Every Friday I give away one of my foundation paper piecing patterns for free. It's a full pattern with full instructions, and it's yours to keep once you've downloaded it.
I started Free Pattern Friday because I know how it feels to look at a pattern online and wonder whether it's any good before you spend money on it. This way you can sew one of my blocks first and decide for yourself.
Here's how it works, and, if you're new to paper piecing, everything you need to sew your first free block this weekend.
How Free Pattern Friday works
- A new block every Friday. It comes out every Friday at 2pm Eastern, 11am Pacific.
- Free for 72 hours. The block stays up until Monday evening. Then it comes down and the next one arrives on Friday.
- One size, full instructions. The free version is a 12" finished block, with everything you need to sew it.
- Straight to your inbox. Enter your email on the Free Pattern Friday page and the PDF arrives straight away.
- No catch. You don't need to buy anything. Once it's downloaded, it's yours.
Each free block comes from one of my paid bundles, so you can see exactly what my patterns are like before you buy one. The full versions in my shop come in three sizes (9", 12" and 15"), with a coloring page and fabric requirements.
What kind of blocks are they?
The blocks follow the seasons: festive designs in November and December, flowers, birds and bugs in spring, and something cozy for autumn. Each one comes from one of my bundles, so if you love a free block, you can find its matching set in the shop.
If you like woodland animals, the Woodland Animals bundle has a fox, a bear, a squirrel and a raccoon.
For bird lovers, the Garden Birds bundle is bright and cheerful in any colors.
And for the holidays, the Christmas Woodland Animals bundle has a robin, a deer, a fox and a bear, dressed for winter.
If you miss a Friday, the free version is gone, but every block is still in my shop as part of its bundle.
New to foundation paper piecing? Start here
Foundation paper piecing, or FPP, is a way of sewing fabric onto a printed paper template. The template is split into numbered pieces. You place fabric on the back of the paper, sew exactly on the printed lines in number order, then fold, trim and press after each seam. When the block is finished, you tear the paper away.
Because you sew on the lines, every seam lands exactly where it should. That's what makes FPP so good for things that are hard to piece any other way: sharp points, tiny pieces, and shapes that look curved, like a bird's wing or a fox's tail. Those "curves" are really lots of small straight seams, and the paper keeps them all accurate.
If you can sew a straight seam and follow numbers in order, you can do this. I wrote a longer beginner's guide to foundation paper piecing if you'd like more detail.
What you need to sew your first free block
You probably have most of this already:
- The printed pattern. Print at 100% or "actual size", never "fit to page", and measure the test square before you print the rest.
- Paper. Ordinary printer paper is fine for your first block.
- Fabric scraps. Quilting cotton is easiest. The pieces are small, so this is a lovely way to use up your stash.
- A sewing machine with a short stitch, about 1.5 to 1.8 mm. Short stitches hold the seams and make the paper tear away cleanly.
- A rotary cutter, ruler and mat. An Add-A-Quarter ruler makes trimming quicker, but it's optional.
- A postcard or a piece of thin card, for folding the paper neatly along each line.
- A glue stick to hold the first piece of fabric in place.
- An iron or a seam roller for pressing as you go.
A 12" block like the free one usually takes an evening or two, depending on how many pieces it has.
Three mistakes almost every beginner makes
1. Cutting the fabric too small
This is the most common one. Cut every piece at least ½" bigger than its shape on all sides. Before you sew, fold the fabric back over the line to check it will cover the next piece. Generous pieces waste a little fabric and save a lot of unpicking.
2. Forgetting the block comes out as a mirror image
You sew on the back of the design, so the finished block is the reverse of the printed template. Good patterns are drawn reversed for you, so the block comes out the right way round. Plan your colors from the cover picture, not from the template.
3. Skipping the test square
If your printer scales the page even slightly, your 12" block comes out at 11½", and it won't match your other blocks. Measure the test square every time before printing the whole pattern.
Why I design them this way
I trained as an architect, and I design every block the way I'd draw a building plan: the big shapes first, then a clear sewing order with no awkward steps. I always look for the version with the fewest pieces that still reads clearly. That makes the blocks quicker to sew, and kinder to anyone who's just starting out.
What to make with a free block
One 12" block is enough for a small project:
- A cushion cover: add a 2" border and an envelope back for a 16" cushion.
- A mini quilt or wall hanging: add a border, backing and binding.
- A framed block: add a 2" border and wrap it around foam board. No batting or binding needed.
If you collect a few Fridays' worth, they make a fun seasonal table runner too.
Get this Friday's free block
The next block comes out on Friday at 2pm Eastern, 11am Pacific. Enter your email on the Free Pattern Friday page and it will arrive in your inbox the moment it's released.
Get this Friday's free quilt block pattern →
If you'd like to browse while you wait, all my patterns are in the shop.
Browse all FPP patterns in The Quilting Mary shop →
Happy piecing,
Mary
