Beginners Unite! Keeping your points

There is nothing more frustrating than working hard on a unit and then sewing off the points. 

We've all done it. I still do it. So how do we avoid it?  There is a simple trick I will share, but we have to address accuracy first. I wrote about accurate cutting and accurate stitching. These are two very important pieces to getting nice pointy points. 

When you take the time to cut accurately and stitch accurately, you will have points that are 1/4" away from the edge, giving you plenty of space for the seam allowance. 

Sometimes though, our stitching is off just a bit. Maybe we ironed instead of pressed, or there was some extra fabric and our stitching wobbled a bit. For whatever reason, we are in danger of losing that precious point.

The trick to saving it is simple. Stitch with the unit on top that needs the point.

When you come to the point, watch where your needle is coming down and make sure to stitch closer to the edge of the fabric. Having your seam allowance just a little off in that one spot won't hurt your blocks. I show how I sew my slightly off blocks HERE. Remember, I never trim. Shhhhh! I know, but I don't, and my quilt tops turn out very well. :)

If you can't stitch with the unit on the top, maybe you are sewing rows and there are points on either side, you should take a close look at your rows. Note where there might be an issue with a point and put a pin in it. When you reach that point you can adjust your stitching line just a hair and continue on.

If you stitched off a point, it is worth ripping those stitches out and resewing. Press carefully and enjoy your pointy points.

Sometimes you can do all of the above and you still get points that just aren't pointy. Case in point (hahaha) my newly released Gradient Stars. That blue would not listen and refused to be pointy. Every. Single. Unit. I had to let go of control and let that stubborn unit be. If it's not enjoyable, let go and move on. 

Happy Stitching!

Jen

1) Intro - May 2 

2) Quilting supplies ~ What makes the process easier - May 9
2a) Side Trip ~ Maintenance - May 11
3) Choosing fabric and color - May 16

4) Accurate cutting - May 23
4a) Side Trip ~ Cutting Large Yardage - May 25

5) That crazy scant 1/4 inch seam allowance - May 30

6) Sewing strips and squares - June 6

7) HST - Half Square Triangles (My one true love) - June 13

8) Flying Geese - June 20

9) What about those blocks that are just a tad off? - June 27
9) Strip Piecing - July 11

11) Is there a trick to keeping those points? - You are here

12) Adding Borders - July 18

13) Sandwich that top - July 25

14) Quilting - August 1

15) Binding - August 8
16) Labels  - August 15

Beginners Unite! Strip piecing

This week there will be two shorter posts for Beginners Unite! This first one will have tips for strip piecing and the bonus post will be on Thursday with tips for keeping your points. 

I touched on the topic of strip piecing HERE in the Strips and Squares post. This time we're going to talk about how to stitch multiple strips without getting those frustrating waves.

Start with four strips cut at 2 1/2" x 8 1/2". It's important that any strip you cut is cut accurately. For cutting tips go to THIS POST. 

Lay your first two strips right sides together. Stitch on the long side.

Note that the blue strip is on top. Press towards either side, making sure to lift your iron and move it. Do not press and move at the same time, this will distort your strips.

Lay another strip right sides together with your newly sewn unit. When you stitch this time, make sure you are stitching the opposite direction. In this case, the blue will be on top again. Press.

Using your last strip, lay it right sides together. Again, stitch the opposite direction of the seam you just stitched. In this instance the white will now be on top. Carefully press.

You should now have a pieced strip that doesn't wave at you when finished. 

Happy Stitching!

Jen

***Tomorrow Victoria from Fabric At Work  is a guest blogger. She's going to share her experience testing Gradient Stars and a little about her on-point version.***

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1) Intro - May 2 

2) Quilting supplies ~ What makes the process easier - May 9
2a) Side Trip ~ Maintenance - May 11
3) Choosing fabric and color - May 16

4) Accurate cutting - May 23
4a) Side Trip ~ Cutting Large Yardage - May 25

5) That crazy scant 1/4 inch seam allowance - May 30

6) Sewing strips and squares - June 6

7) HST - Half Square Triangles (My one true love) - June 13

8) Flying Geese - June 20

9) What about those blocks that are just a tad off? - June 27
9) Strip Piecing - You are here

11) Is there a trick to keeping those points? - July 13

12) Adding Borders - July 18

13) Sandwich that top - July 25

14) Quilting - August 1

15) Binding - August 8
16) Labels  - August 15

Beginner's Unite! Blocks that don't match

What do we do when our blocks aren't the same measurement?

