Anybody have tips for sewing itty bitty squares together
 

aside from the obvious strip method which won't work with my pattern?

(I'm getting nervous)

Thank you

A new sharp needle, shorter than normal stitch length and using ( leaders & enders) will help your success. And starting out slowly. I would also place a pin at the end of 2 squares together to keep them from separating, becoming skewed on one end

Fusible grid works great and is available in various sizes, down to 1" squares which make a 1/4 inch finished square. Pieces are fused to the the single sided fabric and then folded and sewed in vertical rows. Then horizontal folds are
made for the stitching in the other direction.

When joining mini blocks, I use Elmers to glue the blocks together so they don't "shift". Off seams really show up in mini quilts. I do use the plastic paint tips by Plaid to make a tiny stream of glue.

Plain fusible lightweight interfacing can work well too. I have one of those folding cardboard with blue grid mark boards..... i lay my fusible interfacing on that, secure with straight pins to hold the interfacing in place and use the grid lines as guides. Being cardboard, i can then also press tack with my mini iron right on it.

What size itty-bitty to you?

When you have not shared any info as to what sort of a pattern you are doing, it's hard to know what tips might help.


No matter what you are doing, IMHO making sure that the single hole plate is in your machine can make a big difference to end quality.

Some use tweezers when doing small work.

Sometimes it helps to oversize and trim down to keep all square ... again, without knowing what you are doing, unknown whether this is even a possibility.

I have an older miniature quilt book that has you sew fabrics together as a strip, then cut the squares out. These would be HST's of course.

I use a tear away embroidery stabilizer. Although they do tear away all around your embroidery, they have a grain and will tear much easier in one direction. I cut about an 18" piece (width doesn't matter, but I usually work with 4 to 12 inches) and make sure there's a good straight edge going in the direction of the grain. Lay your pieces so the raw edges match the edge of the stabilizer all along the length. Sew your 1/4" seam, like you are chain piecing down the entire length of the stabilizer, then carefully tear away. Because you sewed down the entire length, you can usually tear the 1/4" piece off. Lay the next group of pieces on the remaining large piece and repeat. I often do this if I have a bunch of small HST, as this prevents the leading edge from being pushed into the needle plate.

I watched a F&P episode where someone was demo small blocks like Dear Jane. One of her suggestion is to oversize the individual pieces, press and then trim down to the correct size. It was an older episode with Liz Porter. It works for me.

There's a wash-away grid that you can use or you can draw your own grid on a wash-away foundation/stabilizer and use it like the gridded ones. Because they wash away, no bulk is added to the finished product...important with "itty bitty" squares of any size.

Are you making a pixelated quilt?

It is going to be pink pixelated hearts with black background. Maybe quilted with variegated pink thread. I'm using 1.5" squares.

I thought of tear away stuff, pins, leaders and enders but I'm really intrigued by the ultra lightweight fusible webbing trick mentioned earlier. I saw it when I googled for tips and it looks perfect. I may try that but I have to make a run to the fabric store because I only have heavy duty stuff leftover from making garments.

I've been mulling this quilt over for several weeks now. It's for my 14 y/o daughter. I was kind of intimidated by all the little squares so didn't get around to cutting anything until last night.

At first my daughter wasn't too sure about the fabric but I put a block together last night and she loved the layout.

I'm thinking about appliqueing some fussy cut kittycats here and there-maybe where the corners meet or something

I've been saving up used dryer sheets for a while for appliqueing

I recommend starching your fabric...this keeps everything straight and crisp. I don't mess with stabilizers. ckcowl's advice is spot on...

My advice is don't do it.
Wouldn't be for me, but if that is what you want to do, go for it.

Maybe I will just go with what ckcowl said.

The fusible webbing looks like a neat trick but I'd probably make a huge mess of it!

And I don't want to spend more money if I don't need to

Am trying to use what I already have as much as possible

1-1/2" squares aren't too bad to work with ... I did a cow with that square size, with no special/extra tricks. Just wish I had known of the blessings of Best Press or starch, and it would have been simplified for sure!

The hardest part was watching to keep the squares in the right order, plus I had a directional fabric for the background, to add to my challenge! (We won't talk about the one inch pieces that were pieced to work out the black/white/udder/background placements ... now those were itsy-bitsy-teensy-weensy!!!!!!!:D) I didn't know any better ... I just went at it and it all came together in the end.

So just motor on ... and ignore the nay-sayers!
You'll be proud as can be, when you say, FINISHED! :D

I do have a tendency to overthink these things and scare myself.

It usually works out in the end if I go all Nike and just do it. The last lingering remnants of my OCD messes with me though. :-)

Yup, know exactly what you mean about overthinking and OCD and seeking out the perfect way! :)

Honestly, if I knew what I know now, I don't think the cow would have turned out any better .... heck, I probably would have talked myself out of even starting it in the first place. I knew no better, so just started and then stumbled on!

http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...e-t114217.html

And guess what? because of my doing what others would have said was impossible, I am probably more proud of it, than anything else that I have tackled quilt-wise!


