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Quilting Tips & Mini Videos

Hi everyone! This is my vacation week blog post. I’m going to review some quilting tips that I have shared in the past and have made into mini video tutorials. I get asked questions about these things I’m covering here the most. That’s why I made a lot of these tutorials to begin with. Since I’m heading out for a few days, I thought this would be a good time for a refresher. Enjoy!

Pressing v. Ironing

We all know how to iron clothes. You run the iron back and forth across the item to remove wrinkles, sometimes using steam. Well, when it comes to quilt blocks and pieced quilts, we need to press not iron. The difference is not moving the iron back and forth across your seams (whether you press open or not). Ironing can distort your seam and end up distorting your unit or block(s). Here’s my mini tutorial:

A cool trick I was shown by a student who was a Home Ec. teacher is to to press a piece of wood down on the seams after pressing. It holds in the heat and creates flatter seams.

Looking at my ironing board pad in photos shows me I need a newer, cleaner one… yikes!

Stitch & Flip (or Folded Corners)

This technique is used to create angles in block designs, like the snowball block. It’s important to do this accurately because picking out a bias seam can distort the pieces you are working with since the bias of the fabric is not as stable as the crosswise and lengthwise grains.

The key to making these units successfully is careful stitching and measuring as you go. Here’s a unit I was working on recently.

Once you stitch the unit on the diagonal, flip the corner open and see if it matches up with the corner of the larger square.

Once you visually see that it matches up, measure the whole unit.

For this unit, it was a 4 1/2 x 4 1/2″ square made of strips to start. After I stitched the smaller square and flipped it open, it still measures 4 1/2″. That means my stitch and flip was a success and I can now cut off the excess fabric in the seam allowance. Here’s my mini tutorial on this:

 

Crisp Points and Matching Points

A few of the problems encountered by quilters when piecing blocks and quilt tops are getting crisp points, aligning seams and matching points. All of these can be solved by carefully pinning units together and also using an accurate 1/4″ seam when stitching.

How do you avoid cutting off points? Here’s a few handy steps:

Tip#1: If you are joining a unit with a point to another piece without a point, 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.

Tip#2: 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:

Now that you know how to achieve crisp points, what happens when you join two units or blocks together that have points you need to match up? Here’s a few tips before you watch my mini video tutorial:

Tip#1: When pinning the units together, you want to start by lining up the points of each unit and pinning there. Once you are confident the points are matched, you can pin the rest of the unit. 

Tip#2: Like in the tip above on crisp points, keep the seam above the point as you are stitching. Since you took such care in aligning the points, the seam should be above the point on the back unit too.

Below is my video on matching points. You’ll notice that aligning your block seams also helps in matching your points when joining blocks.

Well, that’s it for this week. I’ll see you next week with more fun tips that are hopefully useful to you! If you have any questions, ask away!

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

More Tips for Beginners (and experienced!) Quilters

Welcome back! It’s time for more tips for beginners. This week I will cover accurate piecing tips. Accurate piecing is essential in quilting and a must for all beginners to learn. It’s also great to brush up on these tips as an experienced quilter. I like to go back to these basics even though I been quilting for 30+ years. Sometimes when you do something for years, you start to cut corners. But, cutting corners can lead to blocks and quilts that don’t turn out right. So let’s get started on the tips!

Tip #1 Sew with a 1/4″ Seam

As a beginner you have heard that the 1/4″ seam is essential for accurate piecing. As sewers of clothing are familiar with the 5/8″ seam, so should quilters be with the 1/4″ seam. Patterns are written and pieces are cut for a quilt with this seam allowance built in (unless it’s otherwise noted). There are many things that can effect achieving an accurate 1/4″ seam, but some of the ones I think are most important are needle position, quilting foot and thread thickness.

Needle Position: Needle position is important so that your straight stitched seam is exactly 1/4″ from the edge of the fabric pieces you are stitching. Make sure your needle is in the correct position before stitching units and blocks, especially if you switch needle position when you are doing non-quilting stitching. Here’s how my needle positioning button looks on my machine:

Use scrap fabric, sew a seam as you move the needle incrementally to the right or left until the resulting seam measures 1/4″. This is especially helpful if you do not have a specialty 1/4″ quilting foot on your machine to use as a guide.

Quilting Foot: Some machines meant only for quilting will come with a 1/4″ foot standard. But if your machine does not, I highly recommend you get one. Here’s mine:

But even if you purchase one of these, you still need to test the seam width on scrap fabric before you use it for a project.

Thread Thickness: If you change your thread and it’s a different thickness from the previous thread you have been using, you may need to adjust your needle position to account for more or less thickness. Keep this in mind if you move between different thread brands. You may have to test seams again.

Here’s how to check on your seam allowance as you adjust needle position, allow for thread thickness and also checking that your 1/4″ foot is actually accurate.

