k3n

18. OK back to the original blocks ! So here are two blocks joined together with a sashing strip. Join all your blocks in rows in the same way.

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19. This shows the back of two blocks joined together. See how the two seam allowances nest nicely together ? You may want to press them gently into place with the point of your iron so they lay nice and flat.

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20. Here you’ll see I’m measuring between the two stitching lines to show that they are ½ inch apart.

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21. We want to cover these stitching lines completely, so we take some ¾ inch wide steam a seam. This will extend to an 1/8th of an inch either side of the stitching lines.

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22. But first we have to make our backing strips. These need to be twice the width of the steam a seam, so 1 ½ inches wide. I don’t worry about length – I just cut a couple across the width of the fabric then trimmed them as I went – to lazy to do the maths ! But if you prefer to calculate how many you need in advance, go for it ! You need a backing strip for every joint between the blocks and then long strips to cover the joints in the rows later on. My strips are in the same fabric as my backing. It’s a fairly soft, thin unbleached cotton. Try and use something soft and fine or it will get really stiff.

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23. Then press your backing strips in half with the iron, wrong sides together and open them out again. This gives you the centre line of your strip.

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24. Then you want to press each side of the strip into the middle. I press the bottom side up first, then the top side down. It’s a bit fiddly at first but it goes pretty well. DON’T burn your fingers though !

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25. OK – now we take our steam a seam and lay it over the joint on the back of the blocks, so that it extends an equal amount each side of the stitching line. I then take my scissors (NOT the best fabric ones !) and trim it to length.

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26. Then lay your backing strip, right side up, over the steam a seam so it covers it completely. (You'll notice these are the crazy blocks again!)

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27. Then press with the iron. The instructions say to use steam but I don’t – a dry iron is fine for a count of about 5 seconds. We’ll be stitching this down so we’re only looking for a temporary hold. Let it go completely cool before the next stage or it may come unstuck ! Once you’re underway, you can be sewing one piece together while the next piece is cooling. When it’s cool, trim off the excess backing strip, flush with the edge of the block.