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OK, this leaves me with a question. After truing your fabric selvages and then making that second fold of bringing the bottom fold up to the selvage edges giving you your 4 layers, from which edge do you then cut?
Do you start your cut at that bottom fold or at the selvage edges? |
I always cut from the fold toward the selvage holding the ruler down as tight as I go to prevent slipping. Hope that's correct.
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Originally Posted by FabrikQueen
When sewing the strips together how does one keep them perfectly straight so they don't have a bow (commonly known as a dog leg) in the center of the strip . Even if you sew a perfectly straight 1/4" s eam there is still a bow the strip. There has to be a secret.
Not all 2½" strips are exactly 2½". Bali pops are hand cut in Bali so there is some variations there. Here's something I found that assures us 2½" strips when sewn. When sewing two strips together, rather than measuring 1/4" to the right of the needle position, I measure 2¼" to the left of the needle. A piece of blue painter's tape is placed along the left edge of the 2¼". The fabric strips are positioned right sides together, paying close attention to keep the raw edges aligned at the left edge. As the strips are sewn together, care is taken to keep the left edges aligned with the tape strip. If there is any variation in strip width, it will fall within the seam allowance. The sewn strip is pressed and the width measured. The seam allowance is narrow in some places and wider in others, but the finished width is consistently 4½" wide. This method works to correct the strips used when 2 strips are sew together and then sub-cut. When sewing two strips together using this manner, you will need to adjust the way you hold the strips and where you watch the trips as they are being fed through the sewing machine. While it is not a cure-all, it does put your pieces will on the way to accuracy when the project begins with strip piecing. It's so much easier than it sounds. Give it a try. Save on wasting strips. Hope this helps everyone. Some patterns really rely on the strips being accurate or it throws off the whole block. I read this originally in a book by Brenda Henning so please give her credit for this wonderful tute. Thank you.♥♥ |
It is all in the cutting... you have to measure TWO sides before cutting to make sure both of those TWO sides are on a level mark of the ruler... then cut... you won't have a bend in your material at all.... the fold is one place where the ruler has to be level with and the other is the 2 AND A HALF MARK on the ruler going the same way you are wanting to cut... before starting you have to cut the end of the material straight first by having the fold on one of the marks at the end of the ruler or else the end of the ruler must be on the fold.. from then on just cut your strips whatever size you need... but the tutor told me to level everything up every now and again to cut the end of the material straight as it does alter... it shouldn't but it does... and then keep on cutting...it pays to take a class on bargello or else get a book with bargello in it.
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thanks as this info will help me as well :)
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Originally Posted by Alondra
Originally Posted by FabrikQueen
When sewing the strips together how does one keep them perfectly straight so they don't have a bow (commonly known as a dog leg) in the center of the strip . Even if you sew a perfectly straight 1/4" s eam there is still a bow the strip. There has to be a secret.
Not all 2½" strips are exactly 2½". Bali pops are hand cut in Bali so there is some variations there. Here's something I found that assures us 2½" strips when sewn. When sewing two strips together, rather than measuring 1/4" to the right of the needle position, I measure 2¼" to the left of the needle. A piece of blue painter's tape is placed along the left edge of the 2¼". The fabric strips are positioned right sides together, paying close attention to keep the raw edges aligned at the left edge. As the strips are sewn together, care is taken to keep the left edges aligned with the tape strip. If there is any variation in strip width, it will fall within the seam allowance. The sewn strip is pressed and the width measured. The seam allowance is narrow in some places and wider in others, but the finished width is consistently 4½" wide. This method works to correct the strips used when 2 strips are sew together and then sub-cut. When sewing two strips together using this manner, you will need to adjust the way you hold the strips and where you watch the trips as they are being fed through the sewing machine. While it is not a cure-all, it does put your pieces will on the way to accuracy when the project begins with strip piecing. It's so much easier than it sounds. Give it a try. Save on wasting strips. Hope this helps everyone. Some patterns really rely on the strips being accurate or it throws off the whole block. I read this originally in a book by Brenda Henning so please give her credit for this wonderful tute. Thank you.♥♥ |
Thanks for all the tips. I'm just about to start my first bargello! Wish me luck!
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On the subject of Bargello, I have just started my first one,
and now I am stuck. The pattern says, join 32 strips, and then fold in half to cut.??? Fold which way ??? someone please help. Regards Marlene. |
Picture in your mind how you want the finished strips to look. You will want the colors to go from dark to light to dark so you will cut them to achieve that sequence, I would think. So I would fold them as you sewed them with the seams horizontal and then cut vertically. There must be a simple solution to this and I am waiting for a better answer.
We sure have learned alot on this message and I for one plan to use all your suggestions. Happy quilting. Carol J. |
If you have a walking foot that you can judge a 1/4" seam this will stop your strata from bowing. I have a Janome with a 1/4" Acufeed and I used this to piece my bargello - straight as a die. Assuming you follow the excellent strip cutting info posted by MTS.
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