Snuggles Quilts

Snuggles Quilts

MENU

The Essential Seam Allowance- Accuracy Counts!

Accuracy is needed in quilting from cutting out your fabric pieces to stitching those pieces into blocks. If you are new to quilting, you may not be completely familiar with the essential seam allowance. This is the 1/4″ seam that is required in piecing to construct blocks and piece them into quilt tops. In this post, I’m going to show you how to make sure you are achieving this accurate measurement and how to set up a 1/4″ and other guides if you do not have built in measurements on your machine. So let’s go!

1/4″ Seam

Everything starts here! Patterns will give measurements for cutting pieces for their patterns with the 1/4″ seam included. This is why you will see descriptions like this in a pattern: 

  • Your completed block will measure 12 1/2 x 12 1/2″ this is the unfinished size. Once pieced into a quilt top, the block will measure 12 x 12″, also referred to as finished size.

Most of today’s sewing machines for quilting will come with a 1/4″ foot. This is mine:

Even if you have a 1/4″ foot, I advise you to test it with a scrap fabric by sewing a seam and then measuring it to verify that it’s actually 1/4″. 

If you do not have a 1/4″ foot, (or for some reason it’s not accurate) you can use the throat plate on your machine as a guide. The mark is usually fairly small (see my photo below). You can test to see if this mark is accurate with a tape measure.

I put the needle down into the center of zero line. If you look at where the line is on the throat plate, you can see it matches up with the 1/4″ line on the tape measure. If you are going to use this line and not your foot for accuracy, be sure to test it like above with scrap fabric.

If you want to extend this little line so it’s more visible to you, place a piece of painter’s tape on your machine (photo below), swing the tape measure around (this will only work with a tape measure that’s 1/2″ in width), and draw a line on the painter’s tape next to the tape measure to extend the line from the mark on the throat plate.

Now you can use this line to align pieces you are stitching:

Once again, test this on scrap fabric.

Scant 1/4″ Seam

You’ve seen this in patterns, but what does that mean and why do you want to use that? A scant 1/4″ seam is when you sew a seam with a width that is just a hair UNDER 1/4″.  I use this seam when I am piecing half-square triangles together … making half-square triangle squares (HSTs) the old fashioned way and when I am piecing strips for strips sets. These are two unit types that can be trimmed down to the size needed after piecing.

The scant 1/4″ works even if you are chain stitching the pre-cut squares for HSTs.  Here’s an example:

In the photo on the left, you can see I placed the drawn line on the square aligned with the right edge of the 1/4″ foot. In the photo on the right, I moved the square a hair to the left so the drawn line was under the right side of the 1/4″ foot. This will give me a seam just a hair under 1/4″. That’s a scant! Once I cut the units apart on the line, I can trim them down to size.

Stitch & Flip

You can also use painter’s tape for stitch & flip, which is adding a smaller square to a larger unit to make a 45 degree corner, used when making blocks like Snowball blocks. Using the tape works whether you have a drawn line on the smaller square or not. The example below shows no drawn line:

The photo above shows the point of the smaller square lined up with the left edge of the painter’s tape. Keep that lined up as you stitch the seam. 

Once it’s stitched, flip the small square over to make sure the unit still measures correctly and then cut off the excess fabric in the seam allowance.

If you use any of these guides and test them well, you will have accurate pieced units every time. If you change your thread to a different weight, you might want to test your seam again as thread thickness can effect measurement.

I hope you learned something new or enjoyed this review! Be sure to leave a comment or ask a question below to be entered into the drawing for my pattern, Old Glory Garden.

The drawing will be on Monday, May 19th. Good luck!***We have a winner! Congrats, Debi!***

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

More of My Favorite Piecing Tips

Last week, I covered my two favorite piecing tips that I think are the most important: pinning and pressing. You can read that post here if you missed it. These week, I will share some more piecing tips that I have learned over the years that help with quilt block accuracy. I think accuracy is the ultimate time saver. So let’s get started!

