FPP TECHNIQUE
BEHIND THE QUILT
CHOOSING THE FABRICS
“I have always been fascinated by the three-dimensional illusions and impossible figures drawn by M.C. Escher and Bruno Ernst and have spent some time devising a whole series of quilt blocks based on their drawings. This design is a modern take on the traditional Tumbling Blocks pattern, which is usually made by hand. This version is all made by machine in a simple Foundation Paper Piecing technique.
“Getting a patchwork illusion to work depends very much on your choice of fabrics. Start by deciding what basic colour you want to use (in my case, pink), then select fabrics that represent three distinct shades of that colour – dark, medium and light. Audition your fabrics by laying them next to each other in order, somewhere with good natural light. Then you can either stand back and assess your choices or take a photo of your fabrics on your phone, which gives the same effect. If you can’t see a difference between two adjacent colours, you will need to swap one or more fabrics until you are happy with your final three. As you can see from my choices, I have used fabrics with small patterns, tone-on-tone prints and stripes. You could also use plain or shot fabrics, but I would always recommend that you use 100% cotton that has been made specifically for patchwork and quilting. Avoid directional prints if the change of direction will bother you and avoid large prints or multi-coloured batiks where no two pieces cut from the same fabric will be the same colour.” – AitchBee
You Will Need
■ Dark coloured fabric – One (1) fat quarter*
■ Medium coloured fabric – One (1) fat quarter*
■ Light coloured fabric – One (1) fat quarter*
■ Batting – 24in square
■ Backing fabric (light cotton or washed calico) – 26in square
■ Envelope cushion back (upholstery weight cotton fabric) – two (2) 15in x 21in pieces
■ Templates A-G
■ FPP papers Designs 1-3.
Finished Size
■ Approx. 20in square
Notes
■ *AitchBee used English fat quarters from metreage, approximately 19¾in x 22in.■ Press all fabrics before cutting.■ Seam allowances are ¼in throughout.■ Press seams open unless otherwise instructed.■ Fabric cutting templates include seam allowances where necessary.■ FPP = Foundation Paper Piecing.■ RST = Right side(s) together.■ WST = Wrong side(s) together.
