Paper Piecing Hugs & Kisses Blog Hop

I have been looking forward to this for a while....

Madame Samm is sponsoring a blog hop from sew we quilt.

We were given three paper pieced patterns and were given the task to design anything we wanted to with one or more of the patterns.

I wanted to use all 3, because they are so cute!
I posted the following photos so you could see all the little pieces of fabric that are added to give the "O" its shape.

Now it's time to square the "O" block.

Ta Da!!!  A beautiful "O" with a heart :)

I spy some feet too!

The letter "X" was piece in three different segments.

This is the completed "X" after I tore away all the paper.

My sewing isn't perfect, do you see the little missing piece in the bottom left corner?

Since this letter is all sewn in pieces, I just sewed another piece in the corner and squared it up.

No one will ever know :)

One of my favorite parts about designing a quilted project, is choosing the fabric.

The gray is the sashing, and the pink flowered is the binding.

It's all quilted and bound.

I shared this photo on instagram and everyone thought it was a quilt.

They would be beautiful colors for a Valentine quilt!

I made a table runner, it's 57" X 15".

I now have a beautiful Valentine table runner for my dining room table, yay!!!

Now to see what everyone else made!

Here are the other participating blogs for today and the rest of the blog hop.

Go and see the fun things they made with their "kisses & hugs"!

Today, February 12

Cynthia (me) @ Dream quilt create

Carol @ Just let me quilt

Sandy @ Upstairs hobby room

Pat @ Life in the scrap patch

Jolie @ Jolie Maxtin

Susan @ Desertsky quilting

February 13

Beth @ Words & Stitches

Jenny @ Squawk that

Britt-Inger @ Hill valley quilter

Carla @ Creatin in the sticks

Marian @ Seams to be sew

Lyndsey @ Sew many yarns

February 14

Soma @ Whims and fancies

Laura Ann @ The fuzzy hat quilter

Doris @ The quilting queen online blog

Rexie @ Crow calling woman - a crafting goddess

Sharie @ Living with purpose

Cherry @ Cherry blossoms quilting studio

February 17

Mary @ 1 piece 2 Mary

Vickie @ More stars in Comanche

Anne @ Seaside sewing

Selina @ Selina quilts

Theresa @ Bumbleberry Stitches

Jane @ Jane's quilting

February 18

Lana @ It seams to be sew...

Judy @ How art you?

Shanna @ Sparrow in flight

Amanda @ Amanda Murphy

Kay @ Sew golden a chance

February 19

Bente @ I like to quiltblog

Kristen @ Meadowbrook

Marcy @ Life, quilts and a cat too

Susie @ Susie's sunroom

Madame Samm @ Sew we quilt

If you are interested in a copy of the pattern, you can purchase it here on Etsy, or here at Craftsy.

Patchwork Please! paper piecing tutorial

I bought Ayumi Takahashi's book, Patchwork Please!

It has all sorts of cute projects in it.

I saw Lori Holt's sweet little Triangle Patchwork Box Pouches and decided to make some myself. 

I've only sewn a couple of blocks that have been paper pieced, so I don't have tons of experience.

This is the book, I think it's great!

This is a photo of the triangle patchwork box pouches.

I made a row of the triangles and realized that I forgot to add the seam allowances!!!  Aaaagh!!! 
 I decided to share a tutorial with you :)

Here are all my squares paired up, enough to make two rows of triangles.  When paper piecing, always cut your fabric pieces quite a bit larger than required.

I traced two rows of templates on freezer paper, and added seam allowances this time!

The pencil lines weren't dark enough, so I outlined the stitching lines with a fine black marker.

I put the template on my light box.

If you don't have a light box, you can use a window or the TV on a fuzzy station!

I put the first two triangle pieces right sides together, and laid them over the first diagonal stitching line, making sure to overlap over the stitching line by l/4" for the seam allowance.

Adjust your stitch length to be a little smaller than normal so the stitches will perforate the freezer paper.

Stitch the fabric to the paper, leaving a l/4" seam allowance.

Take the template with the fabric sewn onto it, to the ironing board.

Press the top piece of fabric away from the first piece.

Place the next piece of fabric onto the existing ones, on the light box.

Overlap it over the stitching line, by l/4" for the seam allowance.

Stitch.

Trim off the excess fabric, leaving the seam allowance.

Press the fabric away from the sewn triangles.

Lay the fourth piece of fabric over the sewn ones, right sides together on the light box.

Overlap l/4" over the stitching line for the seam allowance.

Stitch.

Press the fabric away from the stitched ones.

Trim the seam allowance to l/4".

Press the fabric away from the sewn ones.

Sew the next piece of fabric over the existing ones, matching up the stitching lines on the light box.

Trim off the seam allowances.

Press the fabric away from the sewn ones.

Again, sew another piece of fabric to the already sewn ones, matching the stitching line on the light box.

Trim the seam and press away from the sewn fabric pieces.

Sew another piece of fabric onto the template, matching the stitching lines on the light box.

Sorry for the blurry photo.....

Press the fabric away from the sewn fabrics.

Trim the seam allowances.

Sew the last piece onto the template, leaving a seam allowance that overlaps the stitching line.

Press the fabric away from the sewn ones.

I think I sewed on the stitching lines pretty well, considering the template was always on the bottom of the fabrics I was sewing.

I used the light box to get the placement.

Now it's time to trim the fabric from the template.

The fabric's trimmed and even with the template.
Pull the paper from the sewn triangles.

Now my triangles have seam allowances!

The photos were repetitive but I hope I was able to teach you how to paper piece triangles.

Let me know if you have any questions :)