Customer Reviews

Flip-Flop Paper Piecing: Revolutionary Single-Foundation Technique Guarantees Accuracy

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I'm lazy, but even with that character flaw, I want whatever I make to look perfect. Perfection in quilt making is assured with foundation piecing. That's the main purpose of foundation piecing -- perfection. And anyone who has striven for perfection knows you can't just willy nilly throw something together and expect accurate seams and piece alignment.

Foundation piecing has intimidated me for years. So when I picked up Flip-Flop Paper Piecing by Mary Kay Mouton my hands trembled. But her step by step directions accurately took me through the process, beginning with the clearest, most understandable directions for basic foundation piecing I have ever encountered. Then patiently she added her innovative approaches that eliminate the need for more than one foundation piece per square.

For a lazy, accident prone person like me -- yes I'm the one who sewed my blouse sleeve to my quilt top -- I instantly embraced the elimination of extra foundation pieces. After all what I want is accuracy from this technique and without the alignment of two foundations, I have a much improved chance for perfection, even given my own ummm imperfections.

I really understood her directions. And the visual aids made so much sense. The way she showed me that if I am patient and don't cut corners so to speak I can easily color code my foundations so I will know exactly what I should do and WHEN! There's no reason to fail with this technique if whoever uses this book patiently reads through the steps one by one from the beginning. This is not a book written for people who like to start at the back or middle and skim. It is laid out in a reasonable format building upon information and technique as the reader's skills and comfort increase.

In Mary Kay's guest blog on (my) Subversive Stitchers: Women Armed with Needles website ([...]) she explains how this technique came about:

"I was constructing a block featuring a plaid fabric. Because I am nothing if not compulsive, I wanted that plaid to look continuous across the block, to be perfectly matched. And yet, I was tired just thinking of fussy cutting each piece and sewing each so precisely that the plaid would appear undisturbed, though actually broken by other non-plaids pieces in the block.

Suddenly I thought, why not just plop the plaid fabric down on a printed paper foundation. Then insert the other non-plaid fabrics by sewing them from both sides of the foundation! The plaid would look continuous because it would be continuous, and it would be precise because it would be foundation pieced on a printed foundation. By golly, I was on to something here!"

I'm with her. It makes so much more sense to use one whole piece of fabric rather than try to cut and manipulate two or three or ten. Her technique gives me so much more control and it encourages me to experiment and use fabrics I might not have otherwise. Stripes, plaids, prints -- they all will work with accuracy.

A beautiful plus is the Flip Flop Sampler one can make from the patterns in the book -- including the appliques that adorn the top and bottom of the project.

Is this a technique I will instantly find easy and successful? Well, knowing my track record, I can see this is going to take some effort and patience on my part. But, I think perfection is worth it. Love, love love the book and C&T can't be beat for the photography, lay-out, balance of white space with text and graphics and clarity of concept. I think it is worth every cent and more! I think this technique ranks right up there with Georgia Bonesteel's lap quilting for innovation and techniques that change the quilting scene.

I bought this book, and I really love this new method of foundation piecing. The technique is different than others I've tried before, but the detailed instructions and illustrations lead you step by step though each block. At first I wasn't sure where I was going, but once I got the hang of it, I loved it. I especially like the easy iron-on method of finishing part of many seams-no hand sewing or machine sewing, just fuse away! That's the technique for me, although machine sewing or hand sewing are other options given. I would recommend anyone interested in foundation piecing give this book a try. It's not the same old thing again, but something really new. And the blocks turn out so perfect, I'm proud to show them off, and glad I took a chance and learned something unique.

I purchased this book and made a small quilt. This was my first paper piecing and it was such a pleasure. The book was easy to follow and the diagrams were outstanding. I plan to use it in the future to make a larger quilt. I have fell in love with paper piecing. I have been quilting for sometime and I love new ways of doing it. Thanks for the book.

This is a quilter's must have publication. The instructions are written well and are very easy to follow. I have tried several of the patterns and all with great results. I have purchased this book not just for myself but also as gifts for fellow quilters. This is definitely paper piecing with perfection.

I had not intended to write a review of Flip-Flop Paper Piecing until I saw a negative review written by someone who had not even tried this method. I found the book easy to read and the illustrations very helpful. The pictures in this book of quilts Ms. Mouton has created are an inspiration. But I was mostly amazed by the end result. The degree of detail one can achieve, the beautiful precision, and the ease with which it can be done are amazing. I have pieced before, but now I can create designs that would not have been possible in the past. It opens up a whole new world of possible quilting ideas.

Flip-Flop Paper Piecing: Revolutionary Single-Foundation Technique Guarantees Accuracy

I don't normally write reviews; but after reading the negative one from the person who did not even try to complete a block using this method, I felt I needed to write a review. Not only is this a beautiful book, I found the instructions easy to follow. And the results were wonderful! I plan to work my way through this book and make all of the blocks. Thanks, Mary Kay, for developing this method and sharing it with us!

Flip-Flop Paper Piecing: Revolutionary Single-Foundation Technique Guarantees Accuracy

The flip-flop paper piecing method ,outlined in this attractive book,
is truly innovative and inspiring. I found the instuctions especially easy to follow with precise results. Mrs. Mouton's sampler on the back over is beautiful. My favorite quilting book!

Flip-Flop Paper Piecing is a revolutionary single foundation technique. By single foundation, it means that only one foundation is used and there is no necessity to join two foundations together to form a single block.

The ingenious way that Mary Kay Mouton has discovered is to use her Flip-Flop technique. It's not difficult to understand, especially with the fabulous photographs and graphics that have been employed to help with the explanation. It is a very simple idea that really works.

May Kay has addressed all the issues that pop up when attempting to make only one foundation for your piecing such as getting rid of the Y seam, and when seams collide. There is even a description of how you can start your foundation piecing from the corner instead of the centre. This is a very interesting and manageable concept that might take a little time to digest, but it will taste great, once you've mastered the recipe!!

C&T Publishing provided this review copy to me free of charge.

I thought it would be convenient to have this on a Kindle and have it near the sewing machine while working. One problem: I don't seem to be able to print out the foundation patterns. And you can't put a Kindle on a copy machine to copy a page.

You'll need to hang in there and read the entire book as this author takes you step-by-step through a process of paper piecing some blocks that traditionally take 2 or more separate sections. I've tried it now and it sounds complicated, but once you get it, you can avoid the frustrating problem of trying to sew two sections together precisely.