I actually order pre-cut newsprint from dick blicks art supply. A full ream of 500 sheets was less than $4.00!

Ricky's Stable Stuff is also designed for paper piecing where it can be left in or torn away. That's one of the uses suggested on the cover of the package. This is what Sarah suggests using in the pattern for this quilt. I'm using it and planning on leaving it in when I finish.

Nancy

Carol Doak's Foundation Paper and Ricky Tims' Stable Stuff are both available pre-cut to fit your printer, but the two are not meant to be used the same way.

Carol's paper is basically newsprint....a lightweight paper designed to be removed after paper piecing.

Ricky's is a wonderful product that is designed to be left in the quilt after appliqueing! It is stiff when you work with it, but dissolves into loose polyester fibers when the quilt is washed, leaving just a hint of fullness under the applique.

alicea wrote: Do you just get the plain (unprinted) newsprint paper and cut it to 8.5 x 11 inches for going through the printer? If so, where do you get it?

Thant should read month eight!

I also used newsprint. I prefer it for paper piecing and I do a lot of paper piecing. It removes easier than any other stabilizer. I have not tried Ricky's product, but so far (and I'm ready to start month , it's going we'll! Keep going. It will be worth it!

Thank you for the input on the Carol Doak paper. I only printed a few and thought I better try it before committing to using it for the whole quilt. Then I wondered if it would make a difference as the quilt got closer to being finished.

I haven't finished my Sedona Star but did use Carol Doak paper successfully. It is very different from Ricky Tims Stable Stuff. Carol Doak paper is basically newsprint in 8 1/2 x 11 sheets whereas Stable Stuff (I believe also 8 1/2 x11) is a polyester stabilizer which softens when washed and can remain inside the quilt. I have not tried Stable Stuff yet.

I used Carol Doak foundation paper for my quilt. I haven't seen Ricky time paper, so I can't compare.

I am just getting ready to start. I saved all of the files throughout 2012 but never did anything with them. Two days ago, I was at the Arizona Quilters Guild Quilt show and saw that TQS member Nancy ( gmhowl ) won First Place in the Mixed Large category and also won BEST of SHOW! Her quilt is beautiful! As soon as I got home Friday, I started studying in progress and completed photos others have posted to help me decide on fabrics and colors to use. This will be my first attempt at paper piecing. I printed the Month One templates onto Carol Doaks Paper Piecing paper, has anyone else used this? Is it comparable to the Ricky Tims printable stabilizer? I plan use the Sedona Surprise embroidery designs.

Great picture, Michelle! I love resourceful people!

Thanks so much 2L!! Worth a thousand words!!

Michelle, I only have a DSM but was so curious about how you jerry-rigged the spool apparatus yet could not quite get what you were saying because I could not relate to a longarm machine. The picture made it so clear and I must say, I LOVE your problem-solving skills and imagination with what you have handy!

heartnsoulquilts wrote:

Ok, here's a picture of how I set up a horizontal thread holder using a crochet hook.

Lay the hook on the top of the longarm. I place it behind the top thread guide and before the motor.
Secure with packing tape. I lay a piece across it, then two pieces on either side of that to really secure it.
Slide the spool on.
This time I wound an elastic band around the front and slid it to touch the spool. This stops it from sliding off.
Thread your machine as usual.

It's the kind of thing that might be different for each person. This particular crochet hook was a different thickness than one I've used in the past, so my paper clip wouldn't fit, hence the rubber band. The spool still did spin when the thread was pulled but if you can get something to snug up tighter against it, it can hold it still. I think spinning or still would still work fine, just test our your tension. Maybe one of those foam rings we use on our DSM would work here too, if it fit your spindle shaft.

Hope this helps!