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Old 11-12-2013, 06:53 AM
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Prism99
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Western Wisconsin
Posts: 12,930
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She wants the star quilt? The bias edges make this type of block challenging, but it can be done.

One thing I would absolutely do is heavily starch the fabric before cutting. Starch stabilizes the fabric so the bias edges will be less likely to stretch and distort while you are working with them. My method is to mix a 1:1 solution of Sta-Flo liquid laundry starch and water, "paint" this on the yardage with a large wall painting brush until the fabric is saturated, wait a couple of minutes to make sure the fibers have absorbed as much starch as possible, then toss in dryer, and iron with steam. This will make the fabric fairly stiff but don't worry; all the starch will wash out later. The starch will help make your cuts more accurate, as the fabric will not "wiggle" under the ruler.

Handle carefully while sewing and pressing so you do not stretch the bias edges. Especially with ironing, be aware not to push the iron this way and that way to get something flat. You might get it flat, but it may be distorted. Up-and-down iron carefully.

Test your seam allowance to make sure you are sewing with a scant 1/4"; otherwise the pieces of the block will not fit together well. It helps to use a physical guide while sewing, and it also helps to use a good quality fine thread (I like Aurifil 50wt 2-ply) for piecing.
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