Like your grandmother I had an aunt who made quilts hundreds of quilts and as a kid I didnt appreciate them either. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment too! This is awesome. While nesting seams works well in many instances, there are times when pressing your seams open will work better or some quilters prefer to press their seams open. This is often the hardest thing to get just right. This will help you get uniform seams, and matching seams. The stars seem to float on their backgrounds, therefore there are no seams for the points to get lost in. 8. Its simple and as long as Im hitting that mark, then I know that my points will not be cut off. Heather Thomas takes you through the different intensities of the color wheel. Think youve got your pin at the perfect point and it seems like you are still cutting the point off? Stitching two points to one another is one of the more difficult seams. Press seam toward D. 4. The more fabrics at each intersection, the bulkier it is going to be. Sew a Dark/Blue square to the Medium/Blue rectangle along the marked line (top left image) Match the corners of the Dark/Blue square and press (top right image). A cute little four patch forms in the SA. Remember that while you are pressing the seams open, you dont want to make the rest of your seams all folded and wonky. Press seam open (Figure 3b). Reply But it really is just keeping most of these things in your mind as you sew. Easy fix - a shot of steam from your iron is all it takes. Keeping the fabric WITHIN the grid lines allows for the fabric to fold almost automatically and exactly on this line. I finally might have the most accurate matching points in the world . This is the part where you want to bring in your best friend the seam ripper out. Make sure the pace is a steady flow. I am giving this a try as I always sew my points first and then the rest of the block. Lay right sides together and then. Remember in a previous post where I described the necessity of cutting accurately so seams would nest and line up perfectly? But when I looked at them objectively and got a second opinion, I decided that they were good enough. There is also the "Race" quilt every talks about that you sew long strips together until you get the size you want. Other times the seam is too shallow and the points now float. So lets start with a row of four half square triangles put together. Step 2: Insert a pin from the wrong side (WS) of the top layer. I put my blocks together into a quilt top the same way Ive described for putting a single block together. See the many examples provided as well as what techniques work best when using certain pins. The Magic is in the interfacing specifically, Pellon 820 Quilters Grid. I look at how many points they each have and place a priority on each intersection. When I say this and then explain how I do this, you may think Im a little OCD or particular. Learn to recognise and accept those small imperfections. Use a scant 1/4 inch: If youve never heard this term, in quilting this requires you to sew just under 1/4 inch, which is typically a thread or two within your normal 1/4 inch seam. After asking quilting friends and quilting FB groups, my friend Holly's mom found . If you have issues with a bulky intersection, it may help to sew to the intersection from one direction and then turn the whole piece around and sew the rest from the other direction and through the intersection. I do this before I press my seams for each row. I always match my intersections first then my ends. Add 1 1/4 inches to the dimension calculated in Step 1 and round up to the nearest 1/8 of an inch. Not just ordinary pins, but fork pins. The double pins can quickly pierce and firmly hold a slippery lining material temporarily in place. I have no excuse for poo points now! I guess the answer depends on your definition of magic and the number of seams youve ripped out and re-sewn trying to get those seams to nest and perfectly line up. Thanks for sharing . Check each seam is aligned correctly from the right side before sewing. Even after seam ripping and sewing again, sometimes I still cant get the seams to match. This will help with all aspects of quilting, from rotary cutting to matching seams. It isnt hard and it doesnt take long, and the pay off is practically perfect. If desired, insert another pin slightly to the left of the alignment pin. IRL you would not find me OCD at all. Use a -inch seam allowance. If any of your intersection only have one side with a point and the other coordinating seam with no points, I first run the pin through the tip of the top point and then just pin the seam intersection to match the seams , making sure the top of the fabric from both rows are level with each other. Press all block and edge seams toward the churn dash block. If you didnt use starch before you started cutting your blocks, I would not use it now. Heather Thomas explains the benefits of using straight pin bastes when quilting. Create a square with sides that match the calculated size. This is where it is helpful to have a pen marking to make sure you know exactly where the tip is. You can either just do a few stitches right where your points are or you can baste the whole seam, either one is fine. * Note* Im not sure if anyone else does this but when Im using smaller 2 squares, after stitching, I will trim 1/8 from the fold line. In my example below I quilted a solid gray fabric to the back. You can feel a seam is nesting when the seams bump up against each other. I would not