This is the fifth of a ten part series which will teach you the basics of quilting from choosing fabric to displaying the finished product and everything in between. It is meant to help make that special quilt even more fantastic. This post is all about sewing your quilt top.
You’ve purchased your supplies, found the pattern and fabric that you love and have cut out your shapes according to the pattern directions. It is now time to sew all those little pieces together.
In this part, Nana will give you some tips on seam allowances, pressing as you go and ways to sew faster.
Let’s start quilting!
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Let’s start with thread
In order to sew your fabric pieces together, you are going to need some thread.
Threads come in different weight, different fibers and different size spools. Don’t get caught up in all the hype that you need expensive thread to sew your pieces together. Those fancy, dancy threads are for quilting your quilt not for sewing the top. The gold standard for piecing quilt tops is a 50-weight cotton thread.
A note about weight. The lower the weight the thicker the thread.
Nana’s Favorite thread is from Connecting Threads. This thread is a 50-weight thread, made from three plies of 100% cotton, and satin-finished for a gently lustrous sheen. Extra-long staple cotton produces an exceptionally smooth thread with very little lint. The thread comes in 1,200 yard spools for a very reasonable price. Choose from 140 different colors.
Seam allowance
Almost ALL quilts use a ¼ inch seam allowance. It has become the standard in quilting. And you should be aware that not all patterns tell you this! When in doubt it is ¼ inch.
How to get this right every time.
First, get yourself a quilter’s pressure foot. These are designed so when you line up your fabric on the right side of the foot you will produce a 1/4 inch seam. Great huh?
Not so great! Get out your ruler and you will see that your seam will be slightly larger than ¼ inch and by the time you press it could be even more.
This is why a lot of quilters use what is called a “Scant 1/4 inch” seam. What does it mean? A scant ¼ inch seam is 1-2 threads smaller than ¼ inch. Making the seam slightly smaller will compensate for the bulk when pressing your seams open. It is amazing how this one little trick, will make your blocks measure out more accurately, especially if they consist of smaller pieces.
The easiest way to produce a “scant 1/4 inch” seam is to adjust your needle one space to the right. Now using the pressure foot as a guide you should be just slightly smaller than ¼ inch.
Nana always sews using her walking foot. It too has been marked with a 1/4 inch guide.
Another way to achieve this if you don’t have a quilting foot or your needle does not move is by using masking tape. Place a line of tape ¼ inch from your needle. By following the tape as a guide you should come out with a seam slightly less than ¼ inch.
My sewing machine also has markings etched into the table making it easy to place that tape.
PRESSING THOSE SEAMS IS SO IMPORTANT!!
Most quilters always press to the side. The reason for this is that adjoining seams are pressed in opposite directions so that when blocks meet at the corners, they will butt against each other and create perfectly matched seam intersections.
To get a nice, crisp, not too buiky seam, lay your finished seam as sewn on your ironing surface with the side you want to press toward on the top. Flip one side over so the right side of your block is face up. Push the seam flat as much as possible with your fingers, then press.
PRESS – do not iron to avoid stretching the seams. Move your iron only slightly not back and forth letting the heat and iron do the work.
Assembly
Follow the assembly diagrams included with your pattern – block by block and row by row.
It is best to pin or baste your seams together as they tend to shift when sewing. Nana always pins where the seams meet.
To keep your seams aligned, match the seam lines then stab a straight pin where the two lines meet. If you have pressed properly, the two seams will butt together. Pull the pin taut. If you are beginning to quilt, you can use the two pin method (see below – matching points).
Hints for matching points
To reduce bulk, press the seams to opposite sides. This will allow the seams to butt together as you did with the square blocks.
One of the easier ways to be sure you get nice points is with the two pin method. When you insert your pin into the fabric your pieces sit where you want them to be, however, when you secure the pin it is tilted causing the top fabric to shift slightly.
With the two pin method, insert one pin into both fabrics where you want them to meet. Keep this pin at 90 degrees (straight up and down).
Using a second pin, pin towards the raw edge of the fabric coming up where the first pin is inserted.
Remove the first pin. Sew one thread width away from the point. This allows for the “scant” when pressing.
You can find a great tutorial on the two pin method HERE!
Hints for sewing curves
Sewing curves can be a scary thought but definitely worth trying. Normally, if your pattern includes curved pieces it will provide a template for cutting the pieces. Be sure the template includes the seam allowance.
Cut two pieces using the templates. You should have both a curved piece and an L-shaped piece of fabric. Fold both pieces in half to find the center.
With right sides together, pin the centers together.
Now pin the edges together, then pin in several places matching the raw edges. The more pins you use, the easier it will be to sew.
Sew slowly to prevent puckering. Stop often with your needle down and lift your foot if you are bunching up. Do not pull or stretch the fabric. I find it easier to sew with the L-shaped piece on top.
Press toward the L-shaped piece. The larger the curved piece the easier it is to sew so you may want to find a larger pattern for your first try! There is a great video tutorial from the Fat Quarter Shop on how to make a curved block which you can find here.
WANT TO BE FASTER?
Your quilt has 200 plus little squares. How can you make sewing the top go a little faster? Here are some hints.
Chain piecing
Chain piecing can be compared with an assembly line. You are going to sew all your pieces together without cutting the thread in between. This is a great technique for beginners to learn. It saves time and thread and can be used almost always.
sometimes it is best to press them while they are still together!
Strip sets
When you are sewing squares, triangles or other shapes multiple times into the same block combinations it may be faster to sew these squares into strip sets prior to cutting them into blocks.
Strips are first sewn together in sequence – for example, Color A, B, C and D, then cut into strips and voila you have now sewn 4 blocks together numerous times. Nana provides a how-to in her tutorial when she made the By the Sea quilt.
Half Square Triangles
Quilters have come up with a number of ways to make the process go faster. When making Half Square Triangles (HST) for example, there are ways to make 2, 4 or even eight at a time.
Nana also showed you how to make HST’s fast and easy in this blog post.
Other methods of making more than one block at a time can be found to make various types of blocks such as flying geese and hour glass blocks. Mr. Google should help you there!
Most patterns stop here and add an instruction “quilt as desired and bind”. I hate that! What does that mean? This is not a quilt – this was sewing a top. Find out in the next parts how to actually make your quilt top into a quilt!.
I hope your enjoyed sewing your top and would love to see photos of your creations. Tag them on Instagram with #whatsnanamaking @whatsnanamaking2019. I would also love to hear from you. Leave a comment below and don’t forget to share!!