| Foundation
Piecing (page 1 of 2)
Whether you enjoy piecing by hand or by machine, you'll find that foundation piecing is
for you. Texas quiltmaker Miriam Neuringer loves foundation piecing and
designing quilt blocks that use this easy technique. A self-taught quilter, Miriam has
been quilting for more than a decade She and her husband, Jim Salamon, are the co-owners
of Quilt-Pro Systems, Inc. and the Foundation Factory. They reside with their daughter,
Amy, in the Dallas area. To learn more about Miriam, please visit her at The Meeting Place and view her quilts
in The Gallery.
Using a foundation for the Airplane Sampler, found on page 18 of Miriam's book Favorite
Foundation Pieced Minis: Book II, let's go through each step.
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- This is the marked foundation. (#1)
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- Center the first piece of fabric, right side up, on section 1 (airplane fuselage) on the
unmarked side of the foundation. Make sure that the raw edges of the fabric extend well
beyond the seamline on all sides. Holding the foundation up to a light will allow you to
see the marked line through the foundation material thus helping to place the fabric piece
in the correct position. A dab of glue from a glue stick, or a pin placed on the marked
side of the foundation, will secure this section in place until the next section is added.
(#2)
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- Select fabric for section 2 (sky). Because you will be sewing on an angle, the fabric
should be at least 1/2" larger, on all sides, than the space that it will cover.
Place the fabric for section 2, right sides together, with the first piece of fabric
(fuselage). The seam allowance should extend 1/2" beyond the stitching line. (#3)
To determine exactly where to place the fabric: Hold the foundation in your hands with
the unmarked side facing you. On the marked side of the foundation, place one finger at
each corner of the stitching line.
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- Use your thumbs to hold the second fabric, right sides together, with the first fabric.
You can now tip the foundation and fabric back and forth to easily see both sides of the
foundation. Use your thumbs to slide the second fabric into the proper position for
sewing. (#4)
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- You may want to place a pin on the seamline. Then you can fold the fabric piece over to
make sure that it will cover the section and extend beyond all stitching lines. Because
this piece is at the edge of the block, it should also extend beyond the broken line on
the foundation. Fold the fabric piece back and remove the pin. (#5)
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- If needed, pin fabric into place before sewing, placing the pin on the marked side of
the foundation. (#6)
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- Carefully place the foundation and fabric on your sewing machine with the marked side of
the foundation facing up. (#7)
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- Sew on the line between section 1 and section 2, extending the stitching past the
beginning and end of the line by a few stitches. (#8)
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| Go to PAGE 2 |
Back to Current Quilting "How-To" Class.
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