When using Bali Pops slight variations may occur!
The fabric strips in Hoffman Fabrics Bali Pops[SUP]® [/SUP]are hand cut in Bali where every yard is produced by hand at the Hoffman facilities. Without laser precision some cutting variations are bound to occur; however, this does nothing to squelch my devotion to Bali Pops[SUP]®[/SUP].
Some strips are not exactly 2.25 inches wide at all points along the strips. You might find that the strips are as much as 1/8” wider or narrower that the 2.50 on the same strip!
Solution: When sewing to strip sets together measure the 2.25 from the left side of the needle instead of the right side. Flip over a rotary ruler, position the ruler 2 1/4 inch to the left of the needle, and lower the pressure foot. Then place a colored sticky tape or a Qtools Sewing Edge is placed along the left edge of the ruler so that it can be used as a guide for the 2.25 needed for the strip set.
Place the strips right sides together, paying close attention to keep the raw edges aligned at the left edge of the strip set. If there is any variation in the strip width, it will fall within the seam allowance. The sewn strip pair is pressed and the width measured. The seam allowance is narrow in some places and wide in others, but the finished width of the strip pair is consistently 4 1/2 inches wide.
This method works to correct the strips when two strips are sewn together and then sub cut. When finger pressed, my sewn strip sets are straight and true. While I have read about "wonky" strips, I expect most of the "wonkiness" exhibited after strip piecing results from over exuberance with a steam iron.
When sewing two strips together in this manner you will need to adjust the way you hold the strips and where you watch the strips as they are being fed through the sewing machine. While it is not a cure-all, it does put my piecing well on the way to accuracy when the project begins with strip piecing.