Traditional Quilter

I agree with Kalamaquilts. If seam allowances are accurate and are pressed without wrinkles, you shouldn't have to square up your block. Before starting any quilting project, I do a seam test as she described. Then throughout the piecing process I measure finished pieces to make sure I'm still sewing accurately. Should I have a problem then I can correct it before I get too far along. If you do this, your seams should nest together perfectly without a lot of pinning. However, that doesn't help you with your current dilemma. So, I suggest pin your seams as some of the other ladies suggested. It may be that since you have squared your block the seams may not match up at all. Wishing you good luck and happy quilting. I might suggest Harriet Hargrave's "Quilters Academy" books. They explain the fundamentals of piecing. She has published four books so far. The first one dealing with basic piecing of squares and rectangles and each dealing with progessively difficult piecing techniques, I had always preferred applique because I could never get my piecing to go together well (same as you are experiencing now), but since I bought and followed her techniques I can now piece with confidence, and it is so exciting to get your seams to match up without stress.

QM

this is my experience too. Also, in joining at cross seams, I make sure the top seam allowance reaches the needle before the cross seam, even if I need to clip the allowance to have it end up "to the dark". At a guild mass sewing event, I found that about 1/2 of my much more experienced guild sisters had troubles with ross seams.

Prism99

Try glue basting at the ironing board before you take your pieces to the sewing machine. First step is to push a straight pin down into the seams that need to match, right at the seam allowance. Once you are sure the pin is positioned so that the seams match, lift up the seam allowance on the top one and insert a tiny dot of Elmer's washable school glue (white). Close the seam and press for a few seconds with a hot iron. Remove the pin.

I find glue basting more accurate than pinning.

squirtygirl

Thankyou so much ladies for all of your experiance suggestions. I can't wait to try these on my next quilt. It is a horrible feeling after all that hard work for the seams not to match up. I learn something new everyday. God bless

audsgirl

This is also what I was experiencing. I found that when I was getting close to the end of the seam, I put my finger up next to the foot until the seam finished. It seems to keep the fabric in place better. I, too, love the phrase "it ended up squint."

jcrow

Guidelines 4 Quilting has a Prep-Tool that gives you an accurate 'scant' 1/4" seam. They also sell 'Seam Guides that stick to your sewing machine for that 'scant' 1/4" seam. They don't leave sticky residue and can be reused.

MamaHen

Another thing I have noticed while piecing blocks is that if one of the fabrics is lesser quality than the other one, while sewing, even though the ends match prior to, your machine foot is pushing the top fabric toward you and your pieces will not end up even at the end. Always being off a smidge. This will make matching seams up even more difficult. This just shows me that not all fabric is created equal. I already knew that but it proved it even more to me. I had never noticed it before.

happyquiltmom

All good advise given here...one more tip:

I use a corsage pin (thinner than a stiletto) to guide the fabric through my machine. It works really well at seam intersections, to get them to lie flat as they feed through the machine. And, it keeps the fabric feeding through evenly when you are coming to the end.

Knitette

Lol! We use that expression all the time - "Do you think my border is squint?" i.e. 'not straight'.

It can also mean 'look', e.g. " Have a squint at that and tell me if it's OK."

tootsie00

As a new quilter myself, I have had the same troubles. There are several suggestions her that work very well. I pre-wash and dry all my fabrics before starting, iron and starch them. I find that the starch helps keep the fabric from stretching when I cut it. Also, use the same ruler when cutting all your fabric for one project. As someone else here said, the lines may be slightly off from one maker to another. Next is to triple check your cut lines before cutting. I have rushed a project and sloppy cuts make for a poor outcome. Iron all seams, and yes, take the time to see how the seams will fall in your project. I pin everything, and make sure my intersections don't shift when I'm sewing them together. Also, if you have a little give in the length of one fabric over another, sew with the longer fabric on the bottom. The feed dogs on the machine should take up some of that give when you sew. I agree that you should learn where your 1/4" seem falls on your machine. Use painters tape to mark it on your machine, and that will help keep your place. This craft has a learning curve with it, but I love it. I also love this forum. I have learned so much just by reading what others have to say.