Why do they tell you to do this?

I know exactly what your talking about Lia. I want badly to be able to fpp
but have yet to master it. There is something in my brain that just doesn't
comprehend it at all. I need someone to show me and then I'll master it.
I'll keep saving the fpp patterns that I love until I find someone that has
the time to show me how it's done and then............I'm off and running
with it!
Shelly
"Julia Altshuler" wrote in message
news:NE%0c.18433$ko6.214954@attbi_s02...


I tried to get it by following directions step by step. The part that
tripped me up was always the part about how big to cut the fabric. The
instructions would say something along the lines of cutting the piece
large enough to cover the next area plus seam allowance. It makes sense
to me now, but at the time, it was incomprehensible. If you get there
and have trouble, just cut an oversize piece. Foundation piecing does
waste fabric in a way that traditional piecing does not. It saves on
not having to make templates, do math or fumble with accuracy. I now do
both depending on what's easiest for the particular block I'm making.


I'm always interested in how different minds work, the way one person
will understand a sewing method that depends on working in 3 dimensions
or having something come out in reverse or turning something over so you
sew on one side and have it come out on the other. Those are all the
things that drive me nuts though I have little trouble with the math.
Working with fractions and adding seam allowances is a proverbial piece
of cake for me. I believe that's why I took to quilting the first time
I tried it. Quilting is basically working in small flat surfaces unlike
finding addresses which is large flat surfaces or fitting dresses which
has the element of 3 dimensions. I'd never been interested in any sort
of sewing before. Well, I'd been interested enough to try but not
enough to finish one project and go on to the next.


The teaching method that seems to work when someone isn't stupid but is
having trouble with concepts in one area is rote memorization. That's
what you and I are doing with paper piecing. Not able to wrap our minds
around this business of having the pattern on one side with the fabric
on the other, we memorize what to do without understanding why we're
doing it. After we've done it enough times, the understanding comes
later. I've seen that happen with students and math. They don't really
get what's going on with those fractions and what's happening that
multiplying by 1/3 is the same as dividing by 3. That's a hard concept,
but if you use it enough, it starts to become apparent why it works, why
it is the same thing.


--Lia

Gosh I wish I could get with you Shelly and Lia to help you with foundation
paper piecing. I'd love to help! Did you happen to look at the website I
included in an earlier message? It's the "butterfly trick" at the Paper
Panache website. I couldn't paper piece worth a darn before I saw this. I
spent more time unstitching my pieces than I did constructing my block. I
guess I've become a disciple for the "butterfly trick".

Oh, I've added a quilt to my webshots that has quite a bit of paper piecing
on it.


--
Kathyl yup, that's an L

http://community.webshots.com/user/kathylquiltz

I think I missed it! Could you post it again please? Maybe that'll help!
Shelly
"KJ" wrote in message
news:Ei11c.20641$ko6.215889@attbi_s02...
Gosh I wish I could get with you Shelly and Lia to help you with
foundation
paper piecing. I'd love to help! Did you happen to look at the website I
included in an earlier message? It's the "butterfly trick" at the Paper
Panache website. I couldn't paper piece worth a darn before I saw this.
I
spent more time unstitching my pieces than I did constructing my block. I
guess I've become a disciple for the "butterfly trick".

Oh, I've added a quilt to my webshots that has quite a bit of paper
piecing
on it.


--
Kathyl yup, that's an L

http://community.webshots.com/user/kathylquiltz

"KJ" wrote in message It's the "butterfly trick" at
the Paper
Panache website.

Thanks KJ. I've been practising this afternoon with the "butterfly trick"
and think I 'm getting the hang of it. I think a third hand would be useful
for certain parts of it.

There's me thinking that the Kathleen Guerrier mini-quilt was going to be a
piece of cake and what did she mean by rating it as needing intermediate
skill levels. I'm going to get the templates etc cut out before I lose my
nerve.

Julia; you are SO right about things making sense only after repeated
exposure to them. I'm a teacher and so many times I've had the experience of
standing at the board, explaining something that I'm not 100% sure of and
having it suddenly make perfect sense. If only the students always found the
same thing !

Sue

Shelly,
Let me know when you want a lesson and when we can manage to get together. I'd
be glad to show you how to do FPP. It is a bit of a twist to the mind but not
that difficult.

Pati, in Phx.

shelly wrote:

I know exactly what your talking about Lia. I want badly to be able to fpp
but have yet to master it. There is something in my brain that just doesn't
comprehend it at all. I need someone to show me and then I'll master it.
I'll keep saving the fpp patterns that I love until I find someone that has
the time to show me how it's done and then............I'm off and running
with it!
Shelly
"Julia Altshuler" wrote in message
news:NE%0c.18433$ko6.214954@attbi_s02...


