Remember to check that seam allowance! Use 2 strips of fabric, cut to exactly 1 inch wide. Sew them together carefully with a 1/4 inch seam on the long side, and press well. Now measure the resulting strip - if it's not exactly 1 1/2 inches wide, something is off. Do you have trouble sewing a straight line? Use tape! Cut into a roll of masking tape (or painters tape) in two places about 2 1/2 inches apart and 1/8 inch deep and make a thick guide that will stick to the bed of your sewing machine. Use a ruler to place it exactly where you want it, and then use it to run the fabric against before it runs under the presser foot. Test it out! Post-It(r) Notes work well for this, too. Press the seams at each and every step! Keep the blocks flat, and the quilt will be flat. Seams pressed open lie the flatest, but seams pressed to the side are stronger and last longer. Square up each block before sewing blocks together. This means that if it's a 1/16th or an 1/8th off, you trim it off, rather than let it skew the rest of the quilt construction. |
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Piecing Tips