First, stitch two scrap strips together using the your 1/4” foot as the guide and then measure the seam.

If you don’t have a 1/4″ foot, there are markings on your machine’s throat plate to use as a guide (I’m pointing the pin to that line on my machine.):

Once you sew that seam and measure it, if it does not measure 1/4″, this is where allowing for thread thickness or inaccuracy of your throat plate markings or sewing foot is managed with needle positioning. You may have to sew several scrap seams and measure to get the right seam measurement. These may seem tedious, but if you want your block units, blocks and quilts to piece together and seams to match up, the 1/4″ seam needs to be consistent throughout.

Tip #2: Pin!!!

I’m known for sometimes skipping this step if I am in a hurry and stitching shorter seams. I’m here to say… do not skip this. It’s important to pin to keep the fabric pieces from shifting while you stitch the seam. One little shift by the top or bottom piece while it is feeding through your machine can cause the unit to not measure correctly because your seam isn’t accurate.

If you are joining blocks together that have multiple seams, pinning is even more important to keep those seams lined up.

Tip #3 Leader/Ender Scrap

This is a tip I learned a few years into quilting. If you use a scrap of fabric to start and end your stitching, it helps to keep your seam straight. Any puckering or skipped stitches will happen on the scrap:

It also gives you the opportunity to make sure you are sewing straight and not veering off your 1/4″ seam.

Tip #4 Press Your Seams Flat

Whether you press your seams to one side or press them open, flat seams are important for your stitched units and blocks to measure accurately. I like to press my seams open, I find it gives me more accurate measurements. Either way you choose to press your seams, make sure no fabric is bunched up anywhere and the seam lays flat on both sides of your piece.

The seam on the left was not pressed so it lays flat on the bottom and the top. You can see the red strip is creased a bit over the seam. The photo on the right shows the seam pressed correctly. That red strip is now flat with no fabric creased.

Also, make sure you are pressing your seams and not ironing them. If you iron across seams, you can distort them causing your unit or block not to measure accurately. Here’s a mini tutorial on pressing seams:

Random Tips

  • Use a stiletto or other item to keep the units you are stitching together straight as you feed them under the presser foot. Also, as you are guiding your fabric through, make sure you are not pulling it towards you or holding it too tight because that can cause the top layer of fabric to move slower than the bottom layer is moving across the feed dogs making your seams uneven.

  • There are pressure adjustments for your presser foot. Make sure the pressure is strong enough to keep your fabric from slipping out from under the foot when it’s down, but not too strong that it causes your fabric not to move evenly with the feed dogs.
Pressure correct
Pressure too light
  • Finally, backstitch when beginning and when ending a seam to lock it. This will keep the seam of the stitched unit from opening up (photo below). If a seam of a unit opens while you are piecing it into a block, that can lead to a unit or block not measuring correctly.

Well, that’s it for this week. If you have some tips to share or you have questions, use the comments below and you will be entered into the drawing for the two current magazine issues that have my patterns in them.

The drawing will be on Monday, February 28th.***We have a winner! Congrats, Carol!***

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Mini Video Tutorial Quilting Tips

Sometimes, just demonstrating quilting tips with drawings or diagrams isn’t enough. Seeing the quilting tip demonstrated in a video helps clarify questions that often arise. Because of this, I have created some mini tutorial videos on some quilting tips I have previously covered in written posts. Hopefully, seeing me in action will help demonstrate the tip better! Since it’s the beginning of a new year, I thought a review of some of these tips might inspire you to quilt some more. So lets get started! Share some quilting tips you’d like me to demonstrate in a future mini tutorial in the comments and be entered in a drawing for one of my patterns!

Video Tip #1 – Ironing vs Pressing

Some people think when they are quilting they should be ironing the seams. That is actually a “no-no”. Pressing is the way to go. Open the seam with your fingers, a wood pressing tool or the tip of your iron (without touching the seam itself) them place the iron on top to literally press the seam in place. Here’s a link to that video:

I like to press my seams open. As I said in the video, this works for seams pressed to one side also. The key is to not distort your seam by running an iron back and forth across it.

Video Tip #2 – Flip & Sew Corners

It’s important to follow these tips because this type of unit can end up distorted in size if you are not careful. I like to fold back my piece I just stitched on and measure the unit to make sure it still measures the correct size before trimming off the excess fabric in the seam allowance. Here’s that video:

Video Tip #3 – Aligning Seams and Matching Points

A key to creating a striking design with your quilt pattern is aligning seams, matching points and not cutting off points. Like other techniques, with more practice you will get better and better at doing this. It will become second nature. Here’s the mini video I did on this:

I highly recommend using pins when joining pieces for a block or joining blocks. Pins help to keep the units from shifting after you have worked so hard to line everything up.