I tried to get it by following directions step by step. The part that
tripped me up was always the part about how big to cut the fabric. The
instructions would say something along the lines of cutting the piece
large enough to cover the next area plus seam allowance. It makes sense
to me now, but at the time, it was incomprehensible. If you get there
and have trouble, just cut an oversize piece. Foundation piecing does
waste fabric in a way that traditional piecing does not. It saves on
not having to make templates, do math or fumble with accuracy. I now do
both depending on what's easiest for the particular block I'm making.


I'm always interested in how different minds work, the way one person
will understand a sewing method that depends on working in 3 dimensions
or having something come out in reverse or turning something over so you
sew on one side and have it come out on the other. Those are all the
things that drive me nuts though I have little trouble with the math.
Working with fractions and adding seam allowances is a proverbial piece
of cake for me. I believe that's why I took to quilting the first time
I tried it. Quilting is basically working in small flat surfaces unlike
finding addresses which is large flat surfaces or fitting dresses which
has the element of 3 dimensions. I'd never been interested in any sort
of sewing before. Well, I'd been interested enough to try but not
enough to finish one project and go on to the next.


The teaching method that seems to work when someone isn't stupid but is
having trouble with concepts in one area is rote memorization. That's
what you and I are doing with paper piecing. Not able to wrap our minds
around this business of having the pattern on one side with the fabric
on the other, we memorize what to do without understanding why we're
doing it. After we've done it enough times, the understanding comes
later. I've seen that happen with students and math. They don't really
get what's going on with those fractions and what's happening that
multiplying by 1/3 is the same as dividing by 3. That's a hard concept,
but if you use it enough, it starts to become apparent why it works, why
it is the same thing.


--Lia

You are right about there being times you could use an extra hand to hold
everything together to get it under the needle. I have been known to throw
a pin into the pattern just to keep it all smooth and organized until I get
the sewing machine lined up. I also use the add-a-quarter ruler to trim all
the seam lines (around each pattern piece) before adding the next piece. It
keeps everything neat and tidy and you avoid any dark fabrics showing
through light ones.


--
Kathyl yup, that's an L

http://community.webshots.com/user/kathylquiltz


"Mosiacquilter" wrote in message
news:TW31c.2380$GQ.638@newsfe1-win...

"KJ" wrote in message It's the "butterfly trick" at
the Paper
Panache website.

Thanks KJ. I've been practising this afternoon with the "butterfly trick"
and think I 'm getting the hang of it. I think a third hand would be
useful
for certain parts of it.

I'd love to get together sometime just to get away from here for a while!
lol I guess it would have to be on a weekend though because I'd have to get
dh to bring me to Phoenix. (I've never been that far from my new home yet.)
lol I don't venture out much around here.
Shelly
"Pati Cook" wrote in message
...
Shelly,
Let me know when you want a lesson and when we can manage to get together.
I'd
be glad to show you how to do FPP. It is a bit of a twist to the mind but
not
that difficult.

Pati, in Phx.

shelly wrote:

I know exactly what your talking about Lia. I want badly to be able to
fpp
but have yet to master it. There is something in my brain that just
doesn't
comprehend it at all. I need someone to show me and then I'll master it.
I'll keep saving the fpp patterns that I love until I find someone that
has
the time to show me how it's done and then............I'm off and
running
with it!
Shelly
"Julia Altshuler" wrote in message
news:NE%0c.18433$ko6.214954@attbi_s02...


I tried to get it by following directions step by step. The part that
tripped me up was always the part about how big to cut the fabric.
The
instructions would say something along the lines of cutting the piece
large enough to cover the next area plus seam allowance. It makes
sense
to me now, but at the time, it was incomprehensible. If you get there
and have trouble, just cut an oversize piece. Foundation piecing does
waste fabric in a way that traditional piecing does not. It saves on
not having to make templates, do math or fumble with accuracy. I now
do
both depending on what's easiest for the particular block I'm making.


I'm always interested in how different minds work, the way one person
will understand a sewing method that depends on working in 3
dimensions
or having something come out in reverse or turning something over so
you
sew on one side and have it come out on the other. Those are all the
things that drive me nuts though I have little trouble with the math.
Working with fractions and adding seam allowances is a proverbial
piece
of cake for me. I believe that's why I took to quilting the first
time
I tried it. Quilting is basically working in small flat surfaces
unlike
finding addresses which is large flat surfaces or fitting dresses
which
has the element of 3 dimensions. I'd never been interested in any
sort
of sewing before. Well, I'd been interested enough to try but not
enough to finish one project and go on to the next.