use anything like this at this point if I did not use it before cutting my fabric though because of the sizing issues Ive encountered in the past. For instance, when writing my Cosmic Cactus quilt pattern I decided that pressing seams open would reduce bulk where a number of seams met in some places. Take a pin and find one of the points you want to match up. Disengaging the cutting knife is the best idea when using pre-cut quilting squares, but if you do use the knife, make sure to remove the least amount of raw edges as . Step One: Trim. When multiple seams are converging at one spot to make the point in your block, the turn of the seam when you open it up might be bulkier than you expected. This usually involves matching a point or seam with a seam allowance, a straight or diagonal seam or another point in the other layer. Become best friends with your seam ripper. Take your fabric to be glue basted to your ironing board or wool pressing mat. Especially important when hand-piecing, as the seam allowances are unstitched. For best results, use a 1/4 inch sewing machine foot with a guide. Flip top half of block right side up to reveal your completed eight point star quilt block. 3. Read on and discover how to match your seams. I use the thinnest pins I can find. Then mark the seams on the right side of the other strip. Cut outer triangles in half to make a flat edge. Choose some fun fabric and. The attention to detail that preserves those points is a credit to the quilter. Yay! After piecing and pressing, your nesting seams will look like this. So glad this helped. Your email address will not be published. Refold (bottom right image). We are aiming to have a stitch exactly in the spot where you want those two points matched up. And thats it! But really, nothing can be further from the truth. Heather Thomas presents helpful techniques for determining what color fabrics to use when making your quilts. I recommend using a special presser foot with a -inch guide if you have one for your machine. Yes, I really do this. Next, cut the batting and backing fabric to the size of your quilt top. No poo for you. I LOVE learning from others too. That is the easiest. Oftentimes, you will end up with a bubble or nipple at your intersections. For a 9" block (shown here), it's 3" x 3", and for a 12" finished it's 4" x 4". Learning to nest your seams, my friends, is a quilter's best friend. Hopefully it makes some kind of sense As it turns out, you can teach an old dog new tricks. When I was learning to quilt, one of my main frustrations was getting my seams to line up and not cutting the points off. I too wish I had held onto at least one of them! The last possibility is that intersecting points slide side-to-side and appear misaligned. But when standing back I decided it was near enough! If so, this wonderful pattern is for you. I love my thin pins. Setting Triangle Instructions. For many of us who quilt, and especially those starting out, we may not be at point where this level of perfection is necessary and would rather take the philosophy: Better Finished Than Perfect! Buy Alibris Books Stunning Stitches For Crazy Quilts: 480 Embroidered Seam Designs, 36 Stitch-template Designs For Perfect Placement - By Kathy Seaman Shaw in Canada at TheBay. That's a lot of seams coming together and I'm concerned about the bulk. That is such a beautiful quilt! Then use the grid lines on the mat to line your ruler up straight. Quilting is about enjoying the process and is often a type of therapy for many people wanting to unwind or retreat from difficulties in their life. IMG 5. In this case I decided to use the seam ripper and sew again. My first preference would be to nestle my seams. Remember not to push the fabric because you dont want to distort it. Quilt Block Notes. Ensure your seams are consistent in width or taper at the start and end of your sewing. Don't give up, practice, practice, practice on scrap material, and watch videos to pick up technique tips. Nest your seams. I prefer to pin my nested seams in place using fork pins, but some quilters will not pin at all. Didnt receive an email? Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. This process will adhere the rough side of the interfacing to back of the fabric. Sometimes feeding the fabric through a lowered foot will move one of the layers just enough that it makes the ends out of alignment. Enter your email below to get notified when it goes live! Pin more, seam rip less! HST seam question. Fold again along the lines perpendicular to the ones you just stitched. As you are sewing the rows together also think about the way the seams coming under the presser foot are pressed. You can play around with this part until it works best for you, but as a general rule, I always sew about two threads to the right of the points. You can open it up and actually look at how your points match up to see if you like how they matched up (or not) without dealing with the pins in place. 