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2021 Block of the Week – Block 8

It’s time for block 8 of the series! This BOW is going fast and in two short weeks, you will see the finished wall hanging I have made. I will provide the instructions to complete the wall hanging if you so desire. If you are just joining the party, all the block of the week blocks are still available here: Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6 and Week 7. After the block reveal, I will talk about fabric tips, including fabric bias, and bias seams. This block has a lot of those! Comment on the post and be entered into this week’s drawing and the grand prize drawing at the end. Enjoy!

Block 8 – Double Pinwheel

To get the instructions for this block, click here: 2021 BOW – Block 8.

Like I said above, there are a few bias seams in this block so that is why I would like to review that with this blog post. But first, I will cover what “bias” of fabric actually is. No matter your skill level as a quilter, it never hurts to review this. If you are a new quilter, this should help you understand how and why your fabric is behaving in certain ways. So let’s get started!

Fabric Facts

The common belief is that fabric has a usable width of 44″. But you can not always depend on that being the case because of the selvage of the fabric.

Selvage is the tightly woven, finished edges of fabric on the lengthwise grain. This prevents the woven fabric from fraying or unraveling. Because you cut off the selvages before you cut from your piece of fabric, the actual usable fabric width is between those selvages. You can also lose width from pre-washing the fabric if that’s something you do. For those reasons most patterns, mine included, assume 40″ of usable width.

Here’s a few tips to save you cutting headaches:

Tip #1: Don’t assume the pattern writer of the pattern you want to make assumes 40″ width of fabric unless it’s stated on the pattern. If I do not know the width assumed, I will purchase about 1/8 yard extra than noted on the pattern. This also allows for width lost when squaring the fabric up, pre-washing it or for cutting errors … we all make them!

Tip #2: Cut largest to smallest pieces from a piece of fabric. My patterns list all the cutting instructions up front and I list them from the largest piece to the smallest for each fabric, but some patterns may not. Make sure you know how many pieces are to be cut from a piece of fabric and plan how you will cut them efficiently, if the pattern does not instruct you, before you start cutting.

Tip #3: It’s a good idea to understand the grain of the fabric and bias so you know how a fabric will behave in a unit or block you are creating. It’s also important to know this because some patterns will tell you to cut certain pieces on the lengthwise or crosswise grain. Here’s a brief run down:

The lengthwise grain (warp) of the fabric is parallel to the selvage. This is where the fabric is most stable.

The crosswise grain (weft) is perpendicular to the selvages. It is a little less stable than the lengthwise grain.

Bias of the fabric is at a 45 degree angle from the selvages of a piece of fabric.

On the bias,  the fabric is the least stable and has the most stretch to it. That’s why binding cut on the bias is used for quilt tops with scalloped edges or for a circular quilt. Also any seam sewn on the bias (like in half-square triangle squares) must be handled with care when pressing or when ripping out that seam so the fabric is not stretched out of shape. Once fabric is stretched on the bias, it usually stays distorted.

See how stretchy it is on the bias?

Since we will be doing a lot of bias seams as well as straight seams for this block, here is the simplest explanation i have of these two types of seams.

A straight seam is right there in the description: straight. Putting two units together and sewing straight on the lengthwise or crosswise grain. An example of this is two squares stitched together:

A bias seam is when you join two pieces of fabric matching the bias cut sides, like with half-square triangles:

This is why you need to be extra careful in stitching seams on the bias. If you have to pick out the seam in the above example, you could risk stretching the fabric on that bias and it will be distorted. This will lead to your unit not measuring correctly when you are done.

So, that’s it for this week. If you are a beginner, I hope you learned something. If you are an experienced quilter, I hope you weren’t too bored! Leave a comment below or ask any questions you may have and you will be entered into a drawing for my pattern, Open Windows:

You’ll get a lot of practice with bias seams making this quilt! The drawing for this pattern will be on Monday, June 7th. **We have a winner! Congrats, Karen J.!**

Until next week,

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Piecing Techniques – Bias Seams

Hi! This week, I decided to talk about bias seams, specifically when making  half-square triangle (HST) squares and flying geese. Learning to make these units will open up a whole range of quilt blocks if you are a beginner. Whether you are new to quilting or a seasoned sewer, it’s always a great time for tips on making these units.

Straight seams and Bias Seams

If you are new to quilting, you have probably worked mostly with straight seams and not seams on the bias. To start, I’ll explain what the bias of fabric is. Bias of the fabric is at a 45 degree angle from the selvages of a piece of fabric.

On the bias fabric is the least stable and there is more stretch. That’s why it’s important to stitch your HST or flying geese units correctly the first time so you do not have to do any “unsewing”. If you have to pick out a seam on the bias, there is more of a chance that you will distort and stretch the fabric, ruining the piece. Not to say you can not ever pick out one of these seams, you just need to be super, super careful because it’s on the bias.

Here is the simplest explanation of the two types of seams. A straight seam is right there in the description: straight. Putting two units together and sewing straight on the lengthwise or crosswise grain. For example, two squares stitched together:

A bias seam is when you join two pieces of fabric matching the bias cut sides:

Making Half-Square Triangle (HST) Squares

So now that you know the difference between straight seams and bias seams, lets make some HSTs!

The most common method makes two HSTs at a time and uses two squares cut 7/8″ larger than the finished measurement (the measurement without seam allowance) of your HST. For example, for a 2″ HST, you would cut each of the squares 2 7/8″.

Next, draw a line diagonally on the wrong side of one of the squares, place the squares right sides together and then sew a scant 1/4″ on each side of the drawn line.

Then, you cut the unit apart on the drawn line and press the two parts open for two HSTs!

Making Flying Geese

Flying geese are another unit that has you sewing a bias seam. The most common method is using a rectangle and two squares. For example, for a 2 1/2 x 4 1/2″ flying geese unit, you start with a 2 1/2 x 4 1/2″ rectangle and two 2 1/2 x 2 1/2″ squares.

To start,  draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of the squares. Lay a square face down on the rectangle, stitch on the line and then trim the excess seam allowance. Press open.

Repeat the step on the other side of the rectangle for a finished flying geese unit.

Blocks to Make

Now that you know how to make these units, here’s some simple blocks to make for a quilt project.

Using flying geese in blocks:

Using HSTs in blocks:

Here’s some blocks where I have combined flying geese and HST units:

And those are just a few of the examples. There are many, many more combinations that will make stunning blocks.

So, that’s it for this week. If you are a beginner, I hope you learned something. If you are an experienced quilter, I hope you weren’t too bored. LOL! Next week, I plan on covering ways to make multiples of the HSTs and flying geese units so you can make a lot at once. Leave a comment and be entered into a drawing for my quilt pattern Posey Patch. 

You’ll get a lot of HST practice making this quilt! The drawing will be on Monday, October 5th. **We have a winner! Congrats, Linda Dunton!**

Happy Quilting!
Deanne