Video Tip #4 – Squaring Up Fabric

You hear this all the time… you need to square up a piece of fabric before you cut your pieces. If you are new to quilting, you’re probably saying to yourself … “what is squaring up fabric?”. It’s actually easy to do and something you should do. Here’s my mini video on squaring up:

I recommend doing this anytime you are getting ready to cut from a new piece of fabric, even if it’s a fat quarter or fat eighth. I also recommend you check and re-square a large piece of fabric after cutting several strips. The fabric can shift if you are cutting a lot of strips and lead to distorted strips even if you started with squared fabric.

So, that’s it for now. In the comments, share with me some quilting techniques that you would like to see demonstrated and I will make a mini video tutorial in the future. If you leave a comment, you will be entered in a drawing for my new pattern Wildflower Lane!

The drawing for this pattern will be on Monday, January 18th. Until next time, **We have a winner! Congrats, Laurel DeWolf!**

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

What is Stitch and Flip?

If you have been following me on Facebook or Instagram last week, you saw the blocks I have been working on for the last few weeks.

I made 36 of these! The block has 4 black pieces I call the spokes that are made with the stitch and flip method. It’s also referred to as folded corners. The key to success in making these units it to maintain the size and shape of the original piece you are adding the stitch and flip corners to. 

You can do stitch and flip on anything that has a 90 degree angle like a square or a rectangle. I was working with black squares here so the following photos will show that.

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 I stitch on the line.

Now comes the important part. Do not cut off the excess fabric in the seam allowance yet. I like to finger press the small square open and measure the unit to make sure it still measures 2 1/2″.

It still measures correctly! So now I can trim off the excess fabric in the seam allowance and take the unit to the iron for pressing. 

You can repeat this step as many times as needed. For my “spoke” I only have a stitch and flip corner on two sides. You can also do this on all for sides or only on opposite sides to make different types of units.

After I’ve measured the finger pressed unit above, I then trim the excess, press the unit and make a final measurement.

Finally, press these and other stitch and flip units carefully. Do not iron! These seams are on the bias and if you iron instead of pressing you can stretch the unit out of shape. Here’s my pressing mini video I did last year:

That’s all there is to it! My blog drawing continues through this week. Share your thoughts on stitch and flip or other interesting techniques in the comments below and be entered in the drawing for a copy of my book!

The drawing will be next Monday, January 27th. We have a winner! Congrats, Toni Anne Potter!

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

The Boss Lady Says: Time for Some Quilting Tips!

The Boss

Hi and welcome! I don’t profess to know everything about quilting, but I like to share tips from time to time. Sometimes it’s a tip I’ve just learned about or its a tip for a technique I happen to be working on at the time. Some of these may be new to you or they might not be. Learning is always a good thing and something we’re always doing through our quilting life.

Tip #1: Reading all the pattern directions is very important before beginning a project. Doing this will familiarize you with all the steps involved and you can get questions answered before you begin.

This also comes in handy when cutting out your fabric pieces. Most patterns will have you cut all your pieces up front, but some won’t. Reading the pattern all the way through will guarantee you don’t miss anything.

Above is a look at one of my patterns. As you can see, I have you cut the largest pieces from a piece of fabric and then have you work your way down to the smallest pieces. That is the most efficient way to cut.

I also recommend purchasing a little extra fabric than is listed on the pattern. This will allow for shrinkage, if you are a fabric washer, or for cutting errors. The last thing you want is to run out of fabric!

Tip #2: Measure, measure, measure! Measuring in quilting is not just important when you are cutting out the pieces for your quilt. It’s important through out the piecing process. If you have quilt blocks made up of many different units, I recommend measuring each unit when it’s completed before piecing them into a block.

By doing this, you guarantee that your quilt block will be the accurate size. If the units making up the block are off even by a tiny bit, that mistake will multiply while piecing and you will end up with blocks that do not measure correctly. That will result in your quilt blocks not fitting together smoothly.

Tip #3: 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.

As you can see, 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 separate, which can cause your quilt to come apart at the seams … literally!

The unit that has the back stitching is nice and secure, even with seams pressed open.

Even if you are chain piecing, it’s a good idea to do a quick back stitch as you move from one unit to the other. It takes a little bit more time, but it will be worth it when your quilt stays together!

Tip #4: Pressing versus ironing. Do you know the difference? There is a big difference! Pressing is when you use the weight of the iron along with the heat to flatten a piece of fabric or seams in a unit or block, basically going up and down. Ironing is moving the iron back and forth over something to smooth out wrinkles. Guess which you should do when your quilting? You want to “press” units and blocks so you do not distort seams or weaken stitching. I did a mini-tutorial on this earlier this year:

So that’s it for this week. Join me next week for some more handy tips! 

Share a tip in the comments below and be entered in a drawing to win my newest pattern: Stack O’ Sheep!

The drawing will be held on Monday, July 29th. ***We have a winner! Congrats, Rebekah!***

Happy Quilting!
Deanne