Getting Started with Paper Piecing: Printing your Template

Paper piecing, otherwise known as Foundation Paper Piecing or FPP, is a technique for creating quilt blocks using paper templates. Sounds tricky, but really, it's quite simple! You just need to learn a few basic things. And you're in luck, I'm going to break down paper piecing so you can sew a template up like a pro!

Today, we are going to start with the very basics of FPP, and that begins well before any sewing starts. It begins with the template...well, printing the template. Sounds easy, and it is, but only after you know HOW to print your template correctly.

For the sake of this tutorial, I have created a basic FPP template. You can download it here!

FPP Tutorial Block.pdf

Download PDF • 77KB

Your download should look like this picture below.

Got it downloaded? Great!! But before you hit print, WAIT!!!

We need to check our printers' settings. This is sooooo important, and I'll tell you why. Printers will automatically scale or fit the template to the page, and while it may print beautifully, on closer inspection you will find a tiny problem that can cause real issues. The template isn't the correct size. Gasp!

To avoid this drama, we need to make sure your printer settings are correct. As an example, I'm showing the print screen for the Happy Scrappy X Block. You can see the pink arrow in the lower left corner pointing to 'more settings'.

After you click 'More Settings', your screen will look like this. You may have to scroll down a bit, but you are looking for the Scale % area. You have 3 options, click 100%.

Now you can print your template knowing that the sizing will be as intended. Yay!

Go ahead and print that puppy out, and let's go over the remaining supplies you need for paper piecing our tutorial block.

• template

• scissors

• 3 pieces of fabric at least a quarter of an inch bigger than the spaces they will occupy

• sewing machine

• self-healing mat

• rotary cutter

• clear quilting ruler with a quarter inch marker

• iron/ironing board

• light source/window/light box

Alrighty, that's it for the first tutorial in our FPP series! If you have questions, leave a comment! I will be linking all the FPP tutorials together as they are written. Until next time!