Sometimes ... ignorance is bliss .... and surprises us with great successes!
So allow yourself to ....go all Nike!!!!!! :D:D:D

I (once again) agree with QuiltE. :) That size isn't bad at all with any method you choose. I've done smaller with no glue, no foundation and no starch and it's come out spot on straight so you can do it, too. A positive attitude helps immensely and I can't wait to see the finished product!

QuiltE that cow is great!

I would never be brave enough to do something like that!

One thing I have visions of is a bargello quilt of Clint Eastwood as the man with no name(poncho guy from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly)

It could really be a thing of beauty if the right person did it and could fetch large dollars from hard core movie buffs...

Thanks! ......... like I said, ignorance is bliss! ... I knew no better.
It worked .... though it could just as easily ended up in the UFOs or even the trash bin. Granted there were times it came very close to that, so I just let it brew away on its own, til I was in the right frame of mind to plunder on! I'm glad I did and it reminds me regularly what one can achieve, despite all odds!

Thank you for the tips everyone!

So far, so good.

Haven't used pins yet but it looks like it will meet up okay when I join the rows(will probably use pins then)

Not nearly as dramatic as I thought.

Just a little intimidated sometimes because I haven't done anything but mending for years.

I haven't experienced any problem using small squares. I didn't like the grid, it was too bulky and awkward for me.

I'll 2nd that! I don't like to mess with stabilizers just never got into using them. But Starch! Get the liquid that you dilute with water to strength you want, and a good spray bottle. Plan on cleaning your iron often. I learned that just taking the iron to the sink with a soft cloth and water removes the starch build up. I use a dry iron. Right now I'm making the QM Bitty Blocks, so fun, and my bitty baskets came out perfect 1-1/2" HST unfinished. I starch all through the process.

I am also doing QM Bitty Blocks and appreciate your advice about using liquid starch. I have not used the starch and I have managed to get them done but have to do a lot of squaring up after each step. I am going to try your method.

One at a time. It truly is not that hard, do not rush and enjoy the journey. MyBurgoyne Surround used 1.5: squares, I cut them, thru them in a bag, shook the bag, pulled out color pieces one at a time. If you go back to a 2.5" square, they will seem huge!!
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Anxious to see when it's finished.

Itty bitty squares are sooooooo time consuming!

I knew it would take a while but I haven't even assembled one block yet!

And the blocks won't all be identical like I planned. As usual I will figure it out as I go along.

I won't be able to sew today. Daughter and I are going to a museum to look at quilts. Maybe grab some Starbucks and Mickey D's and hit the thrift store for fifty percent off day.

I just finished a large quilt using 9 1 1/2" 9p in each block. Yes, squaring up after each step is important when working this small.

I agree just do it! Give yourself permission to make the odd mistake. We are usually the only ones who notice these. I have never had much trouble with little squares either. L did use leaders and enders, but I didn't starch or use stabilizer . Like they say ignorance is bliss!
I have to say QuiltE that cow turned out great!

Thank you!!!! .... I know the subject aka the cow is not for everyone, but I still like to show what has been done, for some inspiration.

Don't be nervous using small squares, just take your time, being careful of your scant 1/4 inch seam allowance.

A sharp needle plus VERY careful pressing is also important.

I've done log cabin blocks using 1inch strips and also 9 patch blocks using 1 inch individual squares and they come out great! Once you get used to working with small squares the regular sizes will look huge to you!

QuiltE----your cow quilt is awesome!!!

I'm making 36-patch blocks at the moment, using 2in squares, and that's fine - I've had no problems just sewing them together, no pins.

............. and not only will regular sizes look huge ... but they will feel outright huge, and awkward! :)



Thanks CabbagePatchKid ... the cow was truly a Labour of Love project!
It started somewhat as a challenge, more so a dare from a friend.
Once that happened, I just had to keep at it to prove him wrong, and that yes, I could do it! :D

On another thread someone mentioned using adding machine tape.

Thank you.

It's working out nicely.

Yes, I agree - after playing with 2in squares, a 3.5in 9patch looks ridiculously big and clumsy!

If you are still looking for advice -

I am a miniaturist and I use down to 3/4" squares.

so -
Be as accurate as you can with every step.
Measure every time you join squares together so if one is off and you need to adjust you can do it now instead of
seeing how off it is down the road.

I tack the corners so they can't move. This is a stitch or two on the side where the seam will go through.
I iron every time I join anything. the more you iron the easier it is to join squares. If the fabric isn't flat it is harder
to handle in my opinion.

If working with small squares - I like to sew 4 together and then continue with 4 patches and then sew the 4 patches together. it gives you more to hang onto and makes it easier to handle.
When you sew single rows at a time it is easy to get off some in your size. You can end up with 2 rows that are different lengths when done. the 4 patches helps to keep from skewing the squares as you join them.

Rhonda,

That is an excellent tip. I only hope I can remember it, the next time I am sewing small squares together.

I had a class block that had 1" finished squares. I paper pieced the squares to make bigger squares then sewed those together.