Hello Friends!  I’m prep-ing for the NYB Tie Pillow workshop that I’m teaching on Saturday.  I’m deep into freezer paper and muslin!  So, I thought I’d give the tips this week on how to prep for printing your own foundations.  A couple weeks ago, I showed the boat foundation from EZ Piecing by Comp-U-Wear.  There are many other companies that make and sell foundations…including me.  I made the Wonderful Little World with a stamp, fabric ink and muslin.  See past Two Tips for piecing on muslin foundations.  Today I’ll be focusing on the prep.  This week’s tips will be the process I use.  (Sorry for the void of  color in this weeks tips. 😉  )  After Saturday’s workshop, I’ll follow up with more tips from my students.

First – I cut the freezer paper at 11″ x width (my roll is 18″ wide).

Second – I cut the muslin to 11″ x width of fabric (I used 36″ wide to have less waste…and it is what was on sale!)  Cut into 8 1/2″ sections, I could get three per the width I’m using.

Third – I pressed the muslin pieces to the freezer paper, shiny side to the fabric.  (Two fit per cut sheet of freezer paper.)  Press with dry iron.  I have used steam, but a dry iron resulted in less wrinkles.

8 1/2″ x 11″ muslin pieces
on shiny side of freezer paper

Fourth – I turn over and pressed again from the “paper” freezer paper side.  This helps seal all edges.

Press back side as well.

Fifth – Let cool and cut into 8 1/2″ x 11″ pieces.  Why 8 1/2″ x 11″?  That is paper size (on this side of the pond) and works well in my laser printer!  (The top edge that feeds into the printer must be crisp and free of loose threads!)

8 1/2″ x 11″ freezer paper backed muslin

Sixth – If muslin foundation is curled, curl the opposite way before printing.  I tied with a string to give it time to uncurl.

Roll opposite direction to remove curl

See printed piece below.

NYB foundation pieces

I’m looking forward to the workshop and seeing what tie color choices and backgrounds will be used!!

in quilting,

Debbie