Partial seams
#11
Super Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Carroll, Iowa
Posts: 3,484
I had another pattern that used partial seams. It took me months and timeless reading the instruction over and over before it finally sunk into my head how to do it. Once I got started I couldn't understand why I didn't figure it out earlier. I find if you mark the 1/4" at every section it will work out great for you. I just stuck a straight pin thru the 1st dot and made sure it went into the dot on the other section and then stitched up to that dot. My blocks came out as they should. True having to mark all those little dots on the sections is time consuming but so is having to rip out stitches because they didn't line up correctly. I hate ripping out myself.
#12
Power Poster
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Southern USA
Posts: 16,416
I took a class and the pattern was all partial seams. We were shown to leave about an inch of the seam open then turn. That made a big difference. We did the classic way of piecing partial seams first and then the brain easy way with no marking the 1/4 inch. Then everyone either tweaked the technique or went with the classic version. We all had nice partial seams at the end of the day no matter which way we used.
#13
Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Madison, WI
Posts: 187
My LQS had a mystery block of the month, and one month it was making partial seam blocks for the border. It really is much simpler than it seems at first, and takes almost no more time than "regular" seams. And it's WAY easier and faster than Y seams. I won't do Y seams.
#16
I don't mind partial seams at all but I suspect it's because my Bernina presser foot has markings for 1/4" so I know exactly where to stop and start. Without it, I would probably view partial seams with horror.