How to make a Foundation Paper Piecing template from a quilt block pattern
Paper piecing is one of the best tools in our quilting arsenal for creating crisp shapes and perfect patchwork on our quilt tops. Level up your skills with this tutorial for how to turn a quilt block pattern into an easy-to-use FPP template!
Whether you're just starting out on your foundation paper piecing journey or you're already completely hooked (we're in the later camp!), making your own FPP templates is a real game changer for your quilting.
If you're new to making your own quilting templates, we're here to help! Read on and our quilt pro Laura Pritchard will show you how to take a quilt block pattern and turn it into paper piecing template.
Once you've practised, this is a really fun technique and the secret to getting it right each time is simply to think about the order in which you'll need to add your fabric pieces.
Read on for our walkthrough to help demystify the process. For more quilting tutorial fun, why not try our Complete Guide to Flying Geese Quilts? Or if paper piecing is your thing, download our free hexagon templates.
New to Foundation Paper Piecing?
This is a tutorial for people who already know how to FPP and want to use this method to sew quilt blocks with several different sections. If you've never tried FPP before, it can take a little more time to get your head around than other piecing techniques, but it's often the best choice for sewing intricate blocks, or those with tricky Y-seams. FPP creates accurate piecing and the sharpest of points, and it's really easy once you know how.
In this post, we're assuming that you've tried FPP before, but if you haven't then have a read of our beginner's guide to Foundation Paper Piecing before you begin to swot up.
You will need:
Paper
Pencil
Scissors
Fabric
Sewing machine
Basic quilting kit
Let's get started: Plan your units
Step 1
Some quilt block patterns can be foundation pieced all in one go. This means you can start with one piece of fabric at a section on one side, or in the centre, and then add pieces in sequence to cover the whole foundation block in one go. Other blocks are more intricate and need to be broken down into units.
To analyse whether a block can be FPP’d in one go, you just need to consider the lines. Fabric pieces can only be ‘stitched and flipped’ to cover one section at a time, so the points where lines intersect are likely to create obstacles. Essentially, the piecing can only ‘travel’ in one direction at a time and cannot turn corners.
Try and view your block as a grid: this can also be useful as many patterns can be broken into smaller units, following a logical four-patch or nine-patch principle. These blocks can be simply cut along the horizontal or vertical lines, pieced and then sewn back together.
Other blocks are harder to mentally divide into units. Often these need to be broken into several sub-units or separated along diagonal lines and pieced back together in diagonal rows.
Let’s look at an example
Rambler quilt block – this block is from The Quilt Block Bible by Rosemary Youngs. We featured this block in issue 19 of Today’s Quilter magazine.
Rambler (pictured above) is one of these blocks that needs breaking into smaller units. Let’s look at the pattern together: we can see that the triangles on each side of the block create right-angled seams (highlighted in red in this illustration). These are going to cause problems and stop fabric pieces being successfully added with all raw edges contained. So this block needs to be split into units.
There are no marked lines running along the horizontal or vertical, and the main seam lines are on the diagonal. So you’ll find that cutting the block into three diagonal rows (along the main diagonal seams) will split up those pesky Y-seams – and you’re over the first hurdle!
Making the template
Step 1
Once you’ve split the block pattern into three, then trace each template onto paper. A good way to do this is to tape it to a window.
Remember to add a ¼in seam to all sides of each unit. Roughly cut out each unit approx ½in-1in larger – you’ll trim it down later.
Planning fabric and sewing your block
Step 1
Which fabrics should you use to sew your design? Think about traditional piecing and whether similar blocks are usually pieced in rows, or from the centre out. Study the centre unit of the block below. If we start at one end, could we work left to right without hitting an intersecting seam? No.
What if we start with fabric piece 1 in the middle and work our way out. We can add pieces 2, 3, 4 and 5 to the sides of the centre square without interruption, as we would for a traditional square-in-a-square block, working outwards.
Moving on from there, we can add the piece for each Flying Geese centre first (6) and then the small triangles either side (7 & 8) continuing in this manner to the end of the unit.
Work up one ‘arm’ of the X block, then the other to complete the centre unit. Ta da!
The corners are made in the same way. We can’t start on one side and work across as we’ll hit intersecting lines. We also can’t start in the corner for the same reason.
So we’ll start with the Flying Geese triangle closest to the block centre (1) and then add the small triangles to either side, working towards the corner of the block. The large background triangles can then be added to each side (8 & 9).
Join your units to complete the block
Step 1
This block will be stitched back together in diagonal rows. Make sure all units are trimmed down to the outer ¼in line. Simply line up the raw edges and stitch pieces together along the marked seam line. Note: Don’t remove the block papers until you are finished piecing a project.
Tip: Use Wonderclips or plastic coated paper clips to hold two Foundation Paper Piecing units together.
And there we have it, one completed FPP block.
Cross and Crown quilt block– this block is from The Quilt Block Bible by Rosemary Youngs. We featured this block in issue 19 of Today’s Quilter magazine.
Now you’re getting the hang of it, let’s try another example…
We’re going to start with fabric piece 1 in the centre square… we could stitch pieces either side. However, we will soon be blocked by intersecting seams.
The same would occur if we started in the corner so this block cannot be pieced in one go. The spikes facing in all directions mean this block will likely have to be separated into several units.
If you step back and look at it with fresh eyes, this block structure has a nine-patch grid with long horizontal and vertical seams, so first let’s divide it into rows.
The centre row can be pieced as one unit, and stays as is. The spiked shapes in each corner mean we will have to separate again.
Starting with fabric piece 1 in the corner of the top row, I can add pieces to each side (2, 3 and 4, 5) in sequence. A piece of fabric can also be flipped and stitched without interruption to cover the next two sections (6, 7) to complete the corner units.
Now it’s simply a case of reassembling the block, first back into rows and then joining the rows together.
As with everything, the more blocks you try, the better you will get at seeing the order in which to add fabric pieces. I advise always making a practice block first, before using any precious fabrics.
Always remember to physically write the numbers on to your unit or block sections, to avoid mistakes. It can also help to write the colour of the fabric, to get your placement right.
[pullquote quote="Another way to handle blocks with lots of intersecting seams is to pre-piece units such as four-patches and HSTs and use these within the block. Just make sure seams align with the marked lines." /]
Laura has been sewing since she was a child and quilting for most of her adult life. Her work has been published in several quilting and craft magazines including Love Patchwork and Quilting, Mollie Makes and Simply Sewing. She is a technical pro and until recently worked as the Deputy Editor for Today’s Quilter magazine, where she worked since the magazine launched in 2015. She loves teaching and often runs workshops at The Festival of Quilts. She first launched her quilting career selling pet quilts on Etsy and notonthehighstreet.com, inspired by her own pampered cats. Away from the sewing machine, Laura is a book addict and interiors obsessor. She regularly posts photos on Instagram @laurapritchardquilts about her works-in-progress, finished quilts and her life in Bristol.
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Remember to add a ¼in seam to all sides of each unit. Roughly cut out each unit approx ½in-1in larger – you’ll trim it down later.
The centre row can be pieced as one unit, and stays as is. The spiked shapes in each corner mean we will have to separate again.
