Modern Quilt Relish: Super Simple Paper Pieced Santa

Marny here…with a simple little project with so much potential. This little santa can be used for a pillow, pocket on a bag or apron, add on for bibs or baby onesies, part of a stocking, etc. You get the idea! Let's get started.

A 5'' x 6'' inch rectangle drawn in pencil on printer paper.
The top and bottom points are at the center 2 ½'' mark.
Fabric scraps of white (beard), pink (face), red (hat & coat),
and background (here cream with red).

Start paper piecing from the center out.
Note the first two fabrics are lined up with edges fairly even with one another,
right sides together, at least ¼'' above the line between beard and face, on the back of the pattern. You can just barely see the lines of the pattern through the paper in this photo.
Hold tight or pin and flip the entire unit over to stitch from the front side.
REMEMBER, EACH TIME YOU ADD A FABRIC, CHECK THAT IT WILL COVER THE PORTION IT IS MEANT TO COVER.
PRESS AND TRIM (instructions follow) AFTER EACH SEAM.

Stitch from the right side with a reduced stitch length. Using a shorter stitch makes it easy to rip off the paper at the end of the project.

Working from the back side, fold the paper out of the way along the stitch line and trim the two fabrics just sewn ¼'' away from that stitching line.

Beard, face and hat sewn. Notice they are not trimmed to the actual shapes. This will happen as the next fabrics are stitched on, one at a time.

The whole unit can be held up to a window or light to ballpark where the next fabric should be placed to the back. Again, all stitching is from the front of the pattern.