Many people say trim them all the same size, but then you run the chance of losing your points. If you have used the same seam allowance for all of your stitching, then I say, don't even think about trimming!

Here are two squares. One is 8 1/2" square and the other 8 3/8" square.

When I come upon blocks that are off just a bit, my go to tip is: pin, stretching just a little bit if you need to, and stitch with the larger unit on the bottom.

I pin each end first. Then holding each end I pull the blocks straight to find the middle, and pin. If the block needs a lot of work, I will pull the block straight between the end and middle pins and put in another pin. With these blocks I had seams that I needed to match up as well.

Once pinned, stitch with the larger unit on the bottom. In this case, the 8 1/2" block. The feed dogs will pull the bottom fabric more than the presser foot will pull the top fabric, and this will help make the blocks the same size.

Blocks are now matching at 8 1/2".

Press, and continue.

If you are putting blocks with sashing, the same tip applies. Pin ends, then middle, and in between. Stitch with the longer piece on the bottom.

When you put your units and/or blocks together in this manner, there is no need to trim before piecing them together. However, if your blocks are 1/4", or more, off I recommend grabbing your faithful seam ripper and fixing the block. Trying to stretch that much fabric will distort your finished block.

Share your tips for dealing with units/blocks that are not the same size in the comments.

Happy Stitching!
Jen

1) Intro - May 2

2) Quilting supplies ~ What makes the process easier - May 9
2a) Side Trip ~ Maintenance - May 11
3) Choosing fabric and color - May 16

4) Accurate cutting - May 23
4a) Side Trip ~ Cutting Large Yardage - May 25

5) That crazy scant 1/4 inch seam allowance - May 30

6) Sewing strips and squares - June 6
7) HST - Half Square Triangles (My one true love) - June 13

8) Flying Geese - June 20

9) What about those blocks that are just a tad off? - You are here
9) Strip Piecing - July 11

11) Is there a trick to keeping those points? - July 13

12) Adding Borders - July 18

13) Sandwich that top - July 25

14) Quilting - August 1

15) Binding - August 8
16) Labels  - August 15

Beginners Unite! Flying Geese

Flying Geese is the next unit in the Beginners Unite! series.

Flying Geese units are heavily used in quilt patterns and it's worth getting them trimmed and perfect. Just like half square triangle units (HST) there are different ways and rulers to use when making Flying Geese.  In this post I will show you how to  make them the old fashioned original way and how to make them using the No Waste method. I will also show how to trim them if you make them over sized, using a Wing Clipper® from Deb Tucker 180 Design Studio (no affiliation) and just a square from Creative Grids. 

No Waste Flying Geese

The measurements I'm using in this tutorial are for over sized FG units. but the instructions for piecing are the same even if you make them to be exact. 

For this tutorial you need:

1 - 5 1/2" square

4 - 3" squares

On the wrong side of the 3" squares draw a diagonal line.

Place two of the 3" squares on the 5 1/2" square, right sides together, as shown.

Stitch 1/4" on either side of the line.

Cut apart on the drawn line.

Press towards triangles.

Place a 3" square on each of the units made. 

Stitch 1/4" on either side of line.

Cut on the drawn line.

Press towards triangles. This method will give you four Flying Geese units.

Trimming with a Wing Clipper® ruler

The lines on the Wing Clipper® make it really easy to know where to trim. 

We are trimming these to 2 1/2" x 4 1/2". Find the little diagonals for the 2 1/2" mark and line it up with the point. Trim.

Rotate the FG unit and line up the lines again on the point. Trim

Trimming with a square

I like to make a mark on the half way point on the ruler. Use a sharpie and put a piece of scotch tape or packing tape over it if you have a lot to trim, because it will wear off.

Line the half way mark (in this case 2 1/4") with the point, making sure to give yourself 1/4" seam allowance as well. Trim.

Rotate FG unit and line up the cut edge on the 4 1/2" line. Trim.

Original Flying Geese Unit

For this unit we need:

1 - 2 1/2" 4 1/2" rectangle

2 - 2 1/2" squares

Draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of the 2 1/2" squares.

Place one square right sides together on the rectangle. Note direction of drawn line. 

Stitch. I like to stitch just a tish off the line, towards the outside corner.

Press and trim.

Place the other square on the rectangle, noting direction of drawn line.

Stitch. 

Press and trim. This will give you one Flying Geese unit.

All 3 Flying Geese units, and you can't tell which one is which, so do the one you enjoy doing. Quilting is about joy and beauty.

