Do you ever find yourself saving the tiniest, most beloved fabric scraps? Too special to throw away, yet too small for most sewing projects...you know the ones. In this Sewing with Scraps series, we are sharing some new + different ways to incorporate some of the smallest scraps into new, useable pieced fabric panels to bring new life to your scrap bin, and endless creativity to your sewing projects.
In celebration of slow, sustainable sewing, we are starting off this series with an introduction to a unique quilting method called Foundation Paper Piecing, or FPP.
But perhaps that leaves you wondering...what is Foundation Paper Piecing?
Similar to English Paper Piecing (EPP), which you may have heard of before, it is a clever, precise method that lets you sew small pieces of fabric onto a printed paper template, creating intricate patchwork designs with ease. However, unlike EPP, the designs are much more intricate, and sewn by machine rather than by hand.
Each stitched line on the paper becomes a guide, helping your seams land exactly where they should - even on the tiniest of shapes and crispest of corners. And, best of all, it requires no precise, careful cutting of pieces ahead of time - really! It's a beautiful way to breathe new life into fabric leftovers, transforming myriad scraps into tiny works of art that can embellish clothing, bags, and other handmade treasures.
At Twig & Tale®, we love that FPP blends artistry with sustainability in a delightfully inspiring way. It celebrates the joy of slow sewing - a chance to piece together memories from past makes and turn them into something wonderfully new. Whether you’re adding a whimsical motif to a pocket, crafting a one-of-a-kind pouch, or even building out on your blocks to create panels large enough for garments, foundation paper piecing opens up endless possibilities for creative expression.
Want to add a bit of woodland magic to your next project? For a limited time, get this Toadstool FPP template FREE with the purchase of any pattern!)
But first...how does FPP work?
Foundation Paper Piecing is almost like a Paint-By-Number or collage - but with fabric! It works almost in reverse, though, by placing fabrics scraps on the back of your template, then stitching over the lines on the front of the paper. When each section, or foundation, is completed, you'll connect them together to create your finished, complete block, and then carefully rip the paper from the back (thanks to the perforations from sewing!) The precision comes from the piecing, and so there is no need to painstakingly cut and sort exact geometric pieces ahead of time, making the process very scrap-friendly.
We will share a look at the process step-by-step in our next post, but don't feel intimidated if the process seems a little confusing at first. Especially just reading the directions, it can be a bit of a mind-bender! But once you've perused these posts a couple of times, I highly suggest just jumping in, and giving it a go. There's nothing but a few scraps to lose! Doing it in real life will really help the process become clearer, and the helpful tips we provide here will help everything start to make sense.
What You’ll Need to Get Started With Foundation Paper Piecing
Ready to give FPP a try? You probably already have everything you need to get started - yay!
Here’s what you’ll need before you begin:
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- A FPP template - our Toadstool makes a great place to start, and will be featured in this post
- A small collection of fabric scraps in colours to make up your design - wovens work best, but feel free to get creative some with texture, prints, and more
- Lightweight paper - regular printer paper or specialty FPP paper both work
- Parchment or freezer paper (optional) - for larger templates, if you don't want glued paper seams in your templates
- A regular home sewing machine + printer
- Glue stick (optional) - to help keep fabric pieces positioned as you start to sew (a regular, washable glue stick from your children's art supplies works great!)
- A straight edge for trimming - a clear quilting ruler may be easiest to use, but nearly any ruler can work
- Scissors, or rotary blade and cutting mat
- "Finger presser", bone folder, seam roller, or straight edge (optional) - to help crease your paper + fabric folds
- Lightbox or bright window for positioning fabric (optional, but very helpful!)
- Iron and pressing surface
Anatomy of a FPP Pattern
When you open a FPP pattern for the first time, it may strike you odd that it looks more akin to a geometric paint-by-numbers than other sewing patterns you may be accustomed to. This is because the process is entirely different to a garment pattern, and even different than other quilting techniques.
FPP patterns will come with a collection of "foundations", which will be combined to make your complete block. Think of them as chunks of the whole picture, which will go together like building blocks. Some FPP patterns will only have a single foundation, and you'll create your full block at once - others will have multiples, to help different designs have the ability to come to life.
Our Toadstool FPP pattern, which we have created to accompany this post, features a few different foundations so you can experience how they come together.
Each foundation will be made up of a portion of the final motif, surrounded by a seam allowance. Each solid line in the foundation will become a seam between fabric pieces in your project; dotted lines denote a seam allowance. You'll notice, however, that those smaller sections of the motif don't have seam allowance included. This is because we will not be cutting out precise pieces ahead of time, as is often done - instead, we can use any scrap at random which is big enough to cover the needed area, without having to precisely cut at all. Neat, right?
Labelling will vary from source to source, but in T+T FPP blocks, you'll see each section labeled with a letter, and a number. The letter denotes which foundation it is a part of - A will come first, then B, and so on, which will help you piece the foundations together at the end. The letters describe which order you'll sew each piece on within the block, to successfully piece everything as needed.
You'll notice that, if you look at the seam line between subsequent sections, they are always joined by a single, straight line. This is why order is important - if you don't sew pieces on to the template in the correct order, you won't be able to sew them all together correctly. As far as these sections are concerned, you must follow the order to create your block successfully.
Beyond this, you'll find a few different sizes of blocks in most patterns, which will be separated into different files or layers, or differentiated by colours. We've done the latter, with the Toadstool pattern including four different purpose-made sizes - each corresponding to fit the different flap sizes and orientations of the Twig + Tale® Foraging Satchel. It makes for one great option for canvas for showing off your finished block.
Some helpful hints to get you started
As you begin, there are a number of ways you can help set yourself up for success that can be good to remember...
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- Especially as you are learning, it can be easiest to use non-directional fabrics, or let go of the notion of orienting the pieces of your fabric a specific direction. Over time you'll learn how to do this more easily - but as you start, it is much simpler not to have to worry about it.
- Always leave yourself plenty of margin around the pieces you are sewing, especially as you start out. This will mean a bit more waste in trimming, but a much easier time piecing things together.
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- Keeping all your seams trimmed as you work really is important, so the back of your block doesn't become messy and bulky.
- Consider using the colouring page in the pattern file to colour in your design, and transfer them to your printed FPP foundations, to help you visualise which colours you will need to use as you add each piece. Additionally, you can very roughly pre-cut your chunks, with the wrong side up, and stack them in order so that you don't have to worry about it as you work. (This tip will make a bit more sense as you read the step-by-step tutorial!)
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- Sew with a shorter-than-usual stitch length - somewhere around 1.5-2 usually works well. This keeps your pieces together more securely, and perforates the paper more for easier ripping.
- If you are having a hard time telling where things are lined up behind your paper template, using a window or lightbox can be really helpful.
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- Pre-fold your templates along each seam line to make them easier to do so later on.
- If your design includes multiple colours, consider using grey thread to do your sewing - it blends with nearly everything!
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- Scraps too small? Consider piecing multiple together to be large enough to cover the section, and then use them as if they were a single piece.
- Add even more texture to your final block by including pieces with pintucks, trims, stitching and more.
Feeling ready to tackle foundation paper piecing for yourself? Join us for part two of this Beginner's Guide to Foundation Paper Piecing to see how to make your first FPP block step by step!