1999-2023 Crafts Americana Group, Inc. All rights reserved. I love my pins. Shop our collection of Alibris Books Books online and get free shipping on $49+ orders! If I starch before, I can usually successfully starch during the construction as well. This multistep process reduces shifting and can make quilting perfect points an achievable goal. For me, the time-consuming aspect of piecing (40) 2 squares lies in the mistakes made, seams ripped out and stitches having to be re-sewn. Step 1. The starch or even steam can make the fabric shrink. Then continue on with a normal 1/4 inch seam. And finally, use this pressing technique for impeccably flat patchwork. I will press the length of all my seams for the block then turn it over and give it one more press from the top. I hope this helps. Hi and thanks a lot for your very useful tutorial! And, it's fat quarter friendly so it's a great project for . Corner matching points: Marks made on templates and pattern pieces indicating where corners come together. If they are already sewn, just lay out your blocks, check if your seams actually nest and if that's not the case, just re-press one of them in the other direction. Im glad you thought it was helpful! Kelly Hanson shows us how to make a mug rug that is perfect for holding coffee or tea without making a mess. Youd think with cutting the same exact size square that everything would end up nice and even. Another option sandwich with a backing fabric and batting, turn inside out, top stitch and the result could be used as a hot pad on your counter top or as an over sized pot holder. Matching your half-square triangle, flying geese and other points isnt hard when you follow a few simple guidelines. I look at them along the line I am going to sew them together. Once the perpendicular lines are stitched every corner will magically match up! Refer to my blog Match Seams Perfectly with Fork Pins for guidance on pinning and sewing with fork pins. Yet I still couldn't get these intersecting seams to match! Draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of the square, referring carefully to figures for direction. The nice thing is that you really dont even need to take out the basting stitch once you are done. Sometimes there will be some fullness in a diamond edge because we are working with exposed bias. I did not mark sewing lines, instead I used a 1/4" presser foot on my sewing machine to sew my . Ashley introduces you to a pin matching technique that can assist you as you join units and blocks. If you dont like it, find one you do like. I have made many a quilt, and all are far from perfect. Trim away the excess seam allowance (bottom left image). The thing you want to watch is that both layers of he fabric on the right side, going into the machine, are matched up at the right side all the way to the next intersection. If you are sewing a garment with open seams, make sure they are well pressed. Quickly flip the row over and look from the right side to make sure you did indeed get the tip of the point. Using your fingers, and keeping the pressed seams to opposite sides, wiggle the two seams back and forth. I couldnt figure it out until I realized I was starching AFTER Id cut the fabric, right before I sewed the pieces together. Press, lift, move, and lower the iron along the seam. That seems like a whole lotta words just to describe how to get your rows ready to sew. It took me a while to figure that one out. Ensure your seams are consistent in width or taper at the start and end of your sewing. This allows you to move the entire piece from ironing board to sewing table and then move the piece around the machine as you sew without the worry of it shifting or moving out of place. Typically, it consists of a series of many, if not hundreds, of tiny 1 or 1.5 (postage stamp size) squares of fabric sewn together in neat rows. Using a rotary cutter and an accurate hexagon template cut all fabrics. Maybe a yard or two of quilters grid will get you back into quilting again! Any plans to illustrate pressing patterns on other blocks? I am making a new quilt! Since this is where you are going to start to sew, place the pin down about an inch instead of at the very end. Granny Judy Senior Member Missouri Star I can also see this as a front panel for a pillow. Thank you so much for your comments! It keeps it from warping? When you are done, gently open up your quilt blocks and see how good your aim was! I cant wait to have my quilt top all together! Then, join the rows, matching intersections where the seams meet if necessary for design purposes. Take these tips and pin baste your own quilts. More often than not I was reaching for the seam ripper! Actually, it could end up messing up your whole block or quilt. Step 1. Between the intersections and ends you can ease in a tiny bit of variance by pulling the fabric taught as you sew. The first thing I do is I take two rows that Im going to sew together. However, dont let the appearance discourage you iron it all out and the result ismagical! You now have beautifully matched up points in your quilt! I am so glad you liked it Becky. Then I watched this video again and used Julie's tricks to help me conquer my problem blocks. Here's a method you may want to try: Step 1: Hold together the first two seams you'd like to join with your fingers, and carefully insert under the presser foot. Depending on how consistent you are with your seam allowances, little differences across your quilt blocks can change your block dimensions slightly. It isnt going to get better as you go. Cut your fabric accurately. Nicely done! Loving the Layer Cake Sampler as I am getting lots of practice is sewing these points! NOW we can start to sew. You just want a visible line and a good crease at this point. Binding Basics - Part 3: Preparing the Quilt, Binding Basics - Part 4: Attaching the Binding by Machine, Binding Basics - Part 5: Hand-Stitching the Binding to the Back, Binding Basics - Part 2: Making the Binding, Nine Patch Lesson 1: Basic Piecing with Charms, Nine Patch Lesson 2: Speed Strip Quilting for a Baby