ChattyKathy

If this has been discussed previously, sorry I missed it.
I have been quilting for about 6 years. I have actually made quite a few quilts, so I would consider myself an advanced beginner/early medium level. Now all of the sudden I feel like I am back to a negative level with my sewing just a straight 1/4 inch seam allowance.

I bought all the 1/4 inch gadgets/feet to help me insure that I sew a 1/4 inch. Still no luck.

Then I thought it was my cutting that was off. I bought a Fiskar Rotary Cutter & Ruler Combo last fall. And I still continued cutting what I thought was "wavy edge" or not straight enough seams 2 1/2 inch fabric strips. Thus, I still felt & measured that my blocks were off. Then early this year, I bought a Stripology Ruler. I thought this would be IT!!! and I would cut perfect 2 1/2 inch strips. Well no...I am still finding wavy fabric strips. I have discovered that after cutting the strips with the Stripolgy Ruler, and using Magic Sizing fabric finish when ironing my 2 1/2 inch fabric strips. After the strips dry, I have really wavy fabric. I am trying to remove the heavy folding creases in the fabric using this product.

I use a dry iron. Should I not even use any type of spray to remove wrinkles in my fabric? No I do not prewash. I hate ironing. I am proud of myself that I have gotten into the habit of ironing all my seams period to one side period.
(I mean I can not remember the last time I iron anything for myself to wear.)
How do I win this game??? I feel like I am back to before square one even...like I am an negative something.

I almost feel as if I was ahead when I was a total novice and never ironed just finger creased. Of course then my blocks all looked miserable compare to the other ladies' blocks in class.

My quilts always get compliments from everyone. So I make things fit. But, I would really really love to have flat fabric strips and be able to sew a good 1/4 inch seam allowance for quilting.
Thanks.
Kathy

fatquarters

I am sorry for your tears Kathy. I am not sure I can help though not sure just what the problem is? are the strips of fabric nice and straight before you sew?

quiltingcandy

Without watching you do it I can't really say what you are doing or not doing. Are you making sure you are cutting on the straight of grain? Just because you line up the edges does not necessarily mean your fabric is on the straight of grain.

But for me I bought the June Taylor Shape cutter and I also bought the Accuquilt Go and the 2.5 in die and the 1.5 in. die.

mac

Are you pressing your strips or ironing? There is a big difference. With pressing you put the iron on the fabric and lift straight up, you continue this until you are finished. With ironing, you are moving the iron around as you would ironing your clothes. The big difference is with ironing you are moving your fabric around which will make wavy lines. With pressing you are not moving anything because you are picking your iron up, therefore no fabric movement.

I know you say you don't like to iron, but if you are going to use fabric spray, I suggest you use it before you cut the material.

On the internet there are lot of explanations on how to 'press your blocks and fabric'.
Good luck, hope this helps.

kathy

I agree, spray and press the whole piece of fabric, not just the strips, when they're wet or damp from the spray they are too easily warped.

LyndaOH

First, I'd suggest you take a deep breath and quit beating yourself up! Now matter how advanced of a quilter you are, you'll have things that frustrate you from time to time, and this is one of those times.

I starch and iron before I cut my strips, not after. There's a lot of room for distortion when you're ironing, especially if you're starching heavily enough that the fabric feels wet. Even more so when you're ironing something only 2 1/2" wide.

I understand hating to iron a large piece of fabric; I also hate to iron. If I've bought multiple yards of fabric and I only need 5 or 6 strips, I will cut off the approximate amount I need, iron that, and then cut my strips. It's a lot easier to handle.

I make sure that once I have the approximate piece of fabric cut I iron out the crease then refold it selvage to selvage so it's perfectly straight. You don't want to put the crease back in fully before cutting your strips.

A couple of points about ironing - I use Best Press and prefer it to sizing. It really helps get wrinkles out with a fairly light spray. I've never had my fabric feel wet before pressing.

If you hate ironing because of the standing involved, lower your ironing board to chair height and sit while ironing. I find it much easier.

When you're cutting the strips be very sure that your mat is on a nice even surface and you are holding your ruler firmly in place. I've found there were times when I was pressing down so hard on my rotary cutter that I'm moving the ruler. Firm steady pressure on the rotary cutter is what you need. Keeping your pinky finger off of the ruler and resting on your mat can help you keep the ruler where you want it.

Lastly, it may help to have someone else watch you as you do your cutting. They may spot something that's causing your inconsistencies.

Hope this helps!

Sisty88

Hmmm, do your strips look wavy before you sew them together? Or is it just afterwards that they look wavy? I was sewing a load of strips together a few weekends ago, and after I finished sewing them I thought they looked terrible and wavy, but when I set the seam and then pressed to one side they looked fine.

Could you maybe show us a photo so we can see it for ourselves, as that may help with coming up with ideas for you? I wonder if its the step of ironing the strips after they've been cut that is causing the problem? I don't think I've ever ironed a strip after cutting, I tend to do it before cutting and then after sewing, but then I do iron as little as possible if I can help it! Also, are you pressing or ironing, as that could make a difference I reckon!

I am terrible at cutting strips and just got myself the sizzix 2 1/2" strip die and am in strip cutting heaven! I finally have consistently cut strips!

I do hope you find a solution soon, as it is no fun to be so frustrated by a hobby!

justflyingin

Are you using a walking foot? It really does help.

lynnie

when cutting try only cutting a small slice at a time and walk your hand down the ruler. I do that and it helps a lot.

feline fanatic

Quite a few things can be going wrong. First, if you are using starch or sizing you need to press and starch your yardage BEFORE any cutting. This is a big reason I prewash, to remove the factory sizing and to help release the factory fold for the bolt which is usually out of square which results in wonky strips with dog legs and waves.

Then you need to make sure you are folding your fabric correctly. Do a google search and use "how to fold fabric to cut strips" as your search criteria. Several YouTube videos will come up as well as blogs with pictures to help you.

Then google "how to rotary cut fabric" for youtube videos and blogs that offer tips for how to hold your ruler and rotary cutter to avoid slippage or moving your ruler a bit as you cut along the edge. Some people prefer to put little non slip rubber dots on their rulers or dots of sand paper. I prefer nothing on my ruler and will splay my fingers out for increased weight distribution. I also walk my fingers along the length of the ruler as I cut.

You have to find what works best for you when it comes to cutting but the folding part is crucial when you start. A crooked fold results in crooked cuts.

If you are getting waves from sewing your strips together, it helps to reverse the direction with every other strip.