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Last week, I shared drafting a postcard quilt that had a heart, in a heart, in a heart. If you would like to create this pattern for yourself, please check out the EQ8 tutorial in last weeks bog.
Teeny Tiny Heart Postcard Designed in EQ8 by Kari Schell
I mentioned I had purchased a couple of new items for foundation piecing and decided to try they out when constructing the postcard quilt.
Foundation Paper Comparison
When doing foundations, we need a base that has printed foundations that we will use as guidelines for sewing. The new product I tried was Foundation Stuff.
Here is a personal comparison of the three foundations I currently use. I printed out my Teeny Tiny Hearts foundations on all three. Carol Doaks Foundation Paper
This is the brand I have been using for the last five plus years. It goes through the printer without a problem and it is super easy to cut and to tear off. Of the brands I was comparing, it was the hardest to see through -- but newsprint will darken over time (and the paper was purchased a number of years ago). The biggest downside is that the paper can easily tear ahead of the removal process -- particularly when working with micro foundations.
The current price of the paper on Amazon Prime is $13.92 for 100 sheets. EQ Printables - Quilter's Newsprint
The EQ Printables newsprint was a little lighter than color than the Carol Doak's paper (and as a result a bit easier to see through). This could be because the paper is stored in a sealed bag which gives it less exposure to light and air.
It printed beautifully and appears to handle just like the Carol Doak's newsprint. It retails for $9.95 for 100 sheets on the EQ website (and on my website as well). This does not include shipping. Foundation Stuff
This is lightweight foundation material created by George & Virgia Siciliano. The cover notes the following. "Stabilizes fabric during stitching allowing for accurate seam lines. It is durable, transparent and does not stretch. Can be left in your project for added stability. It's washable & dry-cleanable. Can be marked with pen, iron-on transfers & rubber stamps. Will go through printers and copiers."
When doing my miniature heart block (with the first heart foundation being under 3/4"), I found there was no splitting of the foundation during the sewing process. I had set my stitches to 1.2 on my machine since I had seams that were less than 1/8" in length. Very impressive. It is a nice white material and is much easier to see through than the other two brands. It was soft -- as a result I would be comfortable leaving it in my projects. But it also seemed as easy to remove as the other brands. So leaving it in versus removal can be your choice. It did do a nice job of printing -- however, my paper was slightly wrinkled when I removed it from my printer. The wrinkles appear to have happened after the print as I was able to iron them out and did not notice an issue with distortion. I ran three different sheets through my Brother Laserjet printer with similar results. I would recommend testing this will your own printer. It retails on www.georgesiciliano.com for $15 for 50 sheets plus a $3 charge for shipping. So this is the most expensive of the options. My Conclusion
For most of my foundations, I will use the EQ Printables Quilter's Newsprint. The ease of running through the printer and the price point being the biggest advantages.
For minis, I will use Foundation Stuff, as I did appreciate that the foundation didn't fall apart during the pull-back, nor did it split when sewing my very small stitches. Sewing the Heart Foundation
While purchasing Foundation Stuff, I also saw that George Siciliano had a Triple-Duty Seam Allowance Guide. I was curious how it compared to the Add-A-Quarter and Add-an-Eighth tools from CM Tools. I typically use the Add-A-Quarter guide for all my foundation blocks and it is the tool I recommend in my foundation patterns. .
I will share my experience with the Triple-Duty Seam Allowance Guide (along with using Foundation Stuff) in my video for the week.
I had a few nightmares with uploading videos from my phone to my computer and needed to abandon the first video where I sewed the center of my heart. However, since the primary purpose of the video was to share how I use the Triple-Duty 8" Seam Allowance Guide, this should give you a good idea of the process.
I've now completed two postcards. These are really a lot of fun.
Teeny Tiny Hearts Postcard in Batiks by Kari Schell
Tiny Tiny Hearts Postcard in Reds and Pinks by Kari Schell
Free Foundation Pattern
Would you like a downloadable copy of the foundation for the Teeny Tiny Heart block? You can download it here.
Make sure to double check the sizing before using the foundations asprinters can distort pdfs. Two copies of the block are included on the page. 
Kristy
2/29/2020 12:00:08 pm
Kari, very informative blog and video. I appreciate your testing the papers out for us and sharing the results. Comments are closed.
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Kari SchellElectric Quilt Expert and Educator and Pattern Designer. Categories
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