Foundation Piece the Ribbon Quilt Block
A few things to remember about foundation piecing:
- Pieces are sewn to the reverse side of the foundation; you should be able to see sewing lines by holding it up to the light
- The first piece is the only patch positioned right side up
- Make a mirror image of this asymmetrical block by tracing sewing lines onto the reverse side of the foundation and positioning patches on the front, printed side
Read Foundation Piecing Basics if this technique is new to you.
Start Sewing the Ribbon Quilt Block
- Make a foundation using the top half of the block in my PDF file. Be sure to print the templates at 100-percent. (They can be scaled up or down, but if you do that, remove the outer seam allowance and redraw it to equal 1/4"; adjust patch dimensions to reflect the new block size.).
- Place the background piece reserved for patch 1 right side up on the foundation, centering it within the printed boundaries of that patch. (The illustration shows the fabric as opaque so that you can see lines).
- Place a long strip right side down against the first, angling it so that its edge overlaps the right printed line of patch 1 by about 1/4". An excess tail should extend past the top and bottom right edges of patch 1. (The triangular patch -- patch 2 -- shown under the right edge of patch 1 is the area this strip must cover.)
- Hold the fabrics in place (pin if you like) and flip the foundation over. Sew a seam on the line that separates patch 1 from patch 2, beginning and ending it a few stitches on either side of the line.