Sharp, Crisp Points

This is a tip that helps you to achieve sharp, crisp points. When joining pieces like HSTs or flying geese into a block, the goal is to keep those points from disappearing into the seam allowance. Here is an example of what can happen to your points:

The point on the left is cut off by the seam.  It’s frustrating when it happens. Now if you only have a few cut-off points in a large quilt, they may not be noticeable to anyone but you. But if it’s a smaller quilt, like a wall hanging or table runner, it may be easier to notice. So, here’s some tips to practice getting sharp, crisp points.

Tip #1: If you measure the seams on units with points as you go, like flying geese, to make sure the top of a point is 1/4″ from the edge of the unit, this will go a long way to helping you to achieve sharp points.

Tip #2: When you are joining a piece with points to a plain piece, stitch with them together with the unit with the points on top. This way you can make sure your stitching doesn’t cut off that point. 

Tip #3: As you are stitching the piece with the point to another unit, watch the point to make sure the stitching line passes just above the point. This guarantees the point will not be cut off when you press open the unit. See the photos below and where my pointer is:

In the photos below, you will see how the stitching passes above the point and how the point is not cut off when the unit is flipped over and pressed open (photo on right):

So to sum up, if you keep an eye on the points while stitching, you can avoid cutting them off.

Accurate Strip Sets

Strips sets are used often when you want to make blocks like below:

Tip #1: Strip sets are made from joining two or more long strips on their lengthwise sides. You can use width of fabric strips (40-44″ long) if you need a lot of pieces cut for your project, but I recommend cutting those in half to 20-22″ long. It’s easier for your strip sets to distort if you are using longer strips.

Tip #2: Stitch strips into sets using a scant 1/4″ seam to make sure they measure accurately when done. After each strip is added, press the strip set open, measure and trim up the set before adding the next strip. Below are photos showing the first steps of joining 3 strips into a strip set measuring 3 1/2″ wide when done.  I’m beginning three 1 1/2″ wide strips (left photo).

After the first two strips are stitched, I use the ruler to trim. These two strips stitched together need to measure 2 1/2″ wide, so I place the ruler evenly on the strip set to trim it. The 1 1/4″ line of the ruler should rest on the center seam for even trimming. You can then add the next strip. Once that strip is added, place the 1 1/4″ line of the ruler on the new seam and trim. The strip set will now measure 3 1/2″.

Tip #3: When your strip set requires you to stitch more than two strips together, alternate your sewing direction. That helps limit distortion of the strips and the strip set.

And remember to press the seams of these strip sets (like we talked about last week) instead of ironing. This will also work to cut down on distortion.

Some Random Time Saving Tips

Tip #1 – This is my favorite time saver and also a thread saver. Use a scrap of fabric for what I call a leader/ender.

This is actually a good use of some of those scraps you accumulate from trimming units like flying geese. Start your stitching with this leader/ender scrap first, then stitch how ever many units you have in your stack and then end with this leader/ender scrap.

It’s a thread saver and helps to limit damage to the unit you are stitching because if there’s a snafu, it will happen on the leader/ender. You won’t have to stop your sewing to cut more pieces to replace the damaged ones.

Tip #2: Ripping out stitches. Not our favorite thing to do, but here’s my tip if you’re skittish like me about using a seam ripper. I carefully cut a stitch every 4 or 5 stitches in the middle of the seam and then gently pull apart the pieces. Be extra careful when pulling them apart so you do not stretch the pieces out of shape, especially those units with bias seams. The seam comes apart fairly easy and then all you have to do is finish cutting the threads on each end of the unit.

Tip #3: We’ve all chain pieced small squares or other pieces together, but chain piecing isn’t just for small pieces! You can chain piece blocks the same way. This comes in handy if you are making several of the same block for a quilt.

First I lay out all the block pieces for each block like in the photo on the left. Then, I chain piece those units into rows like in the photo on the right. Then, I can chain piece those rows as well into the blocks.

Tip #4: Finally this may seem like a simple tip, but you’d be surprised how many people skip it. Back stitch to lock your stitched seam at the beginning and end of a seam. 

