Quilting with Paper

(This tutorial was originally published on the My Creative Scrapbook blog.)

It takes a lot of patience to piece together and sew a fabric quilt. For me, a paper quilt is much more doable, especially when you're working with simple shapes like squares and triangles. A pattern of triangles forms the basis for the layout I'm sharing today. 

This page is created with My Creative Scrapbook's Main kit for April. The gorgeous patterned papers are from Pink Paislee's Oh My Heart collection, designed by Paige Evans. The design can certainly be duplicated in alternate color schemes, but if you want to follow along and create an identical backdrop for your page, I've included paper numbers in the instructions. Let's begin!

First, cut away the center portion of Paper No. 18, leaving a 1 inch border on all sides. Tuck this outer section away, as it will be used to finish off the layout towards the end of this tutorial.

Next, cut out (12) 2-inch squares from various patterned papers. I used Paper Nos. 18, 01, 24, 10, and 12. 

Luckily Paper No. 24 is already arranged in a 6x6 grid with each individual square measuring exactly 2"x 2". However, Paper No. 10 is arranged in a 5x5 grid, so each of those squares are larger than 2"x 2" and must be cut down slightly to use in this design. 

Then, cut each square in half diagonally, resulting in 24 triangles, the number needed for the paper quilt design.

Here is what I cut for my page:

Next, ink the edges of the triangles, and arrange on a sheet of white cardstock which has been trimmed to 10 7/8 inches by 10 7/8 inches. Begin in one corner, and work your way around, placing all 24 pieces first, before attaching with adhesive. If you're the ambitious type, you could also add some machine stitching at this point. ;)

You may have noticed that there are only three pink corners. I meant to do that, opting for a little contrast with the one purposeful purple corner on the bottom right.

Now it's time to add that border cut from Paper No. 18:

Looking good! 

Next, sort through and add various die-cuts, chipboard and your photo to the center of the design. 

The cute little fox is my favorite!

Lastly, add your journaling (always optional). I began at the top and let it flow down the center of the page. 

This simple design makes a big impact on a page! I can't wait to try this with other colors and patterns. The variety in My Creative Scrapbook's Main kit for April makes it easy to do. If you try this yourself, I'd love to see what you create, so please link me up in the comments. Thanks!