Is it crazy to do king-sized paper piecing?
#1
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Join Date: Mar 2020
Posts: 73
Is it crazy to do king-sized paper piecing?
Hi All! My plan is to make a king-sized quilt in 2021. I’ll be using batiks for the first time. Also, first king size quilt. I will be making a Storm at Sea. I don’t have a pattern. I found a picture and I figured I would just make the 8x8 and 8x4 and 4x 4 blocks on paper myself and do paper piecing for the first time.
But now I’m starting to doubt myself. It seems like paper piecing wastes a lot if fabric, and a king-sized quilt already uses tons of fabric. But I can’t seem to find a pattern online that uses larger sized blocks. They all seem to be small blocks. I want to do larger blocks to keep it proportional to the larger quilt.
Am I crazy to do this as a paper piecing project?
But now I’m starting to doubt myself. It seems like paper piecing wastes a lot if fabric, and a king-sized quilt already uses tons of fabric. But I can’t seem to find a pattern online that uses larger sized blocks. They all seem to be small blocks. I want to do larger blocks to keep it proportional to the larger quilt.
Am I crazy to do this as a paper piecing project?
#2
Super Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Alberta, Canada
Posts: 1,055
If you did it with the paperless method it wouldn’t be so bad. This video shows you how to do it. You don’t need the special presser foot that she shows.
https://youtu.be/LVVtIAuxtoU
https://youtu.be/LVVtIAuxtoU
#4
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Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Dallas, TX
Posts: 669
There are certain things I would only paper piece, but I have been pretty horrified at how much fabric is wasted. Not just a little...a lot. Additionally, a king size quilt with so many seams is going to be very heavy.
#5
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Join Date: Mar 2020
Posts: 73
Thanks for all of your responses.
I don’t have my heart set on doing it with paper piecing. I’d probably PREFER to do it traditional method. But I can’t seem to find instructions for cutting SAS the traditional method in large enough blocks.
I don’t have my heart set on doing it with paper piecing. I’d probably PREFER to do it traditional method. But I can’t seem to find instructions for cutting SAS the traditional method in large enough blocks.
#6
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Join Date: May 2011
Location: Pacific NW
Posts: 9,585
Paper piecing only wastes a lot of fabric if you let it. A SAS would be very easy to be *not* wasteful because all of the pieces are symmetrical. You can pre-cut them to be a little larger than you need, then trim them down once you get each seam sewn. You might ask, why bother with paper piecing them then? Because paper piecing will give you very accurate seams.
What size blocks were you thinking of making?
What size blocks were you thinking of making?
#8
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2020
Posts: 73
Paper piecing only wastes a lot of fabric if you let it. A SAS would be very easy to be *not* wasteful because all of the pieces are symmetrical. You can pre-cut them to be a little larger than you need, then trim them down once you get each seam sewn. You might ask, why bother with paper piecing them then? Because paper piecing will give you very accurate seams.
What size blocks were you thinking of making?
What size blocks were you thinking of making?
I’m planning on doing 8x8, 8x4, and 4x4 squares and rectangles.
#9
In the Quilt Chace there is a 12" SAS pattern https://www.quilterscache.com/S/StormAtSeaBlock.html. I don't know what size you are planning but it may be easier to have someone figure out the size you want in EQ8. I understand it is the best way to go and get the PP diagrams. I don't have EQ8 myself.
#10
Paper piecing only wastes a lot of fabric if you let it. A SAS would be very easy to be *not* wasteful because all of the pieces are symmetrical. You can pre-cut them to be a little larger than you need, then trim them down once you get each seam sewn. You might ask, why bother with paper piecing them then? Because paper piecing will give you very accurate seams.
What size blocks were you thinking of making?
What size blocks were you thinking of making?
I understand your desire to use larger blocks. However don't make them so large that the design of SAS is lost.