Find out what inspires Carol Doak, and why she loves foundation paper piecing. We had a chance to sit down and speak with her about quilting, and here favorite technique, and we think you’ll love getting to know her. Carol is the instructor of the online quilting class Mastering Foundation Paper Piecing at Bluprint. Watch this video, then be sure to check out her fantastic quilting class.
The main benefit of foundation paper piecing for quilters is that they can be assured they’re going to end up with a project they’re going to be proud of. The difference between foundation paper piecing and traditional quilting is it’s not an acquired skill; it’s a method. So it’s an acquired skill to be able to cut your fabric accurately, sew accurately, to be able to handle that fabric that shifts and moves accurately, to end up with accurate patchwork. With paper piecing it’s a method. Your fabrics can be big, as long as you can sew on a line and that paper supports everything and you’re creating your shapes by virtue of sewing on a line, it’s not an acquired skill, it’s a method. So someone who has never made a quilt before can be shown how to do a block and know that when they finish they’re going to end up with an accurate project. And nothing succeeds like success!
I mean even in my case, I introduced my granddaughter to it when she was about 8 years old, and she loved coming in, and she’d pick a block and we’d print it out and go in the sewing room and she’d make it. And she’d be thrilled to death because it was a nice looking block and she had done it well. So new quilters appreciate the fact that they succeed, and when they succeed they want to do more of it.
The more experienced quilters are able to achieve designs that they probably wouldn’t try if they had to make templates because you can get these unbelievably intricate accurate points that are easily achieved by cutting simple shapes. If I had to make all the different shapes for the quilt behind me I wouldn’t make them because it’s more work than I would probably want to put into it. So you have a simplified method that gives you the opportunity to create some really amazing intricate designs.
Come back to the Bluprint blog tomorrow to learn how to remove a paper piece with Carol.
So glad to have you back!!! Suanough