mirish2

I also dislike removing paper. I use old (usually thin, because it came from my early quilting days) or some "ugly" fabic that I know longer like. However, this does add bulk to the quilt, so I often times do not use batting with these.

ManiacQuilter2

I prefer using cheap fabric for my foundation. It is the only thing that cheap fabric is good for.

Snooze2978

There is a washable embroidery stablizer out there you can use. Fairly sturdy till put into water. If used I'd cut out as much as you can beforehand as it could gum up your pipes otherwise. I buy it online by the bolt. Otherwise I use my thinnest muslin as a foundation.

brandeesmom

When I make String Quilts I use a thin interfacing and just leave it in....you can get this interfacing at Joann's on sale for about 50 cents a yd and I believe it is about 22 inches wide. When it goes on sale I buy the whole bolt. You can also use as a foundation for Crumb Quilts and Crazy Quilt blocks. It is soft, not stiff at all.

mom2boyz

I use- used dryer sheets. I have read all the pros and cons of this method but when I use the dryer sheets I just leave them in the dryer for the next load and the next and the next. They get very very soft & flimsy and have no odor whatsoever. I press them if needed and go from there. It adds very little stiffness to the quilt, yet holds together well.

illinois

Just wondering--how would it work to leave the paper from phone books in the quilt? Would it dissolve satisfactorily or be a problem with laundering? Some have discovered paper in very old quilts. Newspaper is a good insulator and is sometimes found in walls when buildings are being torn down. So am just wondering......

salemrabbits

I use old clean cotton, sometimes curtains and bedsheets. The thought of taking paper off doesn't appeal to me- and I have found that leaving the fabric is fine- does give it extra weight, but you can help that too by using a lighter batting

Ariannaquilts

I don't like removing paper either but I found that if I use parchment paper with a small stitch length it pulls right out. I started buying my parchment paper at the dollar store and then just cut it to the size I want I generally do the whole box. I like making my string blocks 12 1/2 inches so I can get that size easily, if I remember correctly I got maybe 20 blocks out of each box.

JustAbitCrazy

No one has mentioned this: I am making a selvedge quilt, and as I get selvedges, I sew them to a foundation square made of "Sediment Shield", which weighs next to nothing and won't have to be removed. It comes in different widths on a roll, and is used to line underground drainage pipes to keep dirt out of them. I bought it at Lowe's. A quilter friend who made a selvedge quilt, which was very heavy, told our guild about it, and planned to use it for her next selvedge quilt. So far I've only made squares, but I like it. Just don't hit it with an iron.

Jingle

You don't have to use a foundation. Just sew strips together, like three then sew three more together. Put 1st on top of 2nd, dew both sides and cut with a triangle ruler, sew together into blocks. This will make a regular quilt top.
I made a QAYG using backing square, W&N batting and sewed the strips to that, trimmed the top pieces to the size of the backing square. Sew the blocks together using a strip of fabric folded in half, Top Stitched to the front.
There is a tutorial on here how to make a QAYG like Ditter or something to that effect. I followed her instructions and it worked out very well.