Accuracy in Quilting - Piecing

Next in our Accuracy in Quilting series we're going to get into the piecing of our quilt tops.

Accurate piecing can be the most frustrating for quilters. While it does take practice there are steps you can take while you are learning to help.

Sewing Speed

Many machines have the ability to change the speed you use when stitching. If you are just starting out, a slower speed will give you more control over your stitching. You can speed up as you grow more confident.

If your machine doesn't have that option, treat your foot pedal just like the gas pedal in your care. Start off slowly, with even pressure. You will speed up as you grow more confident.

Marking stitching lines

In many patterns you will be told to mark a stitching line on the wrong side of the fabric. Marking these lines accurately is important. In this video you can see how I mark my lines.

To help keep your piecing accurate, make sure your lines are drawn accurately. Your lines should go exactly through the corners of your pieces so that your stitching is exactly where it should be.

When stitching strips sew slowly until you get the feel of your machine. My old sewing machine pulled strips through wonky when I used a faster speed, so I needed to use the slow speed. With my new machine I find that faster is better, or the seams get wonky. Taking the time to learn what your machine likes and doesn't like is a great step towards accurate piecing.

Pinning

I have been quilting for over 20 years and I still pin everything. For me, the seams lining up nicely is worth the extra time. You can see how I pin in this video:

While pinning is a handy tool in piecing accuracy, be sure to stay away from running over them. It can throw off the timing of your machine and that is something you would need to bring your machine in for.

Needles

Needles are like rotary cutter blades, we hate to change them. But a dull needle can pull your fabric down into the machine causing stretching or getting the fabric caught in the plate.

Sewing to fit

There will be many times when you have units and/or blocks that are off just a bit. If one unit is 1/8" shorter than the other, it's ok. Pin the ends together and sew with the shorter unit on top. The feed dogs will help to bring in the longer piece. This works with quilt blocks as well. It *does not* work if there is more than 1/8" difference. If that is the case, try to see where the seam is to big, rip that out and try again.

This is the second article in the Accuracy in Quilting Series.

Week 1 - Cutting

Make something extraordinary!

Did you get my 5 Free Tips for Accurate Piecing yet? I would love to send it to you, sign up HERE!

New to Patterns By Jen?

 

Don't forget to sign up for the Bites of PBJ newsletter while you are here!

 

Newsletter sign up

 

2024 Monthly Color Challenge

 

Find paper and digital patterns in my Etsy shop

 

Find fun PBJ merchandise at Teespring

Follow me on Instagram

 

Join the Quilt and Learn with Patterns By Jen Facebook page.

 

Accuracy in Quilting - Cutting

 I want to help you find more accuracy in your quilting so you can piece with confidence.

Over the next five weeks I'm going to share with you my top tips for accuracy in your quilting world. These are the same steps I use when I am making my quilts and it starts at the very beginning with your cutting.

Fabric Prep

You can't expect accuracy throughout your quilting project if your fabric is wrinkled. Press your fabric, whether it is yardage or pre-cuts. It can sometimes feel like you have better things to do, because it is exciting to start a new project and you want to get at it. Taking the time right at the beginning to prep your fabric will make the whole project run that much smoother.

Starch is your quilting accuracy's best friend. It must be done before you start cutting your pieces, because it will shrink your fabric a bit. There are many opinions on what starch to use, what starching technique to use, as well as to use steam or not with your iron. Every quilter has to find what they like the best, what works well for them. 

Here is my process:

I do not wash my fabric, not even flannel*. I use a mist bottle with water to get rid of the worst wrinkles/creases and then I use another mist bottle to starch the whole piece of yardage. I use the hottest setting on my Hamilton Beach iron without steam.

*Yes, flannel shrinks more than cotton, but if I'm using flannel for the entire quilt, then I don't worry about it.

Rotary Cutter

A sharp blade is going to make your quilting life so much easier. We've all been there, picking up our strips and having little pieces still attached. This can pull and stretch your fabric which effects your accuracy. We hate to change those blades, I get it, but it will make a difference. In my list of favorite tools I share the blades I buy in bulk that work really well for me.

Straight Edge

As important as your fabric prep is, the straight edge is the second most important step in your journey towards accurate quilting. I show you how to get the most accurate straight edge in this video:

Taking the time to get a straight edge to start your cutting will make such a difference in your overall accuracy and happiness with your work.

Rulers

When you are first starting out in your quilting journey you may be using rulers from different companies. Once you are able, switching to using rulers made from the same company will give you more accurate results. Why? Lines on rulers can be different widths, which will have you placing your ruler differently. They can also be printed differently between companies. Keeping to the same company with your rulers will make a difference.

Cutting mats

I use my mat to make that first straight edge cut, but after that I use the rulers for all cutting*. Mats, especially mats that are used a lot, can use their accuracy. Lines can get warped from the cuts. It is best to use the marks on your rulers for your measuring and cutting.