The teaching method that seems to work when someone isn't stupid but
is
having trouble with concepts in one area is rote memorization. That's
what you and I are doing with paper piecing. Not able to wrap our
minds
around this business of having the pattern on one side with the fabric
on the other, we memorize what to do without understanding why we're
doing it. After we've done it enough times, the understanding comes
later. I've seen that happen with students and math. They don't
really
get what's going on with those fractions and what's happening that
multiplying by 1/3 is the same as dividing by 3. That's a hard
concept,
but if you use it enough, it starts to become apparent why it works,
why
it is the same thing.


--Lia

Perhaps sheeting material, or thin muslin (calico in UK I think) would
work for you better than the thick cotton. Thin enough to see
through, but not paper so you won't have to remove it later. Perhaps
you can use the thick stuff for a crazy quilt foundation, or for light
colored neutral block pieces for a rustic quilt later.

On Tue, 2 Mar 2004 08:05:35 +0000, Patti
wrote:

Hullo Sue
What the others have said! You absolutely do need to see the pencil
lines clearly to sew on them. And, you do need to be able to see
through the foundation, whether paper or fabric, in order to get your
pieces added in the right way.
I will add that I have never liked foundation piecing onto fabric -
though I love FPP itself and have done a great deal of it. I wonder if
it would be easier for you to accept the processes if you tried one on
paper, just as an experiment. I realise that does involve you in the
'getting rid of the paper stage'. To help you with that: if you score
all the seams with a ruler and the back of your stitch ripper, they come
off beautifully cleanly. It takes a minute, but so does scratching away
at the paper to get the last tiny pieces off!!
If you have a lot of the thick cotton, perhaps you might like to try a
flip and sew method of making a quilt? That way you piece and quilt at
the same time.
.
In article 0jO0c.2455$zu.1503@newsfe1-win, Mosiacquilter
writes
Ladies, I'm a slow, new-to-machinequilting quilter and have been lurking for
some time now. It's given me a lot of respect for your collective wisdom.
Please can you help ?

My problem; I've found a wall-hanging in the Kathleen Guerrier Little Book
of Little Quilts which I'd like to make, ( the Plain Sailing one). It's
foundation pieced with beach huts and sailing boats.

The instructions tell you to trace the outline of the beach huts and sailing
boats onto calico and then " turn the foundation fabric over to the side you
have not drawn on and place the first piece of fabric right side up over the
position of the centre square. Hold the calico up to the light to ensure the
placement is correct."

I'm sure I'm missing something here but why turn the foundation fabric over
? The pattern is symmetrical, I can't see how the pencil lines where you
trace the template will be seen when the block is finished and it seems to
make the whole thing unnecessarily complicated. I've got masses of fairly
thick unbleached cotton that I'd like to use for foundation but I can't
really see through it that well.

My family can't see it either !

Thanks,

Sue from Oxford, England



Debra in VA

Just let me know.......... grin.
Have to clear space in the house, or we can meet at a quilt shop or wherever.
Maybe one of these days I could come up to see you. It has been a while since I
have been up to the Sedona area.
Pati, in Phx


shelly wrote:

I'd love to get together sometime just to get away from here for a while!
lol I guess it would have to be on a weekend though because I'd have to get
dh to bring me to Phoenix. (I've never been that far from my new home yet.)
lol I don't venture out much around here.
Shelly
"Pati Cook" wrote in message
...
Shelly,
Let me know when you want a lesson and when we can manage to get together.
I'd
be glad to show you how to do FPP. It is a bit of a twist to the mind but
not
that difficult.

Pati, in Phx.

shelly wrote:

I know exactly what your talking about Lia. I want badly to be able to
fpp
but have yet to master it. There is something in my brain that just
doesn't
comprehend it at all. I need someone to show me and then I'll master it.
I'll keep saving the fpp patterns that I love until I find someone that
has
the time to show me how it's done and then............I'm off and
running
with it!
Shelly
"Julia Altshuler" wrote in message
news:NE%0c.18433$ko6.214954@attbi_s02...


I tried to get it by following directions step by step. The part that
tripped me up was always the part about how big to cut the fabric.
The
instructions would say something along the lines of cutting the piece
large enough to cover the next area plus seam allowance. It makes
sense
to me now, but at the time, it was incomprehensible. If you get there
and have trouble, just cut an oversize piece. Foundation piecing does
waste fabric in a way that traditional piecing does not. It saves on
not having to make templates, do math or fumble with accuracy. I now
do
both depending on what's easiest for the particular block I'm making.


