Wintersewer

Starch...stops the material from stretching....and very carefully sewing a 1/4" seam. I find being that precise is difficult, but possible if I go slow enough. Careful cutting is equally important.

j

Yes I am aware of their stoves, I went to school with them and they dont keep a fire going all day when it is hot. - J

QBot

Pinning at rightangles will help. By coincidence I have a blog on the subject if you want to see pictures of the technique.
I leave the pin in until I have sewn over the seam.If it is at rightangles there should not be a problem. If you move it earlier your seam may still move.
The link is http://quiltaholic.wordpress.com This will take you to the latest blog which covers this problem.

Sandra in Minnesota

Practice, practice, and keep reading this Board. That's all it takes. Then practice again.

Quiltgranny

Ditto, only sometimes I go one step further and will pin on BOTH sides of the seams to match and with thinner pins, often called patchwork pins. Here's a great pic tutorial for you:

http://www.sewaquilt.com/pinning-your-fabric.html

Hope this helps, it sure did for me. :thumbup:

Nancy Ingham

Hi Sunni, I too am a beginner (again) as I had taken a class and did a little quilting some thirty years ago, then just started quilting again just over a year ago. So as a beginner, let me tell you what has worked for me. First do you use a template, or do you just measure and cut your fabric on your cutting mat? Do you use a rotary cutter or scissors to cut out your fabric pieces? Although cutting using a mat and rotary thru 3 to 4 layers of fabric is a great time saver for some, particularly for those more experienced than us, I still do it as I was instructed 30 years ago: 1) I use a template. I use my template to trace on my fabric…it is okay to abut the lines as to have less cutting lines and less fabric waste. With that said, it is important to trace your template using a fine line pencil or pen slanted in toward the edge of your template. If you trace with your pencil/pen facing away from your template as you trace around it, or if you leave a wide mark for cutting you can be off with your measurement and just that little extra will multiply throughout your quilt. 2) I then use scissors and carefully cut along my thin drawn line. I tried the rotary cutter and stacking and cutting three to fours at a time but found that I was not accurate….so I have gone back to tracing a template and cutting my pieces out with scissors. 3) I do not use the ¼” foot or marking on my sewing machine bed as the fabric can easily move, I mark my ¼ inch seam allowance. Thirty years ago we would have measured and marked the ¼” with a ruler along our fabric piece, then draw a line connecting the dots of our measurments. Today I use the Omnigrid ¼” ruler; they come in a package of 3 (different sizes/lengths) and are available at Joann’s. It is just so easy to use! I simply place the ¼” mark along the edge of my fabric and draw a line. I can do a stack of fabric pieces in just minutes. Then I sew along my drawn line. The more you use these procedures the faster you will accomplish them. Taking the extra time in the beginning insures accurate measurements and is a time saver down the road of trying to fudge pieces that do not easily match up or have a quilt that needs a lot of squaring up when you finish. In time as you become more proficient, you will find shortcuts that work for you. Remember measure three times, cut once. Good luck and have fun. You did a good job for your first quilt! Stay turned to this Board, I have learned so much over the last year…and don’t forget the internet.
:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

Twisted Quilter

At the moment, I'm proud to say I have accurate 1/4" seams and all of my 16, 2" squares match up perfectly. I credit this to starch, almost accurate cutting, my sticky note pad which is lined up next to the presser foot to ensure a 1/4" seam, and nesting my seams. It's only taken me a few quilts to reach this point, but I finally made it!

Good luck.

lillybeck

Even though I have been sewing and quilting for many years I learned some great details on here. The one that has most helped me is pressing. I press before I cut, after each seam I press the seam to set it and then open and press seam to one side. I am amazed at how much easier this makes things.

MYWR

DITTO !!! and use either spray starch or sizing or Mary Ellen's best pressed - if your fabric is stiff - it won't stretch and then you wont' have a tendency to lop-sided - don't ask me how long it took me to believe it - but that really works!!

ABCQuilt

It took a long time to perfect intersections. There are many how-to videos but my favorite are Eleanor Burn's Quilt in a Day. She makes it so easy and there are many videos to watch.
http://quiltinaday.com/theater/library.html