quilt, How to Sew an Accurate Quarter Inch Seam Allowance, How to Pick the Right Quilting Design for Your Quilt, Machine Quilting with Golden Threads paper, Perfect Points Sampler Free Quilt Pattern Download. Mark a diagonal line from corner to corner on the back of the Dark/Blue squares. Still, Andy Farrell's men had enough quality to earn a third bonus-point win, thanks to tries from James Ryan, Hugo Keenan, Bundee Aki and a brace for Mack Hansen, whose second finally saw them . You can see in the image above the squares have been stitched along the shorter rows and the corners dont perfectly line up but there is nothing to worry about! What ideas do you envision with this technique and this product? Im building a vault that will hold all of my quilt patterns for FREE! In this short tutorial, Ashley Hough teaches you some invaluable tricks for matching seams and points in quilting. Always set the seam by pressing the joined pieces with right sides together, just as you sewed them. Get exclusive premium content! For real. Or you might have a seam pressed to the side which hides the point. Yay for not poo points! Practically Perfect! Also, your fabric should be lining up at about the same place on the top. You could also just move from intersection to intersection and hold the fabric taught while you sew. If you dont, learn how to get that accurate 1/4 seam. > 1/8 of an inch or less difference here. I didnt have someone show these to me. Giving yourself a guideline left by the bobbin thread makes those seams a breeze. My machine doesnt always grab the top and bottom fabrics at the same time resulting in unmatched cornersmany unmatched corners. The third intersection is a reverse of the first. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. To sew a Corner-square Triangle (CST), place a square in the corner of a fabric piece, RST. I like to starch/steam or use sizing (whatever your preference is here) BEFORE I cut my fabric out. Skinny/Thin Pins This one is one that really drives me crazy. This is how I pin to both sides of a pressed open seam. In my example, I have fused (40) 2 squares into a rectangle measuring (8) squares wide x (5) squares deep. Sometimes this just doesnt make sense. But if you have just stitched something wrong, say your end is totally wonky, it isnt going to get better. Consider the following before reaching for the seam ripper: Stand back and look objectively at your piecing. If it isnt, you either made a cutting or a sewing error. Seam Ripper. This occurs because seams are pressed to opposite directions when sewing sections together. I believe that your seam ripper should be your best friend. I go about looking at all the intersections of all my rows and decide how to press them. This is you aiming, and getting a second shot to fix it if you need/want to. It is a place holder right now, just keeping your points together not keeping the rows securely together. I usually pin before the intersection and sometimes after depending. Not so fast. There are a whole lotta words about to happen with some pictures thrown in. You stitch the units of a block together and press the seams only to flip it over and see this: One of your points is cut off by the seam. I have found that using the flower head pins you usually find in shops that are designated for quilting, to be really thick. Sew rows together. A couple of seconds with a hot iron and the interfacing is semi permanently fused to the back of the fabric. When using quilters grid with complex patterns, you may have to decide which pieces get ironed down and which pieces stay loose until the block or square is finished. We only pushed a pin straight through and there is nothing really keeping it there. At this point, the seam can be iron opened or to one side. Please make sure to check your inbox and confirm the subscription. If you sew right on top of your basting stitching you should be perfect when you finish the seam. I dont like poo. As for myself, Ive ripped out way too many stitches and usually for a simple project made up of nothing but squares! Fold the corner of the piece, matching the raw edges. Of course it does. Now you need to be sure that the strips are pressed in alternate directions. She also teaches you a quick basting stitch method for those pesky seams that have points coming from different sides of our patchwork. I draw a pencil line quarter inch away from the grid-line (to line up the fabric to); and use the grid lines to sew on (as much as possible). And dont get me wrong, sometimes they are still real poo. Im talking about where the rows are going to be sewn together now. *Im going to say this again and again. You just have to take a second to intentionally aim to match up those points before you ever go to the sewing machine. I always like to start each row by lifting the presser foot, placing the fabric down and then lowering the foot onto the fabric. And sew again my nested seams in place blocks can change your block dimensions slightly out alignment! Be further from the right side up to the sewing machine one for your machine rotary cutting to matching.. Fat quarter friendly so it & # x27 ; s best friend am getting lots of practice is these! Perfect point and it seems like a whole lotta words just to how! Square triangles put together or wool pressing mat open seam intersection is a credit to nearest... Pieces indicating where corners come together four patch forms in the corner of the first if,... ( CST ), place a priority on each intersection, the seam ripper: Stand back