The unit on the left has back stitching at the beginning and end of the seam. The one on the right does not. The next photo shows how the seam can easily separate, which can cause your quilt to come apart at the seams … literally!

The unit that has the back stitching is nice and secure (bottom left), even with seams pressed open. Where the one that is not back stitched comes apart too easily.

So that’s it for this week. I hope you enjoyed more piecing tips and some easy to follow time savers.

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Bias Seam Tips – Working with Angles

Last week’s post covered time saving tips. This week, I thought I would cover tips specifically for bias seams. Angles, created with bias seams, add interest to a quilt block and quilt so it’s a good idea to learn how to stitch them accurately. Accurate stitching is definitely a time saver! These types of seams require a little more care than just pinning and stitching straight seams. Especially because you want to avoid having to rip out bias seams. My post concentrates specifically on the stitch & flip type of bias seam, but you can use these tips on any type of bias seam. So let’s get started.

Getting Started

Tip#1: Don’t rely on “eyeballing” the seam you are sewing. Either draw a pencil line to follow or use guides on your machine. I will show some examples of using a pencil line in my specific examples below.

But, if you would rather use a guide on your machine, here’s how you set it up:

I first place a tape measure (above left photo – I recommend a tape measure that is 1/2″ wide) under my needle and put the needle down at the “0” line. Place a piece of painter’s tape right at that point on your throat plate and sewing machine table. Then move the tape measure around (still under the needle), as in the center photo, if you are using a 1/2″ wide tape as recommended, the edge will be exactly aligned with the 1/4″ line on your throat plate and with the edge of your 1/4″ foot (last photo). Be sure it is exactly 1/4″ then draw a line on the painter’s tape. This acts to extend the 1/4″ mark from your throat plate. No more eyeballing a seam! You’ll see this in action later in this post.

Preparing and Sewing

Here’s the stitch and flip corners I mentioned in the opening. Stitch & flip usually entails placing a smaller square on a larger square or block, stitching a bias seam and then pressing it open. 

Tip#2: Pin! Pin! Pin! Take the square with the line drawn and lay it face down on the face up unit that you want to add the corner to (first two photos above). Make sure the raw edges of the pieces are lined up exactly, this is important to make sure your unit measures accurately when done. Then pin to make sure the pieces do not shift while stitching.

Tip#3: Measure! Measure! Measure! First (left photo below), stitch along the drawn line. You can go a hair to the right (or left if your square in on the left) of the line to allow for different thread thickness, but no more. I even recommend to cut some scrap squares and use that to test how this works.

In the center photo below, I show that after stitching, I press back the corner of the smaller square and measure the unit to make sure it still measures the same as the larger piece. For example, if the black square is 2 1/2 x 2 1/2″ before you started, it needs to still measure 2 1/2 x 2 1/2″ with the flipped up smaller square.

After you have determined the unit measures correctly, then you can cut the excess fabric from the seam allowance on the back.

If you do the tape method I showed above and you feel confident without a drawn line on your smaller square, here’s how that would work:

The photo above shows the point of the smaller square lined up with the left edge of the painter’s tape. Keep that lined up as you stitch the seam. Then follow the same steps above for those units with the drawn line.

Tip #4: Because these seams are bias seams, do not pull the unit through your machine as you are stitching. This is a good rule for any seam, but especially bias seams because the fabric can be stretched severely out of shape by doing this and then your unit will not measure correctly. And be extra careful if you have to “un-sew” a seam for the same reason. The fabric can stretch out of shape with too much pulling.

Other Stitch & Flip Type Blocks

Stitch & flip method is used to make some common units like flying geese and common blocks like the snowball.

For the flying geese on the left, you would stitch & flip one side from lining it up, pinning, stitching, measuring and cutting off the excess fabric in the seam allowance prior to working on the next side. For the snowball block on the right, you can sew all four corners at the same time before moving on to the next steps.

So that’s it for this week.

