Paper Pierced Quilting

There was a class held the other day in which the Farmer’s Wife, Hannah, Mema, and their dear friend Debbie participated. It was held in the same building as the Farmer’s Fair each Summer. Yes, they were going to learn to quilt.

As she made her way in, the Farmer’s Wife stole a side glance at the empty kitchen. All those pies! Her stomach grumbled. Not now, she told it. You must wait until Summer.

There were tables set up in the room along the walls where the plugs were. All take their seats and set up their equipment, and by that, I mean their sewing machines, cutting mats, rotary cutters, and rulers. Not to mention the fabrics, threads, bobbins, and pins. Who knew taking a class took so much?!

The teacher arrived and said her hellos and how-do-you-do-s and received many in response. There are three different quilting blocks available, she told them, and all came to the center table to choose which one suited them best.

The Farmer’s Wife, Hannah, Mema, and their dear friend Debbie all picked one and the same: the economy block. It was simple, straightforward, and was the best one to show off all that pretty fabric they’d found rummaging through stores and in the Farmer’s Wife’s case her stock of old and needful things.

Now, be sure to tell that to the Farmer. That it was a good thing she kept all that old fabric. She knew there would be a day when it was a needful thing, and sure enough, that day had arrived.

The first step to paper piercing a quilt is to print out the pattern, which the teacher did for them. Seeing as you weren’t in the class, I’ve included one for you below.

“Now that you have your pattern,” the teacher said, “You’ll need to fold on each line back and forth, so the paper will remember how to behave itself when you get to the sewing part.”

“Now is the fun part,” she continued. “Choose which fabric will go where.”

All scrambled to their tables to decide. The Farmer’s Wife loves yellow, so that is what she has gone with. Hannah has chosen something bright and purple, and Mema has gone with Spring-ish hues. Their dear friend Debbie has choosen bold colors with splashes of flowers thrown here and there.

“With paper piercing,” the teacher went on. “You need to start at the beginning, with the number one and work your way out.”

The Farmer’s Wife (and all the others) cut out a large square, much bigger than the one on the paper. That was set in place with a pin, good sides facing out in both directions (you do need to see what you’re doing, after all).

“Now,” said she. “You will move onto to number two.”

The Farmer’s Wife looked up, alarmed. Number Two? But we haven’t finished with number one yet! There she sits pinned to nothing but paper. And now we move onto number two? Where is all this going?

But, since the teacher appeared to know more about paper-piercing than the Farmer’s Wife, she complied. She cut out four triangles slightly larger than the ones on her paper and pinned one in place, overlapping the fabric by a quarter of an inch, as the teacher had told her.

Isn’t there any sewing with paper pierced quilting? Or is it all just pinning paper to fabric? And if that’s the case, why? It would be so uncomfortable to sleep in a bed of pins. No. The Farmer’s Wife will not have it.

“And now,” the teacher continued. “You will place your piece, paper side up, on your machine and sew from a quarter inch past the inner squares outer edge all along one side until you reach the lines end. But don’t stop there-go another quarter inch past that.”

She traveled around the room to ensure each was performing their task correctly. She arrived at the Farmer’s Wife, who had just finished her first line. “Good. Now fold down the paper and trim any fabric that’s over a quarter inch past the edge. Once you’re done with that, iron open the seam and begin again with the next triangle on the next line in the square.”

The Farmer’s Wife ran off to comply. Soon two sides were sewn, then a third and a fourth. The square was completed, with all the triangles of step two surrounding it.

The teacher stopped again to survey. The Farmer’s Wife, Hannah, Mema, and their dear friend Debbie were all done with steps one and two.

“Now just continue on as you did with steps one and two, moving on to the triangles in step three.”

They got right to work; cutting out the triangles just slightly larger than the ones marked with a number three, pinning them right side out on the back of the paper, leaving a quarter inch overlap onto the fabric already sewn on, sewing along the line, beginning a quarter inch past and going a quarter inch past, folding the paper and cutting off any extra fabric beyond the quarter inch, ironing the seam open and beginning again until all four lines have been sewn, and, finally, trimming the completed square so it is the exact size and shape of the paper it’s sewn on to.

Now, all four had beautiful, quilted squares sewn onto paper. There were no more pins, but the Farmer’s Wife remained concerned. Who wants to sleep on crinkly, prickly paper? Not her, and certainly not the Farmer! What can be the meaning of this?

The teacher surveyed all and seeing all done continued, “Now, rip the paper off the square, and there, you will have your piece of good work, well done.”

The Farmer’s Wife got right to work. Soon her square was paper-free, and ready to be joined with many others in the way of a blanket or throw.

Hannah has decided to make hers into an oven mitt, while Mema plans to finish the quilt as a gift. Their dear friend Debbie was unsure what is to become of her square, and to this day, still has not decided.