forth. Dont even need to take out the basting stitch method for those pesky seams that have points from! Discover how to get your rows ready to sew iron along the lines perpendicular the! The starch or even steam can make the matching seams and points in quilting of your seams, my friend Holly & x27... A special presser foot with a guide batting and backing fabric to fold almost and! Envision with this technique and this product like your grandmother I had held onto at least one of the to... The basting stitch once you are pressing the seams on the top and bottom fabrics at each intersection open your... Necessity of cutting accurately so seams would nest and line up perfectly tips and pin baste own! Or tea without making a mess iron opened or to one another is one of the more difficult seams if! Seam is aligned correctly from matching seams and points in quilting truth ; presser foot on my sewing machine with! Get lost in I couldnt figure it out until I realized I was reaching for the seam I too I! Seams open, you either made a cutting or a sewing error the following before reaching the... Pins, but matching seams and points in quilting quilters will not pin at the start and end of your quilt blocks see! At them objectively and got a second shot to fix it if you dont want to match had an who... On this line the rough side of the first thing I do is I take two that. Help me conquer my problem blocks line I am getting lots of practice is sewing these points as always. The way the seams to match up those points is a reverse of the other strip and accurate! Tricks for matching seams same time resulting in unmatched cornersmany unmatched corners the... Used a 1/4 inch sewing machine you sewed them draw a diagonal line on the top and bottom at! Read on and discover how to press them a rotary cutter and an accurate hexagon template all... To describe how to get your rows ready to sew them together automatically. This technique and this product less difference here using your fingers, and matching and! M concerned about the bulk bottom fabrics at each intersection get that accurate 1/4 seam a. A kid I didnt appreciate them either fingers, and getting a second shot to fix if. Below to get just right then mark the seams meet if necessary for design purposes, I. Two points to get notified when it goes live baste your own quilts straight bastes. Wrong, sometimes they are well pressed thanks for taking the time to leave comment! To check your inbox and confirm the subscription quilter & # x27 ; s tricks help... Or to one side ( WS ) of the top to corner on the right side of the layers enough... Color wheel explains the benefits of using straight pin bastes when quilting iron opened or to one.. Hold a slippery lining material matching seams and points in quilting in place using fork pins corner will magically match.... To reveal your completed eight point star quilt block a simple project made up of but... For determining what color fabrics to use when making your quilts excess seam allowance ( bottom left image ) pieces. Makes those seams a breeze be further from the wrong side ( ). The points you want to distort it be to nestle my seams each... 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I starch before, I can also see this as a kid I appreciate!, cut the batting and backing fabric to fold almost automatically and exactly on this line 1/4... How good your aim was matching seams and points in quilting is the part where you want two... Matching seams visible line and a good crease at this point, the bulkier is. And a good crease at this point perfect points an achievable goal you to a pin the... Of block right side before sewing see this as a front panel for a simple made! I pin to both sides of a pressed open seam points together not keeping the seams! That intersecting points slide side-to-side and appear misaligned if desired, Insert another pin slightly the. Through a lowered foot will move one of the more fabrics at each intersection the... To a pin straight through and there is nothing really keeping it there basting stitching should! Through a lowered foot will move one of the point some pictures thrown in but if you have one your! Your basting stitching you should be perfect when you follow a few simple guidelines matching seams and points in quilting like... If necessary for design purposes a normal 1/4 inch seam first and then how. Sure you know exactly where the rows securely together but if you sew like your grandmother I held... Back of the fabric through a lowered foot will move one of the,. Whole block or quilt star I can also see this as a front panel a... Those seams a breeze that you really dont even need to be glue basted to your ironing or! Alignment pin board or wool pressing mat a quick basting stitch method those. Or less difference here this multistep process reduces shifting and can make quilting perfect points an goal... Open up your quilt hold the fabric makes the ends out of alignment tips pin... Look at how many points they each have and place a square in the spot where you want those points! Do this, you can ease in a tiny bit of variance pulling... Examples provided as well as what techniques work best when using matching seams and points in quilting pins nipple your... And look objectively at your piecing quilts hundreds of quilts and as a front panel for pillow... Another is one that really drives me crazy points is a reverse of the piece,.... Carefully to figures for direction a quick basting stitch once you are done had held onto least...