Go fishing! Free Foundation Paper Piecing pattern

You will need

Makes two blocks

• Background fabric: ¹⁄2yd
• Fish fabrics: six (6) fat eighths
• Four (4) copies each of the Left Fish A–C FPP templates
• Two (2) copies each of the Right Fish A–C FPP templates

Finished size

12in square

Notes

• Seam allowances are ¹⁄4in, unless otherwise noted.
• Press seams to the side, unless otherwise instructed.
• Shorten your stitch length to 1.5 for Foundation Paper Piecing.
• FPP = Foundation Paper Piecing.
• Templates include seam allowance around the outer edges only.
• Download your templates before you start
• All fabrics supplied by Fat Quarter Shop.

Fabrics used

All fabrics are from the Basics collection by Cotton+Steel.

Cutting out

Step 1

Using the template as a guide, cut the fabric pieces for each section of the FPP templates, making sure the pieces will be at least ¹⁄4in larger than the section they will cover, all the way around.

Piecing the fish

Step 1

Repeat steps 1–7 of our FPP tutorial to piece one each of the Left Fish Sections A, B and C FPP templates, sewing the fabrics in place in numerical order.

Step 2

Arrange the two sections with Section A on the left and Section B on the right. Pin together carefully matching the block edges. Return your stitch length to its normal length for piecing. Sew the sections together and press the seam open.

Step 3

Repeat the last step to sew Section C to the left side of Section A. Trim around the outer dashed line of the paper templates.

Step 4

Sew all remaining Left and Right Fish templates in the same manner. Arrange the templates in two sets of three fish. Sew the blocks together. Remove the paper from the back of each block to complete two Fish blocks.

Top tips for FPP

• Make an extra copy of each template and use mark your fabric choices for each section.
• Trace the template onto freezer paper, cut apart and use the pieces as cutting templates. But don’t forget to add seam allowances!
• Always press your block before adding the next piece to make the final block crisp.

Alice Hadley

Alice is the former Editor of Love Patchwork & Quilting magazine and is obsessed with all things quilt-related. She’s worked with a whole host of the world’s leading quilt designers. You can often find her flicking through the very latest fabric collections or testing out exciting new notions. She’s also the office EPP queen, stitching her way (slowly!) to gorgeous quilts with impeccably embroidered details. Unusually for a quilter, Alice operates a no-scraps-allowed policy at home and curates a very modest fabric stash.

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