Paper piecing is one of those techniques that sounds fancier than it is — and that's entirely the point. In this tutorial I walk through two methods for making paper pieced shapes from scraps: a straightforward cut-and-trace approach for single projects, and a batch production method for making a cohesive series of journals or embellishments all at once. If you've got a pile of scrapbook paper you've been meaning to use up, this is a genuinely satisfying way to do it.
What we cover
Both methods start the same way — choosing a shape, making a card stock template, and dividing it into pieces — but they diverge quickly. The first method is best for one-off projects; the second is designed for making multiples from the same template without re-tracing every single piece. I also show how to take a finished heart piece and turn it into a little journal cover, complete with corrugated cardboard, lace, cheesecloth, and machine stitching.
What you'll learn
How to make a paper piecing template from card stock, including:
- Drawing or tracing your own shapes (hearts, flowers, butterflies — anything works)
- Dividing the shape into pieces and why the number of pieces matters
- Numbering pieces consistently so they don't get jumbled on reassembly
The correct face-down tracing method — both your template piece and your chosen paper go face-down together when you trace. It seems obvious until you do it the wrong way once, flip your piece, and find it's backwards. This is the step most people get wrong the first time.
How to cut, ink, and assemble pieces with intentional gaps — butting pieces tight looks flat; leaving slight breathing room between them reads as a finished, designed effect. I ink every edge before assembly, which is what makes the individual pieces pop.
The batch production method for making a series, including:
- Tracing the full template outline onto each paper rather than cutting individual template pieces
- Numbering pieces anticlockwise on the back of the master template so they read correctly when flipped face-down
- Sorting cut pieces into numbered piles and mixing across piles to produce multiple cohesive-but-varied hearts (or flowers, or whatever shape you're working with)
How to make a paper pieced journal cover, including:
- Using folded card stock as the cover base
- Layering cheesecloth or lace underneath the pieced shape for texture
- Inking and matting with coordinating papers
- Running the cover through a sewing machine and staple binding the signatures
How to use corrugated cardboard as a base layer, including:
- Spraying with water before peeling the top layer to make removal easier
- Flattening the corrugations in one direction before sewing so it feeds cleanly through a machine
Assembling abstract art from leftover pieces — you don't have to reassemble a shape at all. The offcuts and spare pieces can be arranged freely as abstract collage. This came up almost as an aside, but it's genuinely one of the more interesting ideas in the video.
Tips & gotchas
Use card stock for your template, not regular paper. Flimsy paper bends when you're tracing around it and your pieces end up slightly the wrong shape — which compounds into a bigger problem the more pieces you have.
Number your pieces as you cut them, and number them consistently — clockwise or anticlockwise, but pick one and stick to it. If you're working on a batch using the second method, number anticlockwise on the back of your master template. That way, when you flip it face-down to trace onto your papers, the numbers read in the right order on the front. I learned this one the hard way mid-tutorial, with six piles of paper and a numbering mix-up I had to troubleshoot on camera.
When tracing your template pieces onto your chosen paper, both the template piece and the paper go face-down together. The correct side faces up in the finished piece because you flipped everything before tracing. If you leave either one facing up, the piece comes out mirrored.
Leave small gaps when you reassemble. The pieces don't need to be touching — in fact the project looks more intentional when they're slightly separated. Glue loosely first so you can nudge things around, then fix permanently once you're happy with the placement.
Let everything dry under a heavy book. This matters especially with corrugated cardboard, which has air gaps and wants to warp. Even a corrugated piece layered with cheesecloth, glued papers, and machine stitching will come out flat if you leave it weighted while it dries.
If you're flattening corrugated cardboard for sewing, go in one consistent direction — pick up and down or left to right, and flatten the whole piece that way. It feeds through the machine much more smoothly than corrugated that's still raised.
The more pieces you divide your shape into, the more intricate the result — and the more chances for something to go sideways with numbering or tracing. For a first attempt, four pieces is very manageable. Six is doable. More than that, go slowly and keep your piles organized.
The batch method is really built for that — you make one template, choose papers that work together from a pad or a coordinated stash pull, and produce six (or four, or eight) cohesive pieces in one sitting. From there they become journal covers, embellishments, card fronts, journaling spots, or — as I found out — something frameable for the dining room wall. The flower I made the night before filming ended up on display above my kids' photos, and I'm still pleased with it. That's the thing about paper piecing: it starts as a scrap-busting exercise and ends up somewhere you didn't expect.
