I am sewing strips and they do not lay flat but are wavy. What am I doing wrong?

Are you stretching them when sewing... OR have you not cut the strips with the grain of the material going the same way...

JOY, I HAVE CUT THEM WITH THE GRAIN ALL THE SAME. IT MAY BE THAT I AM STRECHING THEM WHEN I SEW. WILL TRY TO WATCH THAT. THANKS

You could quarter point each strip and then they would match at the same places... it is so easy to stretch strips, not meaning to... it is like sewing borders on quilts... they have to be quarter pointed and the quilt also.

I alternate the starting end when sewing multiple strips. It seems to cut down on the tendency to twist. Good luck.

piney

if they're wavy after you've sewn them together and pressed, it may be that the two different fabrics react differently to the heat of the iron - especially if you're using steam and/or spray starch.

i take one each of the different strips i'm going to use over to the ironing board and test their reaction to pressing before i sew them together. if the fibres contract or expand when the spray starch hits them, i know to press all the strips of that particular fabric before i sew them with them.

it's a pain and slows me down, but it takes less time than ripiting the strips apart to fix them.

Thanks everyone for your tips. I am so glad I joined this group, everyone is so great to help. It's wonderful to have experienced quilters share their knowledge.

Beverly

Once you have stitched two strips together, set the stitches by first pressing the stitches, then proceed to press the seam to one side or open. It also helps to press along a straight line. Think about using a pigma pen and draw a straight line on your ironing surface and making one edge of your strips align it.

When cutting your fabrics, it is best to cut all in the same direction, i.e., either from selvage to selvage or lengthwise along the selvage. There is different stretch for each and may also be the cause of "wavy".

Suzanne

Good point. I am a wash before cutting person ~ many conversations have been had on this ~ just once too often I got caught. :( Besides, I am one of those odd ducks that actually likes to iron. :D

piney

When cutting your fabrics, it is best to cut all in the same direction, i.e., either from selvage to selvage or lengthwise along the selvage. There is different stretch for each and may also be the cause of "wavy".

Suzanne[/quote]

Suzanne - thank-you for this very important reminder. I think it may solve BDor's problem & I definitely need to remember this.