Foundation Piecing

(Thanks for sticking around readers during my dry spell and these bad night time iPone photos!  If you come back later this week, I will have a giveaway on my blog and on IG for your sticktoitness.)

What use a phone book these days?  

Certainly not for looking up phone numbers.  I bet some of you have never even opened one of these bricks.  In the olden days of the 90's (that's 1990's not 1890's) we actually had to find a phone number we wanted without Google.

I kept a book for purposes other than phone numbers

You can use these pages for foundation piecing blocks

String Block

My original tutorial for this block is here

I wanted to go with a wonky look for a string block I made recently, I wrote up the steps to make this popular String Block Wonky version

Frist cut your foundation phone book pages 6 1/2" - this is the size of each 1/4 section of the block (Of course you can use other foundation paper, some use graph paper, copy paper, tissue paper, anything you can tear.  Phone book paper is very thin and easy to tear.)

You'll need strips of scraps in your colors, these can also be random colors, and the strips should vary in widths.  

A solid strip for the center is usually 1" wide, but you can chose a wider version.  For this particular block I chose a black solid for the center strip that is 1" wide

You can glue stick this down on your paper, I just center it and hold it in place myself.  This piece is placed right side up

This paper is thin enough you don't need to lower your stitch length when stitching.  But you can if you prefer.  I leave mine at the normal stitch length

Chose your first strip and lay it right sides together on top of the black, and stitch one side through the foundation paper.  Press 

To make this block wonky, place your next strip off of the seam line, creating an off center seam line

Personally, going through the steps after the first strip is added, I fold back my foundation paper, not sewing through it.  It is there for you to follow the shape.  Sewing through gives you slightly more stability, but I don't think it's needed on such a small piece.  This is a personal choice after making several of these blocks, so it is up to you if you want to do this or sew through the foundation paper

You can trim off some of the excess as you go, I use scissors, I'm not getting up next to the foundation piece, just cutting off what is hanging way over

Now keep adding strips to one side, I make one side of the center black strip at a time, you can go back and forth if that way works for you

The back looks like this when you sew through the foundation just on the center black strip

After you have both sides together of the 1/4 section, trim to the 6 1/2" size of the foundation piece

Removing the paper is simple, it tears so easily, and quicker if you only made the two seams on the black strip

Sew the four sections together

Wonky String Block

Keep Calm and Quilt On!

Mary