fabric from Piece #1
Step 8: Trimming excess fabric. As you sew the block, you should trim away excess fabric from the previously sewn fabric patch. Here, you would trim away fabric from the center diamond.

I recommend trimming: it reduces the fabric bulk, prevents "show through" of darker fabrics under lighter fabrics, and makes the block easier to quilt.

To trim off excess fabric from the center diamond, fold back the triangle fabric and the paper so that the diamond fabric is exposed. With scissors, trim away the diamond fabric so that 1/4" is left beyond the sewing line. Be careful not to trim the triangle fabric. Fold back the triangle fabric.

You can also trim the excess fabric before you iron. Whether you trim before or after you iron is a personal preference.

You have just completed piece #2!

Block with all four triangles, untrimmed
Step 9: For triangles 3, 4 and 5, repeat steps 5 through 8. You will be sewing the remaining triangles on to the block.

Trimming off excess fabric with rotary cutter.

The finished Block!
Step 10: Trimming excess fabric from the seam allowance.

As the final step you will need to trim any excess fabric beyond the seam allowance. There are two ways to trim the fabric: Using scissors, hold the pattern so that the printed side is facing you. Trim away any fabric that appears beyond the seam allowance.

You can also use a rotary cutter. Lay the block, printed side up and trim off the excess fabric with the rotary cutter.

The block is now finished. Should you remove the paper pattern? Not yet! If you want to sew foundation blocks together, the paper seam allowance makes a fool-proof 1/4" seam allowance! Is there no end of the wonders of foundation piecing?

Sewing blocks Together

You can easily sew together paper pieced blocks. The procedure is the same as for sewing any quilt blocks together. Line up the blocks, fabric sides together and pin if you wish. Then, sew along the solid inner line.

Once the blocks are sewn together, remove the paper on the seam allowance. (This is the 1/4" strip of paper above the sewing line) on both blocks. Removing the paper will make the blocks easier to press. Next, press the seam allowance to one side. Or, press it open if the seams are bulky.

Do not remove the papers until you have sewn all the blocks together and added a border or borders. Check out the Foundation Factory Borders for ideas!

Removing the Paper

Once the quilt top is all sewn, now you are ready to remove the paper foundations. I've always found this part a lot of fun! Not only is it slightly "destructive", but it signals the end of your project! (Of course, you do not remove muslin foundations; they are permanent.)

To remove the paper backing, tear the paper gently with your fingers along the sewing lines. The paper should tear away easily. If it does not, you can dampen the paper to weaken it. Use a pair of tweezers to get at paper in tight corners or to pick up small bits of paper.

Tear Gently!

Careless removal of the paper foundation can ruin the best sewn block. Why? If you tug too hard at the paper, it can pull the fabric thus resulting in a distorted block. How can you remove the paper without distorting the block? Here's what you can do:

Adjust the sewing machine stitch to a very short stitch length. (between 18 to 20 stitches per inch.) This will assure that the paper is finely perforated and will make the paper easy to tear away.
Dampining stubborn paper will weaken it and make it easy to remove.

Oops! Correcting Mistakes

As you learn, mistakes are bound to happen. Here's what to do if you make an error.

Mistake: The fabric didn't cover the paper pattern area.

Fabric is too small to cover piece #1

Causes:

The fabric piece was too small to cover the paper piece area.

The fabric was not placed correctly so that when it flipped, it did not cover the paper area.

How to Fix:

Gently remove the fabric by ripping the seam. Take care not to cut the paper. Hold the fabric patch up to the paper pattern and check to see if the fabric will cover the paper area.

Hold paper pattern to a light to check for fabric size and placement.

If the fabric is not at least 1/4" inch larger on all sides than the paper piece, cut a new, larger piece of fabric and sew it in place. Remember, you can never cut the fabric too large, but you can cut it too small.

If the fabric piece is large enough, reposition the fabric so that it will cover the paper piece once it is flipped over. (see step 5 in the tutorial.)

Mistake: Ripping the seam allowance caused the paper to tear

Causes:

This is not really a mistake: you can still complete the block. Paper tearing is bound to happen if you use newsprint or other very lightweight paper.

How to Fix:

If the tear is confined to the exact sewing line, just sew again over the paper line. (It will be very easy to remove later.). If the tear is extensive, you may need to start over again with a new paper foundation.

Use heavier weight papers such as typing or Xerox papers for the first practice blocks you make. These papers are less likely to tear.

Mistake: When I sewed, the fabric Shifted and now it's Folded

Causes:

The fabric shifted as you placed it under the presser foot. This can happen if the piece is large or has one long side. Fabric shifting is more likely to happen if you position the fabric with your fingers rather than using a pin.

How to Fix:

When you position the fabric, pin it down. This will hold the fabric down while you sew. Remove the pin and then flip the fabric over for pressing.

Mistake: When I flipped over the fabric, the wrong side is facing up!

Causes:

This must be the easiest mistake to make, since I make it all the time! Remember, only the fabric on piece #1 is right side up. All other fabric patches are placed right side down!

How to Fix:

Rip the seam, and reposition the fabric so that it is right side down.

Sewing Sectioned Blocks

Why do some blocks need to be sectioned?

Modern House Block, in two sections

Let's look at block Modern House. As you may know, in order for foundation piecing to work, each new seam has to cover up all of the previous seams. This is why we number the foundation pieces, so that each new seam will cover the previous seams.

If you were to sew Modern House with just one foundation paper, you would have to stop after number 9 because you could not sew the chimney on the house. The seam for the chimney would not cover up any of the previous seams. Creating a separate section for the chimney solves the problem. You can sew the lower part of the house and sew the chimney section separately, then sew the two pieces together.

How do I work with Sectioned Blocks?

The Foundation Factory, prints every sectioned block with each section (or part) numbered. The Foundation Factory automatically prints a seam allowance around each section and labels it according to it's sewing order. For example, in Modern House, you would sew part A to part B. All you have to do is to cut out the excess paper between sections.

When you sew sectioned blocks, treat each section as a separate block. You will sew the fabric onto the foundation, trim the block up to the seam allowance. Once you have sewn all the sections, simply sew the sections together.

Most sectioned blocks consist of horizontal or vertical rows. When you select these blocks, Foundation Factory will point you to sewing instructions for blocks with horizontal or vertical rows. If the Block you select has a more complex sewing order, the Foundation Factory will point you to specific sewing instructions for each sectioned block.

To see the instructions for these blocks, press the Sewing Instructions button when viewing the block.

Working with Odd Shaped Sections

A few of the blocks in the foundation factory have sections that are shapes other than squares or rectangles. These "odd" shaped sections are usually triangles. A very few are polygons.

Working with odd shaped sections is no different than working with squares or rectangles. The Foundation Factory cuts off the corners of the seam allowances in these odd shapes. Follow the same procedures for sewing odd shapes together as for conventional squares and rectangles. You will need to take more care to make sure that points line up with sewing odd shapes together.

Making Quilts and More!

Click here if you would like to know how you can make your own quilts from Foundation Factory Blocks...

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Causes:	The fabric shifted as you placed it under the presser foot. This can happen if the piece is large or has one long side. Fabric shifting is more likely to happen if you position the fabric with your fingers rather than using a pin.
How to Fix:	When you position the fabric, pin it down. This will hold the fabric down while you sew. Remove the pin and then flip the fabric over for pressing.

Causes:	This must be the easiest mistake to make, since I make it all the time! Remember, only the fabric on piece #1 is right side up. All other fabric patches are placed right side down!
How to Fix:	Rip the seam, and reposition the fabric so that it is right side down.