January 15, 2008 - Crystals - Photos
01-29-2008, 02:47 PM
#107
Super Member
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Idaho Falls
Posts: 1,907
Donna, what is it about your points that you don't like? I remember how frustrated I used to get when my points never matched up and there were a few small mistakes I was making that basically added up to a big problem. Most people I meet who are having trouble with points are doing the same thing, making small mistakes that add up to the points not working out. I'll run through a few of the tricks I learned and perhaps it will help you.
1. Always sew to the very end. By this I mean use your stiletto (or whatever you use with your fabric) to guide the fabric to the very end. I used to pull a standard mistake, which was to sew carefully and once I was just a little ways from the end I would reach down and grab my next piece to put into the sewing machine. Of course my seam would drift off and obviously (though it didn't seem obvious at the time) the point is not going to be perfect if I don't have an exact quarter inch seam. :roll: So now I make sure I sew to the very end and one stitch beyond before I stop and pick up my next piece to feed into the machine.
2. Check your quarter inch with a ruler. I had a quarter inch foot I used for a couple years and it wasn't until I took an Intermediate Piecing class that I discovered my quarter inch foot did not sew a quarter inch! :shock: If you use a quarter inch foot, don't rely on it being a true quarter inch without measuring it yourself. If it is off, make allowances so that you are sewing a correct 1/4-inch or consider buying a new foot. I have since bought a new foot and it sews perfect. Yay!
If you do not use a quarter inch foot and find you are not sewing the correct 1/4-inch, find a way to make it so that you are able to sew it. You can do this several ways. The easiest way to do this is to move your sewing machine needle either right or left, whichever you need. If you have a machine where the sewing machine needle doesn't move, you can place a guide on your machine to help feed your fabric through it. This can be something as simple as drawing a line down your machine with a permanent marker or as elaborate as using a pad of Post-It's pressed in the right spot to help guide the fabric. On my old machine, the one with the stupid broken quarter inch foot, I finally drew a line down my machine and used that. It worked great! I wouldn't mark up my new machine though and am grateful for a quarter inch foot that works.
3. Check to make sure your fabric edges line up perfectly when piecing. You don't want the bottom fabric to peek out even one thread. It needs to be perfectly together to get perfect points. This is a common mistake made my many people, myself included.
I'm going to stop there since I am beginning to feel like I'm going for some kind of record for longest post. :oops: I'm sure there are other tips out there that will help. I really hope this helps ease the frustration of not having points come out. :thumbup:
~Tiffany
1. Always sew to the very end. By this I mean use your stiletto (or whatever you use with your fabric) to guide the fabric to the very end. I used to pull a standard mistake, which was to sew carefully and once I was just a little ways from the end I would reach down and grab my next piece to put into the sewing machine. Of course my seam would drift off and obviously (though it didn't seem obvious at the time) the point is not going to be perfect if I don't have an exact quarter inch seam. :roll: So now I make sure I sew to the very end and one stitch beyond before I stop and pick up my next piece to feed into the machine.
2. Check your quarter inch with a ruler. I had a quarter inch foot I used for a couple years and it wasn't until I took an Intermediate Piecing class that I discovered my quarter inch foot did not sew a quarter inch! :shock: If you use a quarter inch foot, don't rely on it being a true quarter inch without measuring it yourself. If it is off, make allowances so that you are sewing a correct 1/4-inch or consider buying a new foot. I have since bought a new foot and it sews perfect. Yay!
If you do not use a quarter inch foot and find you are not sewing the correct 1/4-inch, find a way to make it so that you are able to sew it. You can do this several ways. The easiest way to do this is to move your sewing machine needle either right or left, whichever you need. If you have a machine where the sewing machine needle doesn't move, you can place a guide on your machine to help feed your fabric through it. This can be something as simple as drawing a line down your machine with a permanent marker or as elaborate as using a pad of Post-It's pressed in the right spot to help guide the fabric. On my old machine, the one with the stupid broken quarter inch foot, I finally drew a line down my machine and used that. It worked great! I wouldn't mark up my new machine though and am grateful for a quarter inch foot that works.
3. Check to make sure your fabric edges line up perfectly when piecing. You don't want the bottom fabric to peek out even one thread. It needs to be perfectly together to get perfect points. This is a common mistake made my many people, myself included.
I'm going to stop there since I am beginning to feel like I'm going for some kind of record for longest post. :oops: I'm sure there are other tips out there that will help. I really hope this helps ease the frustration of not having points come out. :thumbup:
~Tiffany
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