Your Best Piecing Tips for Accuracy
 

I love to machine quilt and I feel like that is my strong suit - where I'm trying to improve is accurate piecing. I just made a block called "Western Spy" (in EQ and also shown on Jinny Beyer's website) and I think it turned out pretty darn good. I wasn't able to paper piece it which is usually my method of choice because you get such great and dare I say, perfect results...instead I made freezer paper templates and drew out the 1/4" seam allowance and pieced it the more traditional way.

What I'm interested in are any tips or tricks for blocks like this that cannot be paper pieced or contain lots of Y seams for best results? Are you a starch person and if so what brand? I actually like to sew beyond V of the Y seam and un-stitch one or two stitches with a seam ripper when I turn to close of the second seam of the Y...what do you do?

I found with piecing that I have a tendency to be heavy handed with my iron. Trying to improve on that skill. I enjoy PP because I don't have to worry about the bias and the piecing comes out perfect every time. I too try to avoid "Y" seams like the plague! :)

I can't give you any tips on Y seams as I don't do those, too fussy for me. I have taken a few precision piecing classes and the top rule was to machine sew very slowly. I use glue to hold my difficult seams together to match perfectly and get exact points. Wonder Tape is excellent too.

Oooh thank you! Great tips - thank you! I always forget about glue...

Haha! I don't mind them so much - except they were pretty tricky on this recent block because the pieces were so small and I of course chose to use high contrast colors so any mistake would show! Thanks about my weight loss!! I'm HUNGRY! LOL

Get Sally Collins' book on Precision Machine Piecing. She starches fabric until it's like paper, and has lots of other tips. If you get a chance to take her workshop on this, don't miss it. Best $$ I ever spent for quilting!

Some great tips! I have not paper pieced yet but I have one project in mind from a quilting magazine.

I love to do "No tear" paper piecing with freezer paper. Really liking the results. You can go to YouTube Quilt n Bee.great demo.

Oh thank you! I'm going to look into it!

I have heard of this method but never tried it! I'll have to check it out!!

I second the Sally Collins book, Mastering Precision Piecing. I also think I over press a bit. My cousin just gave me a Steady Betty pressing board and I think it really helps.