G Note: Do not cut fabric along edge of paper! Turn block, paper side up, and align 1/4" mark of ruler along edge of paper foundation. Rotary cut away extra fabric on all four sides, creating a perfect 1/4" seam allowance. Leave paper in! When a quilt design calls for multiple, identical copies of a block (like you'll find in Log Cabin Swirl), it's more efficient to sew assembly-line style. Adding the same piece to each block, one after the other, makes the sewing go faster. You only have to make one fabric placement decision, and then sew it over and over again. 1 Brenda uses her sewing machine’s portable acrylic table as a staging area. Place the next fabrics needed in a stack to the right of the needle area. Then they're ready to grab as you stitch each foundation. Lift the presser foot, place the fabric, lower the presser foot, and stitch. Then lift the presser foot again, pull the stitched foundation away to the back, and place and stitch the next foundation. 2 After stitching the last one, clip the threads between each foundation by clipping at the surface of the fabric and paper. Stack foundations, trim and press each. It's much faster to do all your fabric placement, stitching, clipping, trimming, and pressing at once. A Trimming Hint Sometimes a previous seam will get in the way when you're trying to trim the 1/4" seam allowance. That's easily taken care of. Simply tear the paper away from the stitches before trimming. Piece by Piece Index