Foundation Paper Piecing Series 4 - May

Published April 2026

Foundation Paper Piecing Series 4 continues with a single, striking flower motif for May — perfectly timed for Mother's Day, pieced in a soft batik-and-cotton combination and finished on a brand-new swappable craft display. Along the way, this installment doubles as a full walkthrough of foundation paper piecing basics for anyone still building confidence with the technique.

In this video, you'll learn:

• How the cut-and-sticker system keeps dozens of small fabric pieces organized by section letter and piecing order, before you ever thread a needle.
• The "back to back" rule for gluing your very first piece: back of the fabric against the back of the paper.
• Why a shortened 1.5mm stitch length paired with a fine Microtex 70/10 needle makes for cleaner paper removal later.
• How the Add-A-Quarter ruler set lets you trim and add each new piece without measuring, using its tapered edge and locking lip.
• Why it pays to wait until borders are added before removing any foundation paper, and how a change of thread color turns your quilting into part of the design.

Check the links for everything you need.

Introduction

This is the second project in Foundation Paper Piecing Series 4, and it scales back down to a single motif — after a four-motif design in Series 2 and a three-motif design in Series 3. May's flower is a natural fit for Mother's Day, pieced in a lovely combination of batik and cotton fabrics, and finished on a brand-new swappable craft display with a dowel back and hanging sleeve that lets you rotate in a new motif each month.

Kits include everything you need, printed foundation papers included. Beyond the exact fabrics and backing shown here and a tested, full-color pattern, your kit includes the foundation papers already printed — a real advantage over many foundation paper piecing books and patterns, which leave you to print your own at home or track down a print shop.

Cutting and Organizing Your Fabric

Before any sewing begins, your instruction sheet identifies exactly which fabric is which and exactly what size to cut it, before you ever make your first cut.

1. Add sizing to your fabric and press it flat, then put a fresh blade in your rotary cutter before you start.
2. Cut each piece to the size given and apply its matching sticker immediately — the stickers are numbered in the same sequence you're cutting in.
3. Once everything is cut and stickered, sort your pieces into groups by section letter (A, B, C, and so on) and keep each group in numerical order within itself.
4. Roughly cut your paper foundation apart by section as well, so you're only ever working with one section's paper and fabrics at a time — save the precise trim along the outermost line for later.

Back to Back: Gluing Your First Piece

Every section begins the same way, with its lowest-numbered piece glued into place rather than pinned.

1. Remember "back to back": the back of your fabric goes against the back of the paper, which means your pretty side faces down and away from you as you place it.
2. Run a line of glue — a glue pen or glue stick only, never a liquid glue — and position your fabric so it covers the full footprint of that piece plus a quarter inch of margin all the way around.

The Stitch-and-Trim Rhythm

From here, the Add-A-Quarter ruler set and a shortened stitch length carry you through every remaining piece in the section.

1. Fold the paper back along your next sewing line and set the ruler's tapered edge against that fold, letting its locking lip hook in to hold the ruler steady while you trim away the excess.
2. Position your next piece right sides together against the trimmed edge, holding it up to the light to confirm a full quarter inch of coverage before pinning and flipping to sew.
3. Shorten your stitch length to 1.5mm — well below a typical 2.5mm default — whenever you're sewing through paper you'll remove later. The extra thread in a given distance perforates the paper for cleaner removal.
4. A fine Microtex 70/10 needle pairs well with this shortened stitch — remember that with needles, the lower the number, the finer the needle.
5. Press each seam before moving to the next piece, using a Clover Roll & Press in place of an iron if you're sharing one at a retreat.

Joining Sections on the Pre-Drawn Line

Once each section is complete, trim it along its outermost line and join it to its neighboring sections.

1. Wherever two sections meet, a line is already drawn for you at the correct quarter inch — there's no need to measure your own seam allowance.
2. Stack the sections right sides together and sew directly on that drawn line, letting the pattern do the work of locating your seam allowance for you.
3. Press following the arrows printed on your pattern.

Add Your Borders Before Removing the Paper

Once your motif is complete, resist the urge to start peeling away the foundation paper — it's still doing important work.

1. Add your side borders first, sewing from the paper side rather than the border side so you're always working directly on that same pre-drawn quarter-inch seam line.
2. Add your top and bottom borders the same way, pressing away from the block as you go.
3. Only once every border is on should you begin tearing the paper away — leaving it in place until now keeps the block stable through all of this handling.
4. For tight corners your fingers can't reach, gypsy tweezers pull out every last scrap cleanly — just keep them away from young hands, since they're quite sharp.

Layering and Quilting for an Embossed Look

With the paper removed, secure a layer of Cali Del Fusible Fleece to the back of your block, add your backing fabric pretty side down, and baste your quilt sandwich together.

1. Stitch in the ditch only where your binding will land later; for the rest of the design, stitch directly along the seams themselves so your thread choices show.
2. Keep the same thread color in your bobbin to match your backing fabric, and switch out your top thread color as you move from section to section — a colorful contrast to the white, gray, or black thread most patchwork gets sewn with.
3. Stitching directly along the seam lines this way gives the finished motif a raised, embossed look.

Between printed foundation papers already included in your kit and a stitch-trim-press rhythm that repeats no matter how many pieces a section has, this technique gets easier every time you sit down with it.

Pick up your Add-A-Quarter ruler set, some Cali Del Fusible Fleece, and any other notions you need for the next project.

For personal use only, not for commercial production. No part of this pattern may be reproduced, shared, or distributed in any form unless given express written consent by Shabby Fabrics. Not to be used with any online classes or video tutorials other than the official Shabby Fabrics tutorial. All designs, photographs, and images are protected by federal copyright law. All rights reserved.