A Paper Piecing Tip

   While working on my next table runner pattern, for the series, I used a technique which I learned from my Fat Quarter's teacher Julie Isa.  I just have to share it because it is one of the sticking points I have with doing paper piecing.  How do you know if the piece you are going to sew, when pressed open and on an angle, will fold back and still be big enough to cover the space needed?  Here is a visual...this is my design from the front.  The pin is holding in place my first piece of fabric and I need to add the next piece which is the rectangle shape above the pinned triangle.

 This is the piece (yellow) from the backside.  Putting right sides together, I would normally guess at the positioning of this yellow piece.  Do I move it right or left??

 Here is the solution to that dilemma.  With your fabric in position (as above) and before you sew it, from the back, fold the paper on the sew line and looking through the paper you can see if the piece of fabric when opened will fit within the parameters of the template.  In the picture below you can see the edges of the yellow fabric way up by my finger, way beyond the next sew line and thus big enough to and in the right position to be sewn.

Here is another example with a piece of white fabric which you can see a bit better.

Well except that its kinda out of focus.  Ugh!