I have really enjoyed looking at all of your blocks and quilts :D:D:D You all have a lot of talent and your work is gorgeous!!!
Thank you for all of the wonderful tips and the links to all of the great sites :D:D:D
I have a few tips :D
Before you trim your blocks, measure each one along the printed outlines to make sure they are the correct size. Sometimes the paper can shrink, or the block may print out a little bit off. If it is correct, use your ruler to also measure out the 1/4" seam allowance as that may not be accurately printed either. (or your ruler may measure slightly different, and since you are using yours for the construction of the whole quilt, it may be better to keep using it right from the start :wink:)
I watched Carol Doak the other day, and she uses a very long basting stitch and machine bastes all of the matching spots/intersections on each of her blocks. She will pin all of the intersections and then baste them with 3-4 stitches then she slides the piece down and bastes again, etc... she takes it off of the machine and if they match you are ready to go, shorten your stitch length and sew right over the basting stitches (just snip off the threads between each set of basting stitches).
Next, after pinning her blocks together, she places them under the presser foot and before she actually starts sewing she handcranks the needle down and up, just to puncture the paper and fabric. Then she removes the blocks and checks to see if her needle has gone through the seam line in the correct place on the front and the back block. This is a good check to see if your trimming was accurate, or if you need to make adjustments.
She also starts sewing a 1/2" outside the seamlines and sews a 1/2" past the line too. I was only going 3-4 stitches and she swears that sewing that much extra is ok AND a good idea... even Alex Anderson's eyebrows were raised over this LMBO
I do use Elmers sometimes to glue instead of pins for matching intersections. If you use glue with paper piecing you have to really use it sparingly or it will squeeze out and glue the edge of the paper to the fabric lol. If this happens just lightly dampen the fabric and then pull the paper away.
Some use a glue stick and I am going to give that a try as it stays right where you put it, I would suggest pressing with an iron to make sure it holds right away. I also use a light dab of glue from a glue stick to hold my first piece of fabric in place on the paper. If you use too much it is hard to remove the paper :wink:
If you have issues with bugs/starch then these glues will be a problem also as they are all a starch based glue.