Jun 1, 2013

Pieced strip blocks

OK... After playing quilting and sewing some, you end up with a bunch of scraps.  DON'T THROW THEM AWAY!!!  With a roll of adding machine tape, you can go from this:





to this:


What a difference!  And just think that all those little pieces of awesomeness could be in the trash by now...  Such a sad thought after seeing this beautiful piece of modern quilting in action!

I came up with this idea after watching Peggy Martin's Craftsy class, Quick Strip Paper Piecing. You just need a roll of adding machine paper, which will be the foundation for the strip. The difference with the blocks I'm showing in this block is that the scraps I have are way smaller and the finished effect is more scrappy. Here is how you do it.
  
 

Cut a length of adding machine paper a tad longer than the length you want your finished piece to be.  Start by placing one scrap with the right side facing up, close to the end of the paper strip. Feel free to pin it or glue this first piece, just to keep it in place.  Right on top of it, on the edge, right side facing down, put a second scrap of fabric. 






Sew a 1/4 inch seam.  Remember to shorten your stitch length - this will be extremely useful when the time comes to separate the fabric from the paper.  Also, paper-piecing really gets your needle dull, so either use an old needle or be prepared to dull the one you are using at the moment.
 



Open the fabric on top.  If you use larger pieces of fabric, feel free to press them open.  In this case, I was working with very little pieces, so I did not press until after I finished the strip.




Take another piece of fabric and sew it on top of the others, just like you did with the previous scrap.


Keep adding scraps of fabric.  Every once in a while you'll end up with a funky line that is not straight, like the one in the next picture.


Just work your way with it and try to get back into a straight line by adding more scraps. 







Once you finished covering the strip of paper, you'll end with something that looks like this:



At this point, you can press the strip so that you set the seams. Remember to press in the same direction you sewed the scraps. You can spray the strips with some starch, but be careful so that the paper doesn't get wet; if it does, it will warp and your strip will no longer be straight, and you won't be able to use the paper as a cutting guide.









Now you can go ahead and trim the excess fabric; use the paper as a guide.  Like this, you will always end up with a straight, accurate strip of pieced fabric scraps.



The next step is comparable to that time when you were a kid, poured white glue on your hand, waited for it to dry and then peeled it off!!!  Soooo satisfying  :)

What you need to do is just peel the paper off.  Now, be careful not to pull too tight or you can distort the stitches and the strip won't be straight.  This is also why you should reduce your stitch length; this makes pulling the paper off way easier and don't distort the fabric.  You will end with something that looks like this:






So, from a bag of scraps to pieced strips, ready to go into a fabulous quilt block!






In order to make the pods, I cut the long strips and sewed them together to form 5" by 5" squares.  I then framed the squares to bring a little structure to the  blocks.  I decided to use a solid fabric in a neutral color so that the eyes have a chance to "rest" and create a sense of structure in the composition.








You can even end up with a border for a quilt!  And just think that these little pieces of wonderfulness may have had a very different ending...  Enjoy!




Online Quilting Class

23 comments:

  1. Just now found this. Brilliant! Thanks. LOVE the blue and green from the table runner/trivet set. Adding tape just got put on my "to buy" list!

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    1. Hey Queenie! How are you doing? Did you get the adding tape? I'm so curious about what you came up with and sort of dying to see what you made! Hope you're doing fine! :)

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  2. Thank you Louise! I'm glad you found it useful.
    You'll have lots of strips to sew very soon :)
    Thanks for stopping by :)

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  3. I love this tutorial. I also like to use the pages of the old telephone book. They are thin so they tear easily.

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    1. Hello Tamsew! I tried your suggestion, it really works! I think it is a good, thrifty option for piecing different shapes; the adding paper is still my favorites for strips though...

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  4. Thanks Tamsew! I've yet to try the phone book, and I'm planning to do a star block and I'll use the phone book pages. Hope to see you around! :)

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  5. Replies
    1. I'm glad you like it Susana; I hope you give this a try! :)

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    1. Thanks Nana! Be sure to try it; it's addictive!! lol

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  7. I love this, I have saved all sorts of tiny scraps.

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    1. Hi Kathy! If you have tiny scraps, this is a fun way to use them up and try something different. Let me know how it goes! :)

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  8. I love this! I have a whole box of that paper thanks!

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    1. It sounds like you will be busy, girl! Have fun!

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    1. Hi Annabellouise! Thanks for reading - and just think of all the possible combinations that you can come up with depending on how you put scraps togehter!

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  10. I have a bunch of adding machine tape, and can't wait to try this! I found your latest tutorial earlier today over at Totally Tutorials. I also joined your Flickr group, although I haven't posted anything yet, I am the first member...yay! I can't wait to try some of your improv tutorials! I do a kind of log cabin improv that I square up when I am done. I made a quilt for my niece last year, and this year I made a matching doll blanket and a big soft pillow, for her most recently. I will post those in your flickr group soon.

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  11. You'll have lots of fun!! I'm so excited about you joining my Flickr group!! I'm still learning the ropes, but I thought it would be a good opportunity to share our creations and inspire each other. We'll have to get in touch and maybe one day I can try your improv log cabin :) Nice meeting you Francine!

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  12. I was just wondering... Has anyone tried this technique yet?

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  13. I started sewing scraps together into blocks with no idea what I would do with them. Then I read about paper piecing onto register tape. I have completed one quilt and am working on a second with my scraps.

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  14. That is great! It is amazing how much more you can make by using what would have been discarded!! I love playing around with scraps and just letting things happen; with no doubt, I always get amazing results!

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  15. I have made a few strips as you describe. I have found the rows distort due to the bias on some of the scraps. Any ideas how to stabilise please.

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  16. Remember to shorten your stitch length - that helps with tearing the paper. Also, try folding the paper and press with your nail or a tool like a hera marker, then tear the paper away; don't pull the fabric because it will distort. Also, good quality quilting cotton works best. Something else that you can try, before moving the fabric once you've gotten rid of the paper is use some starch and iron to stabilize it.

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