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Originally Posted by carslo
I read this in a jelly roll book I bought and have started to use this method when cutting strips. It works for all size strips - bargellos too trust me it works!
"If you have strips that have been cut selvage to selvage(WOF) along the crosswise grain (which most are as it is easiest), just cut the strips in half on the fold. This works well for a number of reasons. - it helps keep fabrics on-grain and eliminates the bowing or curving that may occur when fabrics of differing thread counts are used. - You can get more fabric variation in your quilt design also. - You can use fat quarters too - some pre-cut jelly rolls don't have many multiples and this lends itself to more variation." The above quote is taken from Nancy J. Martin's Rolling Along - Easy Quilts from 2 1/2 strips ISBN:978-1-56477-841-3 p. 13. I found out even in high end fabric the strips can curve when sewing the longer strips together. Good luck and have fun * cut accurately, squaring with the fold .... if you don't you are already creating a curve. Worse still if you fold it twice and have two folds, then you're heading towards a ^^ or snake effect |
Originally Posted by Carol J.
Are you sure the bow in the fabric didn't come when you were cutting the strips? That happens to me when I use the cutter. Look at your strips pulled out all the way,is there an "elbow" in the center?
Carol J. What would cause the 'elbow' to happen? Is it the way I cut the fabric? Am I not cutting it straight in the first place? So curious? Thanks.......Patti |
Originally Posted by Patti Mahoney
Originally Posted by Carol J.
Are you sure the bow in the fabric didn't come when you were cutting the strips? That happens to me when I use the cutter. Look at your strips pulled out all the way,is there an "elbow" in the center?
Carol J. What would cause the 'elbow' to happen? Is it the way I cut the fabric? Am I not cutting it straight in the first place? So curious? Thanks.......Patti Watch how she adjusts her fabric before cutting. You can't just cut straight off the bolt. I only fold once, but it's for the same purpose. The important part is the very beginning where she REFOLDS her fabric when rematching up the selvages. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwSjN1MB3wI Here's another explanation (sans video): http://www.thequiltingcoach.com/public/847.cfm?sd=2 There was another video that I saw a while back - I'm looking for it.......... eta: sorry can't find it now. :roll: But those links above should give you an explanation of the how the problem occurs, and the solution to prevent it. Also, you still need to re-true-up after every few strips are cut. I made a dozen or so Bloomin' 9 Patch quilts several years ago. You find out really quickly how NOT first truing-up the fabric can screw up all the subsequent blocks and sub-units. |
Originally Posted by carslo
I read this in a jelly roll book I bought and have started to use this method when cutting strips. It works for all size strips - bargellos too trust me it works!
"If you have strips that have been cut selvage to selvage(WOF) along the crosswise grain (which most are as it is easiest), just cut the strips in half on the fold. This works well for a number of reasons. - it helps keep fabrics on-grain and eliminates the bowing or curving that may occur when fabrics of differing thread counts are used. - You can get more fabric variation in your quilt design also. - You can use fat quarters too - some pre-cut jelly rolls don't have many multiples and this lends itself to more variation." The above quote is taken from Nancy J. Martin's Rolling Along - Easy Quilts from 2 1/2 strips ISBN:978-1-56477-841-3 p. 13. I found out even in high end fabric the strips can curve when sewing the longer strips together. Good luck and have fun |
Thanks MTS, I looked at both sites you mentioned and I see what I am doing wrong. I cut from the bolt many times. I should cut off a yard and work with it instead. I will follow the instructions from both of these videos and see if I can do better on my cutting. Saving time is not always the best answer as I have found out. Take the time is better. I have been sewing since childhood and I am still learning from you girls.
That elbow in the strip has always bugged me and I will work harder to do the job right. Carol J. |
Originally Posted by Carol J.
Thanks MTS, ......I have been sewing since childhood and I am still learning from you girls.
That elbow in the strip has always bugged me and I will work harder to do the job right. Carol J. And believe-you-me, sometimes I feel as though I've learned more since I joined this Board, than I knew before. For sure, it's been the best thing for me in developing my skills! |
Thank you. Now how do you press the seams...open or to the side?[/quote]
To the side. Since you are staggering seams anyway in a bargello, you can press them all in the same direction. I just find pressing to one side a whole lot easier than trying to press seams open, looks better too if you happen to have any shadowing in the blocks. When it is quilted, the shadowing goes away anyhow.[/quote] I heard that pressing the seams to the side strengthens the seam. Quilts take a lot more tugging and pulling than clothes, which always have pressed open seams. |
I'm looking forward to doing a bargello. Good tips. Glad I saw these ahead of time.
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Reversing sewing seams is correct. The most important way to control the bow is to cut strips running the length (up the selvedge) not crosswise and do not cut long strips. Work with lengths that are no more than 18 to 20 inches long. It may seem like more cutting but it is worth it to have straight strips. This is particularly important when you are working with crosscuts of 1/2" and 3/4"
Happy quilting Severna |
I tend to have a heavy hand when rotary cutting and found that the easiest way to keep everything from going slightly off kilter was to tape a 1" strip of non slip kitchen drawer fabric to the underside of my ruler. this keeps the ruler from moving ever so slightly while cutting...so I don't have to re- square as often
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