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Piecing Tips for Points & Seams

Last week we covered piecing shortcuts to make lots and lots of half-square triangle squares and flying geese units. Now that you have all those pieces, it’s time to put them into blocks. When piecing these units, sometimes it’s difficult to keep points sharp and seams aligned. It’s something most quilters work to achieve so their quilt design shines. That’s why I have made this the focus of my post this week. Let’s get started!

Sharp, Crisp Points

First up, let’s cover the tips on achieving sharp, crisp points. When joining pieces like HSTs or flying geese into a block, the goal is to keep those points from disappearing into the seam allowance. Here is an example of what can happen to your points:

The point on the left is cut off by the seam.  It’s frustrating when it happens. Now if you only have a few cut-off points in a large quilt, they may not be noticeable to anyone but you. But if it’s a smaller quilt, like a wall hanging or table runner, it may be easier to notice. So, here’s some tips to practice getting sharp, crisp points.

Tip #1: When you are joining a piece with points to a plain piece, stitch with them together with the unit with the points on top. This way you can make sure your stitching doesn’t cut off that point. 

Tip #2: If you measure the seams as you go when you are piecing flying geese to make sure the top of the point is 1/4″ from the edge of the unit, it saves you from headaches later!

Tip #3: As you are stitching the piece with the point to another unit, watch the point to make sure the stitching line passes just above the point. This guarantees the point will not be cut off when you press open the unit. See the photos below and where my pointer is:

In the photos below, you will see how the finished seam passes above the point and how the point is not cut off when the unit is flipped over and pressed open (photo on right):

Aligning Points

Now, what happens when you have to join two units that both have points and you need them to align to create the design you want? Here are my tips on how to match up these units so the points align.

Tip #1: When pinning the units together, you want to start by lining up the points of each unit and placing your first pin there. Here are my steps (photos below illustrate): I lay the units right sides together and then pull the top unit down to get the point lined up with the point of the unit below. I slowly inch the top piece back, eyeing the points the whole time to make sure they stay lined up. Then start by pinning at that point before pinning the rest of the unit.

Then you simply follow the stitching tips from above to keep your seam line above the point. When the unit is pressed open, the points line up. The first two photos below show the seam passing over the point on both sides.

Aligning Seams

Aligning seams is important to create a design in a block and a quilt. If too many of your seams are not lining up, it will effect the impact of your design.

The steps to aligning seams are similar to aligning points except when you are piecing together two blocks or an entire quilt, you may have a lot of seams to line up accurately to keep your design flowing. For example, when joining these two Jacob’s Ladder blocks (below), I have squares and the diagonal lines of the half-square triangle blocks to match up.

Start by lining up the center of the blocks, like you did when aligning the points above.

Pin the center so those seams don’t shift away from each other while you are pinning the rest of the blocks together. Once that seam is stitched and the blocks pressed open, see how everything lines up in the photo below?

The corners of the squares and the diagonal seams of the HSTs of each of the blocks match up, all because you carefully lined up the center seam. Perform these seam alignment steps for as many seams as there are in the blocks you are joining. A challenging design could have many seams and points to align at the same time, so it’s a good idea to practice this skill.

If you take one thing away from this post, let it be this: pin in place what you want to align before pinning other areas to keep things from shifting, especially while stitching. If you follow that one tip, you should end up with blocks that have no cut off points and all the seams aligned!

That’s all for this week. 

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

More Ruler and Cutting Tips for Accurate Piecing

Last week I touched briefly on rulers, including my tips on using the same brand when cutting out a project and how to keep the ruler in place. I have some more ruler tips for you this week along with a few more cutting tips. All this goes towards accurate piecing which I will also talk about this week. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced quilter, I think it’s always a good idea to get tips on accuracy when piecing your blocks and quilt tops. Let’s get started!

More Ruler & Cutting Tips

Tip #1: You can use the ruler to find the center of a piece of fabric or block by using the markings on the ruler. Those intersecting white lines and the circle where they meet is the exact center of the ruler. This comes in handy when squaring up blocks or when you are fussy cutting a piece of fabric.

