Foundation Paper Piecing Series 4 - July

Published June 2026

Learn how to foundation paper piece the July flag block in this step-by-step tutorial with Jen at Shabby Fabrics! This video is for quilters looking to achieve precise points and perfect blocks using the FPP technique, especially for intricate designs like this patriotic flag.

Check the links for everything you need.

---

Introduction

America is a young country, but we've done a great deal with the time we've been given, and it's a pleasure to celebrate that heritage in fabric.

The fabrics took real thought, including a wonderful print with words on it that wraps the whole project up. Five different fabric companies are represented in this one, chosen simply because they looked best together.

This project suits a display stand or a 12" French curl. The French curl is a classic that works with all twelve months of the series. If you have a spot near your sewing machine or at an office, it's a lovely way to display a small project without giving up table space.

---

What You'll Need

From your kit

• Full color pattern with assembly instructions and hanging sleeve guidance
• Carol Doak foundation papers, sections A through H
• Numbered stickers
• Fabrics for the block, borders, backing, and binding

From your sewing room

• Add-A-Quarter Plus ruler. The two pack in yellow or pink gives you the 6" and the 12", and you'll want the longer one for projects with longer angles.
• Sewline glue pen. It dries clear, it's water soluble, and refills are available.
• Light pad or light box
• Schmetz Microtex size 70 needle
• Rotary cutter with a fresh blade, or scissors, for separating your sections
• Patchwork pins
• Iron, or a Clover Roll and Press
• Gypsy Quilter presser bar and clapper combination
• Gypsy Quilter tweezers, for paper in the corners
• Callie Del fusible fleece
• Three piece coordinating thread set

---

Getting Organized

Being organized from the very beginning is what increases your accuracy and, honestly, your enjoyment of the whole process.

This project has eight sections, A through H. A recent retreat class used a project with only two. The number makes no real difference, because you always work on one section at a time.

Step 1: Separate your sections

Take a rotary cutter or scissors and cut the foundation papers apart, so you're only ever handling one section.

Step 2: Press and check your blade

Identify your fabrics against the full color instructions. Cream, blue one, blue two, red one, red two. Each has very specific cuts associated with it, and the color pattern makes them unmistakable.

Press everything out flat, and put a fresh blade in your rotary cutter if it's been a while.

Step 3: Cut and sticker

Work straight down the cutting list. The first cut from the cream is a 2.5" x 14", sub cut to a 2.5" x 4.5" for B3, and the very first sticker on the sheet is B3. The next cut makes three pieces at 2.5" x 1.5" for A1, B1, and C1, and there they are on the sheet.

The stickers sync to the cutting sequence on purpose. That's a carefully coordinated bit of work, not a coincidence. Cut, sticker, and move on. When the sheet is empty and every piece of fabric is labeled, you're done with that step.

Step 4: Group by section

Gather all your A pieces, all your B pieces, and so on, and put each group in numerical order. Section H runs H1 through H7. Keep each stack with its own foundation paper.

Once that's done, you're nearly finished with the pattern until much later, when the sections start coming together.

---

Placing the First Piece

The first piece of every section gets glued down. A1, B1, C1, and on through H1.

Back to back is the phrase to hold onto. The back of the fabric goes to the back of the paper, so the printed side stays facing you. It's the detail that slips away when you've been off foundation paper piecing for a while.

1. Hold the fabric against the back of the paper and take it to your light source.
2. Check that it covers the whole shape plus .25" all the way around. The lightly drawn line is what your fabric needs to reach. Everything beyond that is just extra paper.
3. Adjust until you have that margin on every side.
4. Apply a small amount of glue and press down.

Go easy with the glue, and choose one that dries clear. The papers come off later, so there's no need to be generous with it. A water soluble fabric glue pen is the right choice. A children's craft glue can leave a tint behind that shows through a light fabric even after the paper is gone.

A light pad matters more than it might seem. Holding your work up to a window is wonderful on a sunny afternoon, but quilting happens in the evening too.

---

The Trim, Sew, Press Rhythm

Everything from now on is three moves, repeated. Trim, Sew, Press. Think of a teaspoon in a recipe and the order stays with you.

The Add-A-Quarter Plus has a tapered edge and a lip edge, and you use both.

Trim

1. Find the line between the piece you're on and the piece you're adding. Starting at H1, that's the line to H2.
2. Place the tapered edge slightly to the left of that line and fold the paper back directly on it.
3. Give it a nice firm crease, then look at it. If the fold went askew, unfold and do it again.
4. Turn the ruler around so the lip locks into the fold.
5. Trim.

