MaryStoaks

Anybody made a postage stamp quilt? I'm having some trouble matching corners. I've made many scrappy square quilts with bigger pieces and can always ease the pieces if they don't want to nest properly, but some of these little pieces won't nest and my corners aren't all right. I do cut accuratly and I can sew a decent 1/4 inch seam. This is driving me nuts, what am I doing wrong? Is there a technique I don't know? I'm using 2 inch strips, finishing 1.5 inch. Am I being too picky? I have finished 20 blocks so far. Help!

misskira

I'm doing one with 1.5" squares. Let me see if I can explain how I'm doing it. I'm chain piecing them. I sew the first 2 vertical rows together and leave them connected by thread. Then I add the third row, again leaving them connected by thread. I do it all the way across, then fold at the threads and sew horizontally across the whole thing. I know that makes no sense what I just wrote but I'm not sure how to explain it. I took pics of my last block in progress, let me see if i can figure out how to upload them here. Or maybe I can find better directions. Or both.

Prism99

I think you're being too picky. However, here are some things that would help me with a project like this. (1) Heavily starch fabric before cutting into strips. (2) Press seams open. (3) Use white glue to "pin" seams before sewing.

misskira

Its definitely not perfect but the corners are decent. I pressed open, which meant using a seam ripper to break the chains after sewing the horizontal rows. But I think your corners would match up better if you press to opposite sides and then nest. I will be FMQ mine and the quares are small so I wanted them to lie as flat as possible.

Now I will also look for a better tutorial.

misskira

Starching helped a ton for me. I love the glue idea! I may try that on my next block.

misskira

Here's one. Skip the first part and start at the chain assembly section.
http://rachaelrabbit.blogspot.com/20...n-piecing.html

sweetana3

Spend some time looking at pictures of antique quilts and you should relax about "perfection". We are too close to our blocks to see the overall effect and just how minor any slight imperfections really are.

Are you trying to win a show prize or finish a quilt that looks good and gives comfort?

ps: There is so much to look at with the cute prints that I cannot see any problems in the block shown.

Lori S

Starch your fabric prior to cutting... it really makes a difference. Be careful when you are pressing, its so easy to get a block out of square , and then the seams don't line up.

Neesie

If you use glue, make sure it's Elmer's SCHOOL glue!

Peckish

From your pictures, it looks like some of your fabrics may have been stretched from ironing...?