1 1/2" square frustration
04-03-2010, 06:29 PM
#11
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Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: At my LQS
Posts: 2,326
Originally Posted by jcarilyn
Originally Posted by watterstide
after you pin the seams together..and one is a little longer than the other..the longer one goes on the bottom..does that make sense?.
04-04-2010, 03:27 AM
#13
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Southeastern Connecticut
Posts: 102
Originally Posted by dakotamaid
Originally Posted by jcarilyn
Hi everyone. I know I'm famous for doing things that are WAY beyond my skills, but I thought this would be easy.
I have 1 1/2" strips, sewing 6 of them together, then cutting them all 1 1/2", then sewing those strips so the block is 6 1/2 x 6 1/2. All of my seams are going the right way, but I just can't seem to get them all butted correctly. Could be because I've been sewing most of the day, so my visions probably a bit crazy....but is there a secret to these? I thought small would be good, maybe not so much.
Thanks!
I have 1 1/2" strips, sewing 6 of them together, then cutting them all 1 1/2", then sewing those strips so the block is 6 1/2 x 6 1/2. All of my seams are going the right way, but I just can't seem to get them all butted correctly. Could be because I've been sewing most of the day, so my visions probably a bit crazy....but is there a secret to these? I thought small would be good, maybe not so much.
Thanks!
04-04-2010, 04:04 AM
#14
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Southeastern Connecticut
Posts: 102
Thank you so much everyone! I took all of your advice and what a difference it made. The first pic is one of the blocks from last night, the second one is the one I just did, listening to all of you! You saved me!
04-04-2010, 08:07 PM
#17
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 2,375
My very first quilt was with teeny-tiny blocks. So, I feel your pain. Except, I didn't know then you could sew strips and then cut. So, I had a gazillion, tiny tiny 1.5" squares.
Oh, and I backstitched each and every join. True story.
Oh, and I backstitched each and every join. True story.
04-04-2010, 08:50 PM
#19
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Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Seattle
Posts: 1,743
Do you sew over your pins? I use IBC silk pins, sew (slowly) right over them, and that helps keep the seams together. Otherwise you're spending all that time pinning and then they escape!
And when you say the seams are going the right way, you mean they're nesting right (one goes one way, the other goes the other way)? I've noticed that depending if the top block has a seam pressed towards me or away from me, even when they nest, it will result in less accurate seams. It has to do with the feed dogs pulling forward and the top foot pushing back, so ... depending how the seams are, it can be pulling them apart or pushing them right together. But I've had some that were nested and should've been fine, but pulled apart a little. But lots of pins helped that.
And when you say the seams are going the right way, you mean they're nesting right (one goes one way, the other goes the other way)? I've noticed that depending if the top block has a seam pressed towards me or away from me, even when they nest, it will result in less accurate seams. It has to do with the feed dogs pulling forward and the top foot pushing back, so ... depending how the seams are, it can be pulling them apart or pushing them right together. But I've had some that were nested and should've been fine, but pulled apart a little. But lots of pins helped that.
04-05-2010, 05:04 AM
#20
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Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Central MN
Posts: 96
When I work with small pieces, starch is my best friend.
After you sew the first set together I would try to starch
the strip set before cutting them again into the 1 1/2 in pieces
that should set the fabric to hold it from stretching when
assembling them back together. If your seam allowance
is accurate then they should line up with no problem.
As mentioned when you sew smaller pieces your seam
allowance can make or break it. I as a rule always starch
my fabric before cutting any of the pieces out for the block
so the stretch is eliminated before I start sewing. Hope this
might be of some help to you.
After you sew the first set together I would try to starch
the strip set before cutting them again into the 1 1/2 in pieces
that should set the fabric to hold it from stretching when
assembling them back together. If your seam allowance
is accurate then they should line up with no problem.
As mentioned when you sew smaller pieces your seam
allowance can make or break it. I as a rule always starch
my fabric before cutting any of the pieces out for the block
so the stretch is eliminated before I start sewing. Hope this
might be of some help to you.
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