Sew What’s Up Presents
The Sew What’s New Archive
This archived content is from Mary Wilkins’ sewing and
quilting message board “Sew What’s New,” which was
retired in August 2007. It is being provided by
“Sew What’s Up,”
which serves as the new home for many members of “Sew What’s New.”
From: nomad
Date: 04-22-2006, 10:53 PM (1 of 10)
|
I'm just starting out, teaching myself how to quilt. I've just been practicing piecing so far and think i have the 1/4" seam down fairly well. Thought i had the cutting down too, but i think i need more practice... Anyway, I have a finished block for a small project i'm trying. the original squares measured correctly and the finished strips measured correctly. However, I now have a finished unit that is about 1/4" short in one direction. The other is fine. I checked the seams from stitching the rows together and they are the proper 1/4". I did notice one place where they didn't match exactly (but you probably wouldn't even see it from a distance). The only thing i can think of is that i mis-cut something and was just slightly off the whole time but didn't realize it. My BIG question though is what can I do now, if anything? the unit looks perfectly fine other than being 1/4" short, but i know if that happened in several, it would be a problem. Is there any way to fix it? If it were a seam, i'd simply re-do it, but since i'm not sure of the origin, i'm kind of stuck. I'm sure this isn't the last time i will have a unit or row by slightly off, so i'd like to learn how to fix it now. I tried re-pressing the whole thing, but it didn't really help & is still a bit short. THANKS in advance! |
User: nomad
Member since: 03-22-2006 Total posts: 19 |
From: HeyJudee
Date: 04-23-2006, 10:24 AM (2 of 10)
|
I usually sew a scant 1/4 inch as it sometimes allows for trimming if something is a bit large but if something is too small it is hard to get it bigger. I have been told this... and have been successful when something is slightly smaller such as maybe 1/8 inch smaller. If you spray a bit of water on the block and then press it in the direction that is too small you may be able to stretch it slightly to make it fit. Not knowing what your project is....sometimes you can add a border around the blocks to make them fit. When I took a beginner quilting class the instructor had us use what she called "wonky" borders around the blocks. Generally beginners have trouble getting all blocks exactly the same size and adding a border is a way to make the blocks the same so when you put on the sashings they will line up. Here is my beginner quilt (http://www.flickr.com/photos/heyjudee/14399505/in/set-348651/) with the wonky borders. The wonky border idea was in one of the Fons and Porters magazines last year...forget which one but can find it if you want. Hope this helps...otherwise give more details on what your project is and maybe someone will have other ideas. TTFN from
Judy |
User: HeyJudee
Member since: 01-25-2005 Total posts: 1366 
|
From: Magot
Date: 04-23-2006, 04:25 PM (3 of 10)
|
I like the wonky borders idea to even things up Judee - but if that was a beginners quilt then I have been doing something wrong all these years - that looked so clean!
love and kisses, Jan
Guts-R-Us Cells a Speciality DNA to order. |
User: Magot
Member since: 12-22-2002 Total posts: 3626 
|
From: nomad
Date: 04-23-2006, 04:49 PM (4 of 10)
|
interesting idea Judy. That quilt does look great! The current project is truly a beginner's to practice the techniques. Just a single 9-patch unit with some borders to start. I guess i could just cut everything else down for this one and no one would ever know the difference. But i'd like to figure out solutions before it happens on a larger project where it actually matters more. I'm kind of frustrated that it's off since, as i said, it was fine at each preceeding step. But if i were even 1/8" off at a couple of steps, that would explain it i guess. I'll keep plugging along until i get better. But keep the ideas coming 
|
User: nomad
Member since: 03-22-2006 Total posts: 19 |
From: HeyJudee
Date: 04-23-2006, 09:33 PM (5 of 10)
|
Jan, that was actually the second quilt that I made. The first one was this one (http://www.flickr.com/photos/heyjudee/133846657/?#comment72057594115224391). I decided to try making a quilt and went to the public library and found a book with this pattern. It took me approx. 1 month to put the top together. You don't know how I struggled to get everything to line up - I knew nothing about the famous 1/4" seam or the existence of the 1/4 inch foot!!! The pattern in the book had said to use a sheet for the backing and to tie it to finish it. But I had helped my mother hand quilt when I was younger so I decided to hand quilt it instead. The sheet I bought and used was a 200 thread count. I didn't even realize that using a sheet with that thread count would make it more difficult to quilt. I worked at it more off than on but 1 1/2 years later it was finished. But that experience made me realize that I wanted to take a beginner class so I could learn the "tricks". And I bought a 1/4 inch foot. Maybe that is why it doesn't look like a beginner's quit... it really was the second! 
TTFN from
Judy |
User: HeyJudee
Member since: 01-25-2005 Total posts: 1366
|
From: plrlegal
Date: 04-23-2006, 09:44 PM (6 of 10)
|
Nomad do you have a 1/4" foot for your machine? If not, a 1/4" foot is a necessity for accurate piecing of quilt blocks. Eyeballing a 1/4" can sometimes lead you far off the mark of a square up quilt top when you're finished. One of the major things I have learned in quilting is that a thread here and a thread there will leave you 1/4 to 1/2" off in each block. Patsy Patsy
|
User: plrlegal
Member since: 05-19-2001 Total posts: 318 |
From: nomad
Date: 04-23-2006, 10:12 PM (7 of 10)
|
Nomad do you have a 1/4" foot for your machine? If not, a 1/4" foot is a necessity for accurate piecing of quilt blocks. Eyeballing a 1/4" can sometimes lead you far off the mark of a square up quilt top when you're finished. One of the major things I have learned in quilting is that a thread here and a thread there will leave you 1/4 to 1/2" off in each block. Patsy Actually, i do. I made sure of that before i started. And i measured the seam on the blocks when i was done to see if that was the error. I'll have to look at it again (or maybe have someone else look at it) -- if a few stitches are off by a small amount, i guess that could cause it, though they looked straight to me & when i put them under the ruler. |
User: nomad
Member since: 03-22-2006 Total posts: 19 |
From: plrlegal
Date: 04-23-2006, 11:51 PM (8 of 10)
|
Check the beginning and the end of each block seam. I have a way of veering off the 1/4" mark at the beginning and the end of my seam if I'm not really concentrating. Patsy Patsy
|
User: plrlegal
Member since: 05-19-2001 Total posts: 318 |
From: HeyJudee
Date: 04-24-2006, 01:23 PM (9 of 10)
|
Nomad, have you read up on how to get the quarter inch seam...Here's a link.... http://quilting.about.com/od/machinepiecingyourquilts/ss/seam_allowance.htm Also, here is a site with videos to help beginners...don't know if you have seen this before. http://easymade.com/video_basic.html TTFN from
Judy |
User: HeyJudee
Member since: 01-25-2005 Total posts: 1366
|
From: nomad
Date: 04-24-2006, 04:01 PM (10 of 10)
| Judy ~ thank you for those resources. I have visited the About site, but had not seen that portion, or the other site. I can never have too many resources! |
User: nomad
Member since: 03-22-2006 Total posts: 19 |
Visit Sew What’s Up for the latest sewing and quilting tips and discussions.
This page was originally located on Sew What’s New (www.sew-whats-new.com) at http://www.sew-whats-new.com/vb/archive/index.php/t-18969.html
Sew What’s Up is hosted by ZenSoft