Playing Around With Foundation Piecing

In keeping with my habit of starting new things before current and old things are completed, I had a fun evening of trying to remember how to foundation piece. Years ago I did lots of paper piecing, but over time had forgotten quite a lot of the tricks and tips I once knew.

 Last week when Sharon and I met Dee in Columbus, we made time afterwards (after making a wrong turn on the interstate - honest, it wasn't intentional!) to stop at a quilt shop just to snoop around. I mean, come on, we were right there near a popular shop, so why not? We certainly had no intention of buying anything. But, when I saw a shop sample of the beautiful Wensleydale Quilt, I just had to get my hands on those foundation papers.

Wensleydale is a creation by Jen Kingwell and I had seen many versions of it on Instagram, so I knew it well. It'd always appealed to me, but I really didn't ever consider making one. If you'd like to see a whole bunch of gorgeousness, search the hashtag in Instagram - #wensleydalequilt - it's a feast for the eyes!

Just for a refresher in the foundation technique, I pulled out a very special little bundle of scrap fabrics and made one block. Lots of mistakes. Lots of reaching for the seam ripper. Lots of wasted fabric. Waaahh!

I recall that one major reason for not further pursuing foundation piecing was the waste. Fabric costs too doggone much to cut away big hunks of it in this technique. I suppose one would get better at "eyeing" the amounts needed, but this first attempt in many years was hugely fraught with waste.

That said, I am pleased with my block, yet have absolutely no idea what I will do with it. Surely, it will be an orphan block as I do not have much remaining of this fabric collection to make a whole quilt. Perhaps It could be the center medallion of a table topper or wall hanging. I will think on it.

Back to reality. The clutter remains. The long arm thread still breaks. The Tiny Nine Patch quilt still needs its binding. Baby quilts need to be finished. Chelsea Garden and Winnemucca and more await. (See previous 2 posts for explanations.)

All will get done. I foresee major progress in the next few days.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne