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Useful Piecing Techniques – Stitch & Flip Corners

In this week’s blog post lets talk about the stitch & flip technique, sometimes known as the folded corners. This is a technique that is very useful because it adds a design element to a unit or block that is not achieved by straight seams only. I will share tips on how to perform this technique so your units and blocks turn out perfectly… or at least as close as possible. You may hear this technique referred to as “folded corners” because after stitching, the fabric is folded over (by pressing). Don’t let the different name throw you off. Let’s get started!

Flying Geese Units

If you make flying geese units the old fashioned way, 2 squares and a rectangle, you are using the stitch & flip method already. The key to making these units successfully is careful stitching and measuring as you go. Here are the traditional geese first steps:

I start in my demo above with 2 squares that are each 2 1/2″ and a rectangle that is 2 1/2 x 4 1/2″. Draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of the two squares. When you lay one of the squares face down on the rectangle, pin to keep the square from shifting. Once you sew along the line, the next steps are very important:

In the photo above on the left, I am folding over the square to make sure it matches up with the edge of the rectangle. The center photo shows that when I measure, the rectangle still measures 4 1/2″ in length. I can then trim off the excess fabric on the back (last photo). Always fold over and measure the unit after stitching before trimming off the excess fabric.

I repeat these steps on the other side of the rectangle and here is my finished geese unit still measuring    2 1/2 x 4 1/2″:

Here’s a bonus way to save fabric if you don’t like cutting off the excess and tossing it. Once you have the square placed face down on the rectangle and sew along the drawn line, sew another seam 1/2″ away from the first seam. If you want to mark that line too, feel free.

Cut between the two sewn lines and you end up with the geese unit you are working on and an half-square triangle square you can use in another project. That way, you are not wasting any fabric. 

There are no-waste geese methods that I will cover in a later post that will allow you to make multiple geese, but if you like making geese this traditional way, this is a way you save waste too. A geese unit that measures 2 1/2 x 4 1/2″ yields two HST squares that can be trimmed to measure 1 1/2″ square.

Other Uses for Stitch & Flip

Stitch & flip is also used to make corners on squares that add a unique look to the design of a block. The block shown below from my Star Wheels quilt has flying geese in it, but also other stitch & flip parts:

You can do stitch and flip on anything that has a 90 degree angle like a square or a rectangle. I’m going to demo using the black pointed units in this block (that I call the “spokes” of the Star Wheel block), but the same step can be used for the orange corners of the star block. These steps are similar to the geese steps above. I started with a 2 1/2″ black square and a tan 1 1/2″ square. Draw a line on the wrong side of the tan square as a guide for stitching:

Next, lay the small square face down and line up its edges with the edges of the bigger black square as shown. I like to pin it in place for stitching so the small square does not shift. Then stitch on the line.

Once the seam is sewn, I fold over the square like I did in the geese steps above and measure the unit to make sure it still measures 2 1/2 x 2 1/2″ and the small square folds in half evenly. Then I can cut off the excess in the seam allowance.

I then repeat those steps on the other side of the black square to get the finished “spoke” unit.

I have an older tutorial video I made on this method that may be helpful to you demonstrating this technique.

Here are some other blocks where I have used this method:

These are only a few of the many I have made. Can you pick out all the stitch & flip units in each block?

So, that’s it for this week. Comment below on this technique or ask any questions you may have. The drawing for my pattern, Star Wheels is still ongoing. 

The drawing will be on Monday, March 14th. ***We have a winner. Congrats, Pat!***

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Useful Piecing Techniques – Points and Seams

Ever have difficulty with cut off points, matching up points or matching up seams? Well, you are in luck because that is what this week’s post covers. In last week’s blog post, one of my beginner’s tips was pinning units for stitching to make sure your piecing is accurate. This tip really comes in handy when matching up seams and points too. I’m going to dive a little deeper into matching up seams and points because it helps to make your quilt design look the way you want. So let’s go!

Crisp Points

First up, let’s look at those points. We’ve all had this happen. 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. It’s frustrating when it happens. 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 can be very noticeable. So, here’s some steps to practice to get crisp and not cut off points. 

First: If you are joining a unit with a point to another piece, my first tip is to keep the unit with the point on top when you pin them together. This way you can see the point as you are stitching the units.

Second: If your unit with the points was pieced correctly, there should be 1/4″ from the point to the edge of your unit (see below). Measure to make sure. Measuring completed units as you go will save you headaches later!

Third: Keep your eye on the point as you are stitching. I am using a pin as a pointer in the photos below to identify where the point is as I stitch. You want the seam that you are stitching to pass right above the point.

The photos below show how the seam looks on the back and how your point looks on the front once you press the unit open:

Matching Points

These tips are for when you want to piece together 2 units where there are points on each that need to match up.

First: When pinning the units together, you want to start by lining up the points of each unit and pinning there. Here is how I line up the points. 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 in the center before pinning the rest.

Second: Follow the stitching instructions above to stitch the seam, keeping it above the point. Since you took such care in aligning the points, the seam should be above the point on the back unit to. Hopefully you can see in the photos of each side (below) where the stitching line passes above the point:

My thread is a little dark, but because the other fabric in the unit is a tan print you can tell the seam doesn’t go into the point. Now press the unit open and you have points that are matched.

Aligning seams

The steps to aligning seams are similar to aligning points, except when you are piecing a 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.

I start by matching the center seam of the two blocks using the same method I used above in matching points:

I then pin starting in the center to make sure nothing shifts and then I pin the rest. Stitch the seam and press open. The two blocks joined look like this:

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

The main point is to line up seams and points carefully first and pin where you want NO shifting whatsoever. If you do these steps, you should be successful in achieving units and blocks with no cut off points or unaligned seams. 

That’s it for now! Join me next week for some more piecing techniques. Leave me a comment or ask questions and be entered into a drawing for my pattern Star Wheels. This pattern has a lot of points and seams to align to give you lots of practice!

The drawing will be on Monday, March 14th so you will have this week and next week to enter! ***We have a winner. Congrats, Pat!***

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Directional Print Fabrics – How to Use Them – Part II

Last week, I talked about what a directional print fabric was and how to use them in some units. If you missed that post, find it here. In this post I will show using a directional print in flying geese units that will be used to make a star block with the prints all going in the same direction. I will also show a “playful” way to use some of these prints. Still a chance to enter the drawing for my pattern, Country Dance!

Directional Print in a Star Block

Below are the fabrics I am using in this block:

As you can see, I will only be concerned with the grey fabric since my tan fabric has a print that is not directional. The secret to using directional fabrics for flying geese is that the directional print will go in the opposite direction from how it was placed after stitching and folding the corners back. For example,  if you position the directional print horizontally, the print will be vertical after stitching. The photos below show this:

As you can see in the second photo, when I lay the fabric piece with the directional print going horizontally, the print is going vertically after stitching the diagonal seam and pressing the corner open (as shown in the last photo).

To finish the flying geese unit, I need to lay the next square face down on the other side of the rectangle with the print going horizontal so when done, the print will then be vertical like the first side.

Here is the finished geese unit:

But now here is where you have to pay close attention. If you are using the directional print for the center square of the star and if you make all 4 flying geese with the print going vertical… this will happen:

The geese units on two sides of the star unit will not have the directional fabric matching the other pieces in the block. To remedy this, two of the flying geese units need to have the print going vertical and two flying geese units need to have the print going horizontal if you want the all the print going in the same directional when the star block is done.

As you can see by the second photo, the geese with the print in the horizontal direction is placed on the side and now the star block has all the print going in the same direction:

Random Directional Print Fun!

Here’s a fun way to use a directional print. Binding! Take a fabric with a directional print and cut the strips on the bias for a fun diagonal stripe binding! In the photos below, I show how I cut strips on the bias and after piecing them together, the stripe on the fabric now goes in a diagonal direction for a whole new look.

Finally… I don’t mind directional prints going whichever way they end up when I’m pulling scraps for a scrap quilt. Here’s a block where the green print has the stripe going both horizontally and vertically. I think it adds some “whimsy” to scrap quilts.

And in this block, the tan print wavy stripe radiates in all directions. Look at the corner squares of the block. I pull the stripes all together by having the stripe go in a different direction as your eye goes clockwise around the block.

To get all those stripes to go in the same direction would take a bit more dedicated fussy cutting. But, it could be done. I just don’t bother in a scrap quilt. Now in a 3 color quilt, where every block was the same 3 colors, I may take the time to fussy cut and piece to get everything going in the same direction.

So, that’s it for my directional print tutorial. Leave a comment and ask any question you may have. There is still time to enter the drawing for my pattern, Country Dance.

The drawing will be on Monday, March 29th. **We have a winner… Congrats, June!**

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Directional Print Fabrics – What Are They and How to Use Them – Part I

Among the questions I get from quilters, these come up often: what is a directional print fabric and how do I use them? Directional fabrics do present a challenge and, many times, quilters will shy away from using them. But don’t be afraid of using these types of fabric. It can actually be fun to play with directional prints. Either to have them all go in the same direction or not, generally done in a scrap quilt. In this post I will show you how to use these prints when making units with straight seams and also making units with bias seams, like half-square triangle (HST) squares and flying geese. This week I’ll talk about the straight seams and the HSTs. Next week, I’ll cover flying geese. So, let’s get started!

What is a Directional Print Fabric

Let’s start by defining this. A fabric has a directional print, sometimes referred to as a “one-way” print, when there is a clear up or down to the pattern on the fabric. Here are a couple of examples of that.

As you can see above, the pattern goes in one direction. It’s especially evident in the fabric on the left. Compare these fabrics to the ones below.

The design on the above fabrics are considered not directional because which ever way you turn the fabric, it looks the same. You can see it clearly in the fabric on the right. The “starburst” design is symmetrical and looks the same no matter which direction you turn it.

There can be one-way, two-way, three-way and even four-way directional designs. If I use a directional fabric and want the design to all go in the same direction within the block, I try to stick with a directional fabric that isn’t too complicated.

Using Directional Fabrics

Using these fabrics takes planning when you are cutting the pieces for your unit or block. The first example I will show you is a unit made up of a square and bordering strips. This the easiest to do because you are working with straight seams. Here’s the fabric I chose for this example:

As you can see, the solid lines with stars runs in one directions. If I were just to cut all the pieces to frame the center square (see below), from the same 1 1/2″ strip, here’s how it would look:

Notice with the strips on the sides the print runs vertically and with the strips on the top and bottom the print runs horizontally. In a scrap quilt, with a lot of different units made from different fabrics, this unit would be just fine. In fact, scrap quilts are usually what I like to call a “chaos” of fabrics and prints and this would add to the fun.

However, if you want the print to go all in the same direction, here’s what you do. Cut the longer side rectangles from the 1 1/2″ strip – in this case, the rectangles need to be 1 1/2 x 4 1/2″. As you can see in the first photo, the print is vertical. To get the top and bottom rectangles, which each measure 1 1/2 x 2 1/2″, to have the print vertical, cut a strip from your fabric for these pieces 2 1/2″ wide and then cut 1 1/2″ segments for 1 1/2 x 2 1/2″ rectangles. (see the last two photos below)

So now when you lay the pieces out around the square, the stripe of the fabric is all running in the same direction.

Below are the pieces to make 4 HSTs. Lay them out as shown and then lay the tan print face down on the color print. Stitch diagonally a scant 1/4″ on each side of the diagonal center from the same direction on both square sets (see where my finger is pointing).

Once you cut the units apart and press open, you will get 4 HSTs where, no matter how they are arranged, the directional tan print will not go in the same direction. As you can see, the print on the blue fabric is also a directional and I can use the same steps to make sure that design goes all in the same direction. 

Now, repeat the above step but stitch one set of squares diagonally in the opposite direction of the other:

Here’s the seam stitched and the result.

As you can see, both directional fabrics are going in the same direction in the above pinwheel.

Now, use these two examples to make a churn dash block, which has straight seams and bias seams, where the directional prints are all going in the same direction.

I hope the above examples gives you a bit more confidence when working with directional prints. Yes it does add an extra step in creative cutting or stitching, but if you are someone who wants prints to flow in the same directions I think it’s worth the time.

Leave a comment below and be in the drawing for my pattern, Country Dance, which can give you a lot of practice with directional prints if you choose!

The drawing will be on Monday, March 29th so you have two weeks to enter! **We have a winner… Congrats, June!**

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Block of the Week – Block 8

Welcome to week 8 of my Block of the Week project! I hope so far that this has been fun and you’ve learned a bit also. All the block instructions are still available by going to the previous blog posts here: Block 1, Block 2, Block 3, Block 4, Block 5 , Block 6 and Block 7. We will be making one more block after this and then a cute wall hanging from the blocks in week 10. This week’s block has a lot of half-square triangle squares and quarter-square triangle squares. You will be an expert on piecing these together when we’re done! 

Puzzle Star

I named this block “Puzzle Star” because the center unit and the outside borders reminded me of putting a puzzle together to achieve the design that extends the pinwheel motif to the edges of the block. You can find the instructions here: Block of the Week – Block 8.

The Importance of Aligning Seams!

With many blocks, including this one, there is an importance to aligning seams when piecing the block so the design is achieved. I press my seam allowances open on the back of my units, so the examples you see here will show this. However, if you press your seam allowances to one side or the other, make sure to press your seams in alternating directions for rows you are joining. Here’s an example using the block above:

If you press seams allowances open like me, then you can follow the tips below. The puzzle block in these photos is finished except for adding the last row. Here’s what my block looks like from the back:

When piecing blocks and aligning seams, I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how important pinning is. This will keep seams that you have aligned from shifting while you are stitching them. So, here’s how I align and pin. I lay the pieces right sides together with raw edges aligned. Then I pull down the edge of the row on the top a bit to see both seam lines:

This way, you can see if the seams will align at the 1/4″ point on the front. This works for diagonal seams also:

Now, once it’s stitched together and pressed, look how well the seams line up so the design of the block is achieved.

Here’s an example of how this works for joining blocks together like below with these two Jacob’s Ladder blocks below. You want the seams lined up so that the checkerboard and the diagonal seams of the HST units of the block align throughout your quilt.

The two blocks on the left are the ones I am stitching together. I lay one on top of the other and then I peel back the top one so I can align the seams. I pull it back where the 1/4″ seam line will be to make sure they are aligned. Once I am satisfied, I pin the unit there first so my alignment does not move when I pin other parts of the block. When I am done, the seams are matched perfectly on the front.

So there you go. Pin… pin… pin and practice this every time you are piecing. Before you know it you will have perfectly aligned seams and blocks throughout all your quilts!

There’s still time to enter the drawing for my quilt pattern, Follow the Stars! 

Simply leave a comment below about this or any of the other techniques I’ve covered in this Block of the Week series and you will be entered. The drawing will be on Monday, June 8th. Good luck! ***We have a winner! Congrats, Beverly Wood!***

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Block of the Week Begins!

Hi everyone and welcome to my first ever Block of the Week! I thought it would be fun over the next nine weeks to make a different scrappy block and then put them all together into a mini sampler. These blocks will measure 6 1/2 x 6 1/2″. If you do not want to make a sampler at the end, you can use each block as a “mini” quilt by adding a few borders. You can also make several of each block and make table runners or wall hangings from just the one style each week. It’s up to you what you do with them! I will also share some quilting tips each week that will help you while making these blocks. So, here we go!

Block #1 – Braced Star

This is the block we will be making this week. Find the free pattern here: Block of the Week – Block 1. For the remainder of this post, I will share some tips on how to make this block go together as smoothly as possible. 

Measure, measure!

One of the steps in piecing a quilt block that I never skip and highly recommend is to measure the units of the blocks you are making as you go. That’s why I keep these tools by my machine:

A 4 1/2″ ruler, a 2 1/2″ ruler and a wood pressing stick!

In the first step of the pattern, you will see that I have you laying a smaller square on a larger square with the raw edges matched.

As you can see from the photo, the edges of the squares are lined up and I have pinned them so the pieces don’t shift while stitching. Once I stitch on the line I’ve drawn (it’s hard to see on the black fabric in the photo), that’s when the measuring comes in.

You can “finger” press or use the wood pressing stick to press open the small square. Do not cut off the excess fabric yet until you measure the square as I show in the second photo. You want the square to still measure the size it was before you stitched and pressed back the corner. Once you determine your square is not “wonky”…. you can cut off the excess seam allowance and press the unit open with an iron.

This blog post from January, What is Stitch and Flip, has a good detailed explanation of the steps. It’s a good review!

The other unit in the block that may give you a bit of a headache is the one that is made from the quarter-square triangles. I have found it best to use a scant 1/4″ seam when stitching these units together and make sure to line up the seams when stitching the units. The diagram below demonstrates what I’m talking about.

Once that unit is pieced, it’s time to measure and trim a bit. The key to measuring and trimming half-square triangle squares and quarter-square triangle squares is to place the diagonal line on your ruler on the seam. Notice also that I have the 1 1/4″ marking where the four triangles meet. That assures me that I am trimming my square evenly.

I hope these tips help you to make this one block… or several!

What Can I Do with This Block?

If you do not want to make the sampler, here’s a few ideas! The first is to make a small candle mat or wall hanging by adding a few borders.

Put several of these together and you have a small table runner!

Use your imagination and your scraps! Things like this make great gifts for your friends and family.

Enjoy and come back for block 2 next week!

Happy Stitching!
Deanne

Sewing Tips – Crisp Points and Seam Alignment

Hi there! I chose these two stitching challenges because it’s something I’m asked about often. I hear “How do you keep your points from getting chopped off?” and “How do I align the seams when I’m piecing units or blocks together?” all the time! Getting both of these things as close to perfect as possible will make your blocks and your quilt that much more beautiful.

Tips for Crisp Points

This is one of the things that dogs a lot of quilters. I find that many times this is due to impatience (rushing through chain piecing) and not being being aware of where your points are in relation to the seam you are stitching. I’ll describe how I achieve crisp points in a series of photos.

Flip over a flying geese unit like shown below and you will see a point created in the seam allowance when the unit was made.  

Paying attention to where this point is while you are stitching is an important key for getting crisp points. Notice I have pinned the pieces so they won’t shift. Now, as I am stitching I keep an eye on the point. I want to keep my stitching above it. Hopefully, if I made my geese unit correctly, the top of the point is 1/4″ from the edge of the unit.

I am using a pin to show you where the point is as I am stitching. In the  photo below you can see my needle is going to pass the stitching above the point but still be an accurate 1/4″ seam (see where I am pointing with the pin). You want the stitching to stay above but not too far. If your stitching touches the very tippy top of the point, that is still OK.

Here is the finished seam with my point intact!

Turn the piece over and you will see that the point is not cut off!

Here’s the star block finished with nice crisp points.

If you slow down while you are piecing and pay attention to where your points are on the unit you are stitching, you will have nice crisp points every time.

Aligning Seams

Most designs in a traditional block or quilt depend on seams being lined up when you stitch them together. Here’s a photo of one of my recent patterns:

The Jacob’s Ladder block that makes up this table runner has a seam that needs to match up so the four-patch units in the block are aligned correctly and then when the blocks are pieced together, the middle seams of each block need to align. Here’s how I make sure seams align when piecing blocks together:

The two blocks on the left are the ones I am stitching together. I lay one on top of the other and then I peel back the top one so I can align the seams. I try to bend it back where the 1/4″ seam line will be to make sure they are aligned. Once I am satisfied, I will pin the unit there first so my alignment does not move when I pin other parts of the block. When I am done, the seams are matched perfectly on the front!

Hopefully these two brief tutorials will help you to achieve crisp points and aligned seams. Once you master those skills, your quilt blocks and quilt tops will look better and better!

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Quick Review of the 1/4″ Seam Allowance – It’s Important!

So, we’re ready to sew our pieces together. Why is the 1/4” seam allowance so important? Because quilt pattern pieces include a 1/4” seam in the measurements of the pieces (at least most of them do!) unless otherwise indicated. So, if you do not piece with an accurate 1/4” seam allowance, your 1 1/2 x 2 1/2” flying geese unit, for example, might measure something quite different.

It’s best to test out whether your machine is stitching a 1/4” seam using scrap fabric. Even if your machine comes with a 1/4” foot like mine:

Thickness of thread and needle position (if your machine allows you to move it) can make your seam more or less than 1/4”. So, here’s some steps on how to test your seam allowance:

First, stitch two scrap strips together using the your 1/4” foot as the guide (or if you don’t have one, the marks on the machine throat plate) and then measure the seam.

My seam measures up! But if yours doesn’t, here are some added steps to help to achieve a 1/4” seam. Marking a 1/4” line on your machine’s throat plate is one. Some newer machines already have a mark etched in the throat plate that guides you to a 1/4” seam if you line up the edge of your fabric with it while stitching. Once again, test this on some scrap fabric!

Notice, in the photo above, the etched line on my machine. That’s the marks on the machine throat plate I was talking about. If you want check if that line truly is at a 1/4″, Lay a tape measure across the throat plate and put the needle into the tape measure right at the “0” line. You can see that my 1/4” foot falls right at the 1/4” mark on the tape and my etched line matches up too. Good guides!

If you do not have an etching on your machine’s throat plate, you can mark the 1/4″ with a small piece of painter’s or masking tape at the 1/4 line.

Sometimes, I like to stitch with a scant 1/4” seam (just a hair under) and then trim up the resulting unit to the correct size after pressing, if necessary. This way you are guaranteed that your unit will be the correct size.

I make sure to verify that all the units of a block measure correctly for ease of piecing the block and having it come out the correct size. Remember, a small seam error made on the pieces can magnify if the block has a lot of units. You will save yourself the headache of “unsewing” if you have accurate pieces to begin with! I only takes a little extra time to measure and trim units. It definitely saves you time down the road!

So time to get that quilt pieced!

Happy Quilting!
Deanne