*Rulers can also get warped after awhile. The constant rub from the rotary cutter will wear away at the edge of your ruler. It takes years, but eventually you may need to replace them.

We will talk about trimming units and blocks in an upcoming post.

Here is my list of favorite quilting tools.

This is the first article in the Accuracy in Quilting Series.

Make something extraordinary!

Did you get my 5 Free Tips for Accurate Piecing yet? I would love to send it to you, sign up HERE!

New to Patterns By Jen?

 

Don't forget to sign up for the Bites of PBJ newsletter while you are here!

 

Newsletter sign up

 

2024 Monthly Color Challenge

 

Find paper and digital patterns in my Etsy shop

 

Find fun PBJ merchandise at Teespring

Follow me on Instagram

 

Join the Quilt and Learn with Patterns By Jen Facebook page.

2024 May Monthly Color Challenge Block

 In my little place in the world, May and yellow go together so well.

Our challenge this month is inspired by tropical fish. Such beauty lays under the water, it's hard not to be inspired.

This month our color is yellow and we look to the Electric Yellow Lab for our inspiration. Anyone half expect a picture of a yellow dogfish? 😏

From ModestFish Colorful Freshwater Fish: Electric yellow labs are another popular African Cichlid amongst aquariums for their bold, vibrant yellow bodies with a black stripe along its dorsal fin.

Although peaceful in comparison to some other African Cichlids, electric yellow labs are notorious fin nippers and shouldn’t be kept in a freshwater community tank. This fish should be kept in an African Cichlid community tank with other Malawi species.

You will need a minimum 55 gallon tank with sandy substrate and rockle piles with caves. It’s best to keep one male with several females as males can become aggressive to one another.

Yellow, to me, is such a happy color. I can't look at it without feeling a lift to my spirits.

I'm using Benartex's "Burlap" fabric line. I love the texture of the fabric, sooo much. 

Our featured blogger this month is:

Kathy - Kathy's Kwilts and More

Find her on Instagram

Ready for the  block? It's a super simple block with Flying Geese Units.

Join the Quilt and Learn with Patterns By Jen Facebook group (make sure to answer the questions so I know you are a real person 😉) where you will get a lot of support and questions answered! If you aren't on Facebook you can also follow Patterns By Jen on Instagram. Use #2024MonthlyColorChallenge when sharing so I can be sure to see your block.

I hope my feed is swimming in yellow this month!

Ready to get the pattern? Go to Payhip and download it now! The block is free for the month of May! Each set of instructions includes a "How To" video.

It's too late to receive the January through May block instructions through email, but you can still sign up to have the June - December Monthly Color Challenge blocks (and the layout!) sent directly to your inbox. Sign up HERE.

 

Let's make something Extraordinary!

 

Jen

Did you get my 5 Free Tips for Accurate Piecing yet? I would love to send it to you, sign up HERE!

New to Patterns By Jen?

 

Don't forget to sign up for the Bites of PBJ newsletter while you are here for early releases and sales just for subscribers!

 

Newsletter sign up

 

2024 Monthly Color Challenge

 

Find paper and digital patterns in my Etsy shop.

 

Find fun PBJ merchandise at Teespring

 

Join the Quilt and Learn with Patterns By Jen Facebook page.

Quilting Tools - The non-essential fun stuff

 Let's get to the fun, fun stuff.

Stylus

A stylus can be used for many things in quilting. Guiding fabric under the presser foot, grabbing the thread out from under the presser foot so it doesn't cause a knot, etc. You can find simple ones, like That Purple Thang which I use, all the way to ergonomically correct stylus'.

Ruler Storage

There are many ways to store your rulers. I share a post on that HERE. As you grow in your quilting journey, you will collect rulers. In an effort to avoid buying the same ruler twice, I encourage ruler storage that shows you what you have. 😉

Pin cushions

You will need a place to hold your pins, and there are so many cute options, as well as smart options. I like to have a magnetic pin holder by my cutting mat. That way I can do some pinning of units/blocks there, but not have to worry about a stray pin getting under my rotary cutter.

At my sewing desk I have a pincushion I made with emery powder that is attached to a little scrap basket. I like having that one because I can stick pins in it as I sew and I don't have to worry about getting them into a small case. The powder helps to keep them sharp longer. You can also use walnut shells, but I found the emery powder because of nut allergies in family members.

Sewing Baskets

Sewing baskets are a great tool to have, especially if you don't have space for a seperate sewing area. It will keep all of your notions together in one place and easy to find when you are ready for your next sewing session. They make clean up a breeze as well.

Sew Steady Table

These can be made for you sewing machine in many different sizes. They fit around your machine and give you a larger sewing area. I love mine, especially when sewing blocks and rows together and when machine quilting. The added space really helps keep the fabric pulling to a minimum.

