Tutorial: Paper Piecing Endless Chain Quilt Block

Here you will find many (28) images describing the paper-piecing process for the Endless Chain quilt. You need scrap fabric pieces, background fabric, and a printer to print the pattern on the foundation paper. The fabric in this block is from the precut layer cake, Artisan Spirit, from Missouri Star Quilt Company. I'm using Carol Doak's Foundation Paper, but there are other options. And of course the regular quilting items such as cutting mat, rotary cutter, pins, sharp scissors, sewing machine, and iron. 

I purchased the pattern from www.make-it-do.com. I love this quilt pattern and HAD to make one. I'm new at quilting, and I would NEVER have figured out how to make it without the help of a (expert) quilting friend.  This tutorial is designed to go along with the instructions, NOT to be used instead of them because there's not enough instruction here to make the quilt. I'm only explaining the positioning and sewing order of the fabric pieces. 

Position first scrap fabric right side up so that it covers area A, and overlaps Line 1 by about 1/4 of an inch. After it is sewn and pressed, it will cover area B.

Sew on Line 1.

After sewing on Line 1.

Trim seam.

Save background triangle to sew on Line 2.

Press seam.

Now you're ready to position the background triangle under the square and sew on Line 2.

The position of background triangle. 

View underneath the fabric.

Sew on Line 2.

After sewing on Line 2.

Trim.

Iron seam.

Position scrap fabric under the square. Overlap Line 3 by 1/4 of an inch. 

Sew on Line 3.

After sewing on Line 3.

   Flipped over after sewing on Line 3.

Trim seam.

Iron seam.

 Placement of the background triangle. Lines 2 and 4 are the hardest to correctly position the fabric.

Looking underneath the fabric before sewing on Line 4. 

After sewing on Line 4.

Trim seam to 1/4 of an inch.

 After trimming.

 Iron seam.

Sewing is done! Time to trim!

Trim edges with a ruler and rotary cutter.

Trim other three sides.

Finished! All that's left is to carefully tear off the foundation paper.

Click here for a video of the most efficient technique I have found for tearing off the foundation paper (after squaring the block) with no thread breakage yet.

Voila! The more you do it the easier it gets. REALLY!