Tip #2: The 45 degree line comes in handy when you are trimming a half-square or quarter-square triangle square. Place the diagonal ruler line on the diagonal seam of your square to guarantee that you are trimming the square evenly on all sides.

Tip #3: To quickly identify where to place your ruler, notice the lines between the inches are different lengths. Early on in my quilting life I never paid attention to this. The 1/8″ lines are slightly shorter than the 1/4″ lines and the 1/2″ line is longer than both of those. This helps you find measurements like 2 3/8″ and 3 3/4″ quickly on the ruler. 

This is true for the Creative Grids rulers I use, but you’ll find similar features on other brands as well.

Tip #4: This ruler tip relates to cutting safety. If you have noticed, I have ruler guards (also known as safety shields) on my rulers. I had a rotary cutting accident several years ago when my cutter slid over the edge of the ruler and hit my finger. Not fun! Here’s what my rulers look like now:

You can find these safety shields made by Olipfa at Joanne Fabrics and some quilt shops. It only comes in one size, but it can be cut down to fit shorter rulers.

A safety feature I like about my Creative Grid rulers: they have gripper dots and strips embedded on the back for less slipping. No need to buy anything to add to the bottom of the ruler.

Tip #5: Everyone probably practices this one… remember that old adage “measure twice, cut once”? There are times that I have thought I was cutting a 2 1/2″ strip when I really had the ruler lined up for a 2 1/4″ cut … I was in a hurry and didn’t check!

Always line up the ruler with the edge of your fabric and double check that your ruler is placed correctly. Also make sure it’s not crooked. To help with that, use some tape on the ruler’s measurement line, especially if you are cutting a lot of strips.

Tip #6: Finally, make sure you are holding your rotary cutter correctly while cutting. Make sure it is straight and hugging the edge of your ruler all the way through the cut you are making. You want your rotary cutter straight like the photo on the left (below). If you angle it like the photo on the right (below), the blade of the rotary cutter can wander away from the edge of the ruler and your strip will be cut inaccurately. And, of course, always cut away from your body.

Piecing accuracy

Now we turn to accuracy in piecing. Part of the battle is won if you follow my cutting tips. This gives you accurately cut pieces to work with when it comes time to sew them together. If you are joining pieces that are not cut the right size, your block will not go together smoothly, with seams matching up, or will not measure the correct size. Here’s some piecing tips.

Tip #1: This one I hope all quilters are aware of… always make sure your 1/4″ seam is accurate. As you know, most quilt patterns require you to stitch pieces together with a 1/4″ seam. It’s always a good idea to test your seam allowance even if you have a 1/4″ foot. Thread thickness and needle position can effect your seam. So, for example, if you are starting a new project with some different thread than you’ve used in the past, check your seam allowance by sewing together two fabric scraps and then measuring the seam:

Tip #2: If you don’t have a 1/4″ foot, most machines have a marking on the throat plate that indicates wear to line up the edge of your fabric pieces for an accurate seam. 

If you have this type of lined throat plate, you can use it, but I recommend testing it like above before you depend on it.

Tip #3: Alway pin in place the pieces you are stitching together. I know… it takes more time to do that. But, it takes a lot of time to “un-sew” too!

Pinning, no matter how small the seam, keeps the pieces to be joined from shifting while being fed through the machine. Also if you need to line up seams, pinning is the only way you can guarantee they won’t shift away from each other while stitching.

Tip #4: Measure units as you go so you won’t be frustrated when you are piecing the final block together. For example, if you are piecing a star block that is made up of squares and flying geese units, measure the geese units as you go to make sure they are the size they need to be for the block.

So that’s what I have on rulers, cutting tips, and accurate piecing. I’m sure I’ll think of other things for future posts. If you can think of other tips to share, feel free to do so in the comments. I will choose one of you from the comments as the winner of my new pattern, Star Trail!

The drawing will be on Monday, February 5th. Good luck! **We have a winner! Congrats, Mary W.!**

Happy Quilting!
Deanne