This is the last article in the Quilting Tools - Essentials series. Find the others here: 

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Here's my list of favorite tools.

Make something extraordinary!

Did you get my 5 Free Tips for Accurate Piecing yet? I would love to send it to you, sign up HERE!

New to Patterns By Jen?

 

Don't forget to sign up for the Bites of PBJ newsletter while you are here!

 

Newsletter sign up

 

2024 Monthly Color Challenge

 

Find paper and digital patterns in my Etsy shop

 

Find fun PBJ merchandise at Teespring

Follow me on Instagram

 

Join the Quilt and Learn with Patterns By Jen Facebook page.

Quilting Tools - More fun essentials

 We're continuing our deep dive look into essential quilting tools for the new quilter.

Thread

To put our beautiful fabrics together in a quilt, we need thread. A topic that gets quilters going. Ha! These essentials and their tips are going to be my opinions, but I encourage you to branch out and find what works best for you.

Neutrals for piecing. I like neutrals for piecing because not only do I get to keep my pretty thread for things like applique and extra touches, I can stock up. I only piece in grey. Whether it's dark or light fabric, grey is my go to for piecing, so I buy in bulk. This also means I can wind a ton of bobbins and have them on hand for piecing. Now I don't have to stop every couple of empty bobbins to wind up again.

Bobbins. Don't forget the bobbins! You should get some with your machine, and those are the type you want to stay with. Bobbin sizes vary, and machines like the bobbins they come with. Make sure to check your manual before buying more.

Extra

When choosing to use a particular color for piecing you can buy large spools of thread. These large spools are also nice if you are quilting on your domestic (regular sewing machine).

Prewound bobbins are a thing! I have never used them, so I can't give you much information on them, other than to remind you to make sure they are the correct bobbin for your machine.

Extra, Extra

Large spools will obviously last longer between changes, but can cause issues for threading. You can use different household items to help, like cups, or purchase a large spool holder. There are some very pretty spool holders out there.

Bobbin holders are amazing. I love mine because I can wind up a bunch of bobbins and have them right there, ready to use, and not tangled.

Needles

Sewing machine needles come in different sizes, based on type of fabric and sewing you are doing. To start with I always used a universal and I never paid attention to the numbers, because I didn't know what they meant.

Here's a quick overview of needle sizes. There are two numbers listed 70(10), 80(12), etc. These are the sizes and they simply represent European(American) sizes. The larger the number the thicker the fabric you can sew. 

For piecing and quilting you can use 70(10) - 90(14), most use the 80(12).

Extra

I store my sewing machine needles in a container with multiple compartments that I found on Amazon. It keeps them all in one place and makes it easy to find the right size when needed. You can see I also store my rotary cutter blades in there as well. The compartments are a great size.

Scissors

If you ask a quilter how many scissors she has, I guarantee you it's more than 1. Can you have too many scissors? Probably, but not when you are in the middle of looking for one.

Scissors with a spring loaded handle are so much easier on your hands, so if you can afford a pair, I encourage you to get one of those. If not, "regular" scissors are just fine. They do need to be sharp though. Contact your LQS (Local Quilt Shop) or sewing machine repair shop to see if they do scissor sharpening.

Snips are little scissors used for clipping threads. They are nice because they are easy to hold and be more precise with your clipping. There is nothing more sad than catching your fabric when clipping threads. They can also come with spring loaded handles.

Extra

Lanyards are a great way to keep your snips close by. It's so much easier to have them attached to you than trying to find them under the fabric pieces.

Extra, Extra

Thread cutting tools are clipping tools that stand on a flat surface and are used for clipping threads when chain piecing. Instead of clipping each one with a scissors you just pull the thread down on the razor and it cuts it for you.

Seam Ripper

Ahhh, the trusty seam ripper. It's a love/hate relationship. Every sewing machine comes with a generic seam ripper. They work just fine for those starting out. When you are ready for something different though, a seam ripper with a larger handle is going to be much easier to use. These are also available with ergonomic handles. Seam rippers do get dull, don't hesitate to replace yours when it's no long cutting through thread easily.

Extra

There are other tools to use as seam rippers as well. Razors and seam removers can be found at your LQS. It's another tool that you can research and find the one that works best for you.

This is the third article in the Quilting Tools - Essential series. Find the others here:

Week 1

Week 2

See my list of Favorite Tools.

Make something  extraordinary!

Did you get my 5 Free Tips for Accurate Piecing yet? I would love to send it to you, sign up HERE!

New to Patterns By Jen?

 

Don't forget to sign up for the Bites of PBJ newsletter while you are here!

 

Newsletter sign up

 

2024 Monthly Color Challenge

 

Find paper and digital patterns in my Etsy shop

 

Find fun PBJ merchandise at Teespring

Follow me on Instagram

 

Join the Quilt and Learn with Patterns By Jen Facebook page.