krysti

I am now sewing my rows together (1st quilt). I obviously have not sewn perfectly as my rows are not matching up perfect. I was wondering when do you trim them up? Do you even them out as soon as you sew 2 together, or do you just sew all the rows together and then even them up at the end?

Thanks for your help.

Krysti

retrogirl02

My first pieced quilt was a bit on the wonky side, but is still loved by the owner. Not to worry, a lot of times this is in cutting the initial pieces or from joining seams that aren't quite consistent yet. It really depends on what it looks like, to be honest. If the rows are noticeably off----and it bothers you, you may want to change it up a bit. Please know that quilts are rarely if ever perfect and go easier on yourself. Enjoy the process. OH and you may have a local free quilters group at your local library if you need some hands on assistance. =)

luvTooQuilt

Practice, practice, practice... and have fun while your doing it..

Come to think of it I dont think any of my quilts are perfectly straight.. lol.. But they are loved, so that works for me..

Tartan

I have yet to make a perfect quilt. If the offsets are less than 1/4 inch you should be able to ease them to fit. Pin the intersections and see which blocks are bigger. Put the bigger block next to the feed dogs when sewing and the feed dogs will ease in some of the fullness.
If the block intersections are more than 1/4 inch you either have to decide if you can live with it or figure out if it can be altered. You can trim down your blocks but be careful that the trimming doesn't cut off the points (if you have points) For a first quilt, I would think being done so you can enjoy it will be better than perfect.

auntpiggylpn

There's such a thing as a PERFECT quilt?!?! I think that not being perfect in everyway is what makes a quilt perfect. Oh, don't get me wrong, I will work hard to get my seams to match up and it will bug me if I lose my points. But I don't think I have ever made a perfectly squared quilt! I have improved by making sure my blocks are all the same size or as close as possible but usually one side of my quilt is a little longer or shorter than the other side. It doesn't show when it is being used and loved so I don't sweat it!!!

Sunnye

Mine are not perfect; nowhere near!
Trim when all the strips are sewn and you are going to add the batting and back.

krysti

Thank you all for your help, and for being so kind. Funny, they always look perfect to me when I look at other quilts! I knew my first one (and probably first several) are going to be nowhere near, so I thought I'd start with one for our 5 year old boy; he won't care. You all made me feel so much better, so thank you again.

Krysti

annies-best

well all has been said above............. just have fun with it I am sure a 5 YO will love what ever mommy makes

Dolphyngyrl

I square up my blocks before I sew them together so that the rows should have no problem going together if your blocks are all the same size. It can be tedious at each step of making the block but it makes your blocks way more accurate saving you headache later. If you saw my first quilt where i was not taught this method and my third quilt where I kind of taught myself to, you can see a big difference in how the blocks line up

QuiltingCrazie

I do the same i square up my blocks. Measure all the blocks and go by the smallest measurement and trim the rest of the blocks to the same size. makes the rows go together perfect. Good luck!!