Audition before you sew

Place your next piece right sides together against the trimmed edge, then check it before committing.

1. Hold the piece down with your fingers and flip it over, simulating the quarter inch seam.
2. Look at where it lands. Does it cover its shape with margin to spare?
3. If it barely reaches, scoot it and check again.

Assuming you know where a piece goes is what gets you into trouble. An unusual angle will fool your instinct into placing a piece the wrong way round, and a longer piece often needs its length running where you didn't expect. Checking takes seconds. Unpicking a 1.5mm stitch length does not, and you'll likely tear the paper doing it.

Some quilters prefer to fold the paper back the other way to check coverage instead. That works too, so use whichever way of looking at it makes more sense to you.

Sew

Pinch the piece in place, pin from the front so nothing moves, and take it to the machine.

Use a Microtex size 70 needle, finer than your usual patchwork needle, which perforates the paper beautifully. Sew at a 1.5 stitch length, considerably shorter than the usual 2.5. That perforation makes the paper easy to remove, and the extra thread in a given distance means removing the paper doesn't disturb your stitches.

Press

An iron does the job, and a Clover Roll and Press is an excellent alternative. It's popular at retreats where four makers are sharing one iron, and it's a good answer at home if there are little ones about and you'd rather the iron stayed put away.

Then start again. Fold back, trim, audition, pin, sew, press. That's the rhythm.

---

Where to Start and Stop Your Seams

Many seams let you sew straight across from one edge to the other. Some don't, and knowing the difference saves you trouble.

Look at section A. Going from A1 to A2, you can't simply zip across the whole side, because A3 sits in the way. In that case, start one or two stitches before the line, sew directly on the line, and sew straight off the end.

Be mindful of where you can sew and where you can't. On a section with several pieces meeting, look at the line before you start and decide whether it runs edge to edge or whether something sits beyond it. Once a section opens up, you can zip straight across again.

---

Trimming Your Sections

With every piece attached, the section looks a bit goofy around the edges. Cutting it out is one of the most satisfying parts of the whole process.

Trim on the outermost printed line. Most corners are a straightforward 90 degrees, but you'll find small jogs along the way.

Those little jogs are not printing errors. They're engineered on purpose so that one section clicks into the next like puzzle pieces. Cut them carefully and they'll be your best friends when the sections come together.

Leave the papers on. The markings tell you which side joins which section, the paper stabilizes all that fabric, and it's giving you a .25" seam allowance the entire time.

---

Joining the Sections

The pattern gives you the order: section A to B, then to C, then D, and onward. No guessing required.

1. Place two sections right sides together and check they're stacked exactly on top of each other, with no piece peeking out from underneath.
2. Sew straight off the edge, picking up the line as you go.
3. Press as the pattern indicates. A double arrow means press that seam open.

When a seam won't press open

The paper inside the seam allowance works against you at this point.

1. Warm the seam first. An iron that cooled down during the piecing won't do the job.
2. Remove the paper from inside the seam allowance only. It's coming off eventually anyway.
3. Lay the seam over a presser bar and work the iron in to open it.
4. Set the clapper down on the warm seam and let its weight hold everything flat while it cools.

With the paper out of the way, that seam is far more willing to stay open. Keep a trash can nearby, because the paper adds up quickly!

---

Borders, Then Paper Removal

Even now, the papers stay on.

Cut your border fabric, and if the print has words on it, fussy cut so nothing sits wonky. Sew your side borders first, then the top and bottom. The printed .25" line is right there on the paper, so you're sewing on a line rather than tracking a seam allowance.

With all four borders on, now you can remove the papers. Fine tweezers make short work of the corners.

---

Layering, Quilting, and Finishing

1. Lay your backing face side down.
2. Fuse the Callie Del fusible fleece to the back of the project to build your quilt sandwich.
3. Quilt with the three piece thread set. Stitch on the shapes rather than in the ditch, which embosses the design and lets that red, white, and blue thread be seen.
4. Trim the excess backing and fleece.
5. Bind, and add a hanging sleeve if you'd like one.

Want the hanging sleeve walkthrough? It's covered step by step in the very first video of this series.

---

Foundation paper piecing opens an avenue of projects you simply can't reach with traditional patchwork cuts and techniques. That precision is exactly what people love about it, and this is a block you'll be proud to display year after year!