Time for some new shapes this week.

Have you tried freezer paper piecing? It’s like foundation paper piecing, but instead of sewing on to paper templates, you press the fabric on to freezer paper templates to hold it in place, and you sew the seams without sewing through the paper. This means there’s no need to rip paper out at the end, and you can use the templates again and again. I first learned this technique from another member of the Melbourne Modern Quilt Guild (hi MJ!) and then again from Tara Faughnan in a workshop (Tara has a few online classes teaching this technique, and a CreativeBug class too.)

Anyway, so I’m not a huge fan of foundation paper piecing, but I do occasionally use freezer paper piecing, and the more I do, the more I’m hooked. So I’ve been thinking more lately about freezer paper-piece-able designs. I love a New York beauty block (all those spikes!) so tried a double-layer spiky design.

You can start to see how I designed the block by looking at all the colouring variations….

It looks just as good in the reverse colourway, too.

Each block is made from four quarter-blocks, which can be rearranged in other ways, too.

And the design works in multiple colours, too. These primary colours really pack a punch!

This design would be most easily made using templates for foundation paper piecing or freezer paper piecing, plus some curved strips for in-between the spiky bits.