Happy Stitching!

Jen

1) Intro - May 2

2) Quilting supplies ~ What makes the process easier - May 9
2a) Side Trip ~ Maintenance - May 11
3) Choosing fabric and color - May 16

4) Accurate cutting - May 23
4a) Side Trip ~ Cutting Large Yardage - May 25

5) That crazy scant 1/4 inch seam allowance - May 30

6) Sewing strips and squares - June 6
7) HST - Half Square Triangles (My one true love) - June 13

8) Flying Geese - You are here

9) What about those blocks that are just a tad off? - June 27
9) Strip Piecing - July 11

11) Is there a trick to keeping those points? - July 13

12) Adding Borders - July 18

13) Sandwich that top - July 25

14) Quilting - August 1

15) Binding - August 8
16) Labels  - August 15

Beginners Unite! Half Square Triangles

This is the post I have been waiting for since the beginning. I love making half square triangles, as long as they are "perfect."

There are a ton of different ways to make the half square triangle unit, but this is the only way I have found, for me, that gives me a perfectly squared HST (half square triangle). A perfectly squared HST goes a long way towards making the unit enjoyable. There is nothing worse than a unit that doesn't fit into a block, or a unit where you lose the point. 

We're going to make two 2 1/2" unfinished HST unit. For this you will need:

1) Two squares, 3" each 

See this post for accurate cutting.

2) A marking tool, I prefer a mechanical pencil

3) A ruler with a 45° line

*Any ruler will do, I love my Tucker Trimmer (no affiliation)

4) Rotary Cutter

On the wrong side of the lightest fabric draw a diagonal line.

At your sewing machine we are going to sew a scant 1/4" on each side of the fabric. To sew a scant 1/4" seam for a HST, I line up my foot so the marked line is under it, not next to it.

Turn the square and repeat on the other side of the line.

Cut directly on the line.

Press to set the seam. 

Then press towards the dark fabric.

Now, the fun part! Squaring up.

I have a piece of old cutting mat that I use when I do any squaring up. Our mats do wear out, but they are expensive and I can't bear to throw mine out. So my last one I cut/broke into quadrants and I use them any time I need to trim units. This keeps the mat I'm using as fresh and long lasting as possible. If you don't have an extra piece of mat, flip your mat over and use the back side for trimming.

I will show how to trim using the Tucker Trimmer as well as a square Creative Grids ruler.

What I like about the Tucker Trimmer is how it has just the lines you need, nothing extra. It makes trimming much faster. I will say, I wish it had grips like Creative Grids, be careful that the ruler doesn't slip. 

Line up the diagonal along the seam of your HST. This first trim is going to be taking off as little fabric as possible.

We made the square larger than needed, so there should be plenty to trim off, but double check that the measurement you need is inside the fabric. In this case the 2 1/2" mark.

Rotate the HST. Now you want to line up the 2 1/2" mark along the edge of the fabric, lining up the diagonal line on the seam. This trim will have larger pieces. 

You now have a perfect HST.

Using a Creative Grids ruler, you do the same thing. Line up the first trim with as little fabric showing as possible. The diagonal line sits on the seam and the 2 1/2" mark (for this size). 

Rotate the HST, and line up the ruler with the 2 1/2" mark along the fabric. Trim.

Half Square Triangles are an easy unit to chain piece. You can make a lot of them in a short amount of time, and it's worth the time to trim them into perfection.

If you don't like to draw any lines on your fabric, you can use this trick: Draw (or tape) the lines directly on your machine and line up your squares on them. 

I mentioned above that there are a lot of ways to make HSTs, and there are other rulers made just for squaring them up. Please feel free to share your favorite way/ruler for making the perfect half square triangle in the comments.

Happy Stitching!

Jen

1) Intro - May 2

2) Quilting supplies ~ What makes the process easier - May 9
2a) Side Trip ~ Maintenance - May 11
3) Choosing fabric and color - May 16

4) Accurate cutting - May 23
4a) Side Trip ~ Cutting Large Yardage - May 25

5) That crazy scant 1/4 inch seam allowance - May 30

6) Sewing strips and squares - June 6
7) HST - Half Square Triangles (My one true love) - You are here

8) Flying Geese - June 20

9) What about those blocks that are just a tad off? - June 27
9) Strip Piecing - July 11

11) Is there a trick to keeping those points? - July 13

12) Adding Borders - July 18

13) Sandwich that top - July 25

14) Quilting - August 1

15) Binding - August 8
16) Labels  - August 15