Paper Piecing
Learn how to do paper piecing with this quick and easy tutorial. All you'll need is paper, a light box and a pattern. Design your own pattern for a unique project.
Paper Piecing Video:
Materials:
- Variety of papers (coordinate colors with pattern)
- Sharp scissors or craft knife
- Saral transfer paper or light box
- Pencil
- Glue
- Purchased pattern or design or your own pattern or design
Instructions:
- Review pattern and select colors and papers that are needed for each piece of the pattern.
- If your paper has a right side, you should trace the pattern onto the wrong side of the paper unless you are using the Saral transfer paper method. Saral’s transfer color is completely erasable.
- Trace piece patterns onto paper using Saral transfer paper. Use a light color of transfer paper for dark colored papers and a dark color of transfer paper for light colored papers.
- Another option: Place piece patterns onto light box. Place paper on top of the pattern and using the light source trace piece pattern onto paper.
- Cut out all your pieces. Arrange as the pattern.
- Glue pieces onto your background paper.
Tips:
- You can enlarge or reduced on a copier or computer.
- Using transfer paper takes away the light box step of tracing the paper pieces, but use a transfer paper that is erasable.
- Make your own patterns from clip art, coloring books or greeting cards. Just respect the copyright laws of the designer or publisher.
- Remember that most patterns or designs can be used in the reverse for 2 page spreads or mirror images.
- If just starting, use simple patterns and designs that don’t have dozens of small pieces, then challenge yourself with more complex designers.
- Don’t cut out all the pattern pieces from the original pattern. Make a copy to cut up and keep the pattern whole so that you won’t lose any pieces to your pattern.
- Use a variety of papers: tissue, mesh, plastic, cardstock, fabric, handmade, vellum, textured, patterned, decorative, heavy and lightweight, and scraps!
