How to Do Foundation Stitching in Quilting

Foundation stitching helps a quilter create blocks of identical size.

Foundation stitching a quilt refers to a process otherwise known as paper piecing. A template is made for the fabric pieces that are stitched together to form a quilt block, then the cut fabric pieces are stitched onto the paper template, which acts as a foundation. Fabric foundations are sometimes used in place of paper templates, with thin fabric such as muslin being commonly used because of their fineness. Heavier fabric foundations add to the bulk of the quilt. Paper piecing foundations can be of any size or complexity and are often used to make crazy quilts.

Things You'll Need

• Plain white paper
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Fabric
• Scissors
• Sewing machine
• Iron

Instructions

Make a Simple Practise Template

1. Draw a 6-inch square on a sheet of computer paper. Draw a second square around the outside of the first square, leaving a 1/4-inch gap on all sides between the two squares. The gap between the two squares represents a 1/4-inch seam allowance.

2. Divide the inner square into three, drawing vertical lines through the square at 2 inches and 4 inches across the width of the square. Number the squares 1, 2 and 3, starting from the left. This is your paper foundation template.

3. Make as many copies of your template as you want blocks for your quilt.

Stitch the Foundation

1. Cut a piece of fabric large enough to fit over the central section, number 2, of the template. Make the fabric piece at least 1/4 inch larger than the section on all sides. Turn the paper template so the printed side is facing down, then lay the fabric, with the right side up, in the middle of the template. Cover section 2 and overlap the lines by at least 1/4 inch. Pin the fabric to the template with one pin in the middle.

2. Cut another piece of fabric large enough to cover section 1, again overlapping by 1/4 inch. Lay this second piece, right side down, on top of the first fabric piece. Line up the left edges of the two fabric shapes. Use one pin to hold this second fabric piece in place.

3. Turn the template over so you can see the printed lines. Set your sewing machine to a small stitch, stitching between 12 and 18 stitches per inch. Stitch along the line between sections 1 and 2, through the paper and both layers of fabric. Make small back-stitches at the beginning and end of the stitching. Trim any excess fabric back to a 1/4 inch seam allowance.

4. Open out the two stitched pieces of fabric and press them flat.

5. Cut a third piece of fabric to cover section 3 on the foundation template. Lay it on top of the first fabric piece in the center of the template, right side facing down. Pin it into place using one pin, then turn the template over and stitch along the printed line between sections 2 and 3. Trim the excess fabric as before, then press the seam open. Carefully remove the paper from the stitched fabric.

Tips & Warnings

• Hold the fabric on the template up to the light to make sure you have it evenly overlapping the template stitching lines.

• Use a new paper template for each identically shaped block in the quilt.

• If you photocopy templates, make sure they are identical in size by putting them back to back then holding them up to the light.

References

• Quilters Cache; Learning to Quilt; Marcia Hohn; January 2001
• Block Central: Quilt tips From Quilters Around the World: Paper Piecing