Paper Piecing - Curves and Saving Fabric

Saving Fabric and Your Sanity While Paper Piecing

Here are some tips to make paper piecing all those triangles on a curve easier while saving fabric too.
Print an extra copy of the paper piecing template and cut it apart on the seam lines.

IMPORTANT STEP - Place your template pieces on the BACK of your fabric with the template’s print facing up so you can read it. You will be able to arrange them neatly to save fabric.

Cut the fabric a half inch bigger than the template pieces on all sides.Keep the templates with the fabric until you are ready to sew them so you don’t mix them up.

Keep the fabric and templates together in order that you will sew them.

Paper piece as you normally would following the printed template.

The pieces will line up nicely and trimming the seams will be quick and easy.

Paper Piecing Curves

Fold the outward facing curve, convex curve, in half and mark the center. Fold again and mark the quarters. Do the same for the inward facing curve, concave curve, of the piece it will be attaching to.

Pin the center and quarter marks first. Make sure the side edges are even all the way down before pinning them.


Fill in any additional pins as needed. There will be a lot of fabric pulled up.

Set the machine back to a regular stitch length and sew SLOWLY. Sink the needle and straighten the fabric as needed. Don’t pull on the fabric or you will stretch the bias edges. Sew close to the pins but don’t sew over them!
When finished, press the seam out towards the top of the block.

Repeat these steps until all the sections/rows of the block are sewn together.

Hope you learned a new trick or two!