I'm always interested in how different minds work, the way one person
will understand a sewing method that depends on working in 3
dimensions
or having something come out in reverse or turning something over so
you
sew on one side and have it come out on the other. Those are all the
things that drive me nuts though I have little trouble with the math.
Working with fractions and adding seam allowances is a proverbial
piece
of cake for me. I believe that's why I took to quilting the first
time
I tried it. Quilting is basically working in small flat surfaces
unlike
finding addresses which is large flat surfaces or fitting dresses
which
has the element of 3 dimensions. I'd never been interested in any
sort
of sewing before. Well, I'd been interested enough to try but not
enough to finish one project and go on to the next.


The teaching method that seems to work when someone isn't stupid but
is
having trouble with concepts in one area is rote memorization. That's
what you and I are doing with paper piecing. Not able to wrap our
minds
around this business of having the pattern on one side with the fabric
on the other, we memorize what to do without understanding why we're
doing it. After we've done it enough times, the understanding comes
later. I've seen that happen with students and math. They don't
really
get what's going on with those fractions and what's happening that
multiplying by 1/3 is the same as dividing by 3. That's a hard
concept,
but if you use it enough, it starts to become apparent why it works,
why
it is the same thing.


--Lia

That would be great too! I don't have any friends here yet. I don't get out
much except to go buy groceries or when I need something for the house. I
really don't like this place at all! I'd much rather be back at "home". This
is definitely NOT my home, or a place I want to be. I plan on staying here
until October and then I'm outta here. ;o)))

I love to fish and there is NO water here to be seen anywhere!What these
folks here call a river, we called a branch at home! Definitely not a place
I want to be. I can say that ds's allergies have vanished since coming here
though. That is a plus and one thing I don't miss at all. Not a Dr's visit
one, have we had to make since being here. I hadn't noticed it until he
mentioned that he hadn't been sick once since we moved. That's the ONLY good
thing that I've found here. lol
Shelly
"Pati Cook" wrote in message
...
Just let me know.......... grin.
Have to clear space in the house, or we can meet at a quilt shop or
wherever.
Maybe one of these days I could come up to see you. It has been a while
since I
have been up to the Sedona area.
Pati, in Phx


shelly wrote:

I'd love to get together sometime just to get away from here for a
while!
lol I guess it would have to be on a weekend though because I'd have to
get
dh to bring me to Phoenix. (I've never been that far from my new home
yet.)
lol I don't venture out much around here.
Shelly
"Pati Cook" wrote in message
...
Shelly,
Let me know when you want a lesson and when we can manage to get
together.
I'd
be glad to show you how to do FPP. It is a bit of a twist to the mind
but
not
that difficult.

Pati, in Phx.

shelly wrote:

I know exactly what your talking about Lia. I want badly to be able
to
fpp
but have yet to master it. There is something in my brain that just
doesn't
comprehend it at all. I need someone to show me and then I'll master
it.
I'll keep saving the fpp patterns that I love until I find someone
that
has
the time to show me how it's done and then............I'm off and
running
with it!
Shelly
"Julia Altshuler" wrote in message
news:NE%0c.18433$ko6.214954@attbi_s02...


I tried to get it by following directions step by step. The part
that
tripped me up was always the part about how big to cut the fabric.
The
instructions would say something along the lines of cutting the
piece
large enough to cover the next area plus seam allowance. It makes
sense
to me now, but at the time, it was incomprehensible. If you get
there
and have trouble, just cut an oversize piece. Foundation piecing
does
waste fabric in a way that traditional piecing does not. It saves
on
not having to make templates, do math or fumble with accuracy. I
now
do
both depending on what's easiest for the particular block I'm
making.


I'm always interested in how different minds work, the way one
person
will understand a sewing method that depends on working in 3
dimensions
or having something come out in reverse or turning something over
so
you
sew on one side and have it come out on the other. Those are all
the
things that drive me nuts though I have little trouble with the
math.
Working with fractions and adding seam allowances is a proverbial
piece
of cake for me. I believe that's why I took to quilting the first
time
I tried it. Quilting is basically working in small flat surfaces
unlike
finding addresses which is large flat surfaces or fitting dresses
which
has the element of 3 dimensions. I'd never been interested in any
sort
of sewing before. Well, I'd been interested enough to try but not
enough to finish one project and go on to the next.


The teaching method that seems to work when someone isn't stupid
but
is
having trouble with concepts in one area is rote memorization.
That's
what you and I are doing with paper piecing. Not able to wrap our
minds
around this business of having the pattern on one side with the
fabric
on the other, we memorize what to do without understanding why
we're
doing it. After we've done it enough times, the understanding
comes
later. I've seen that happen with students and math. They don't
really
get what's going on with those fractions and what's happening that
multiplying by 1/3 is the same as dividing by 3. That's a hard
concept,
but if you use it enough, it starts to become apparent why it
works,
why
it is the same thing.


--Lia