Krystyna

Wondering if anyone else has experienced this problem. I found a huge pile of gorgeous batik strips at a quilter's estate sale. Maybe drooling on them caused the problem. Anyway, I put them into strips of three. Everything was evenly cut. My seams were all exactly 1/4". I ironed. Then using a ruler I cut them into perfect triangles so I could make a square. The seams matched up perfectly BUT it's all puckery. There's a big POOF in one corner!
I've ripped a couple apart and tried again, but still POOF. Not sure what to do since I think they will all end up like this. My only thought is that I will iron them down as flat as possible and quilt the heck out of them, but at this point I am one sad quilter.

Cyn

Iron and quilt them and don't look too hard! I bet they don't look that bad! We are usually our own worst critics :)

paulswalia

remember that comment the other day about "iron the snot out of them"?

simplyme

Try some starch before you cut them. Working on the bias can be tricky. Starch will help stabize your fabric while working with it.

clem55

try sprying with water( after ripping out) and letting it dry naturally, some times that will draw the fabic back into shape. If it seems to help, and you haven"t starched yet, do so, and press straight down, don't slide iron, then do your sewing.

feline fanatic

Why cut them into triangles at all?? Use the "thangles" method of sewing them into HST by matching two strips together and sewing your seam THEN cutting.

With this method your edges will be biased
http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-37915-1.htm

With this method you bias edge will be encased in the seam, I prefer this.

http://www.quiltingandwhatnot.ca/Hal...-Triangle.html

You will have to cut the pattern pieces into strips to match your strips widths. The .pdf files are made for 8 1/2 x 11 sheets of paper. I don't know how wide your strips are.

Tartan

When doing triangles, I try to use the method where you sew squares together and then cut. The bias edges of triangles tend to distort. With that being said, have you cut them all? If not try the other method of cutting squares, stacking 2 together, sew across the diagonal on each side of a line drawn from corner to corner. Draw a line from the other adjacent corner and sew on each side of it. You then cut along the lines to separate the triangles.
If they are already cut, starch them to reduce stretch and use lots of pins when you sew them together. Try not to stretch the bias edge too much and retrim them square if needed when you're done. Good luck.

QuiltnNan

this was my thought too

mucky

I don't understand why cut in triangles. I make four blocks checking that I will have the right angles and then put the 4 together to have the design I want.

Krystyna

Here's the thing. I found all these wonderful batik strips at a tag sale. They were already cut. Weeks ago I started sewing them together. I have two pieces that are now quite large and then I started putting them together in coordinated three strips. I should have starched, but I didn't. I haven't cut too many triangles but now I think I am going to do something along the line of Louisa Smith's Strips and Curves. That should make a big mess!!! And yes, starch and snot. That's the ticket!