HSTs and Squares -- good enough, or start over?
 

I’m needing a push in one direction or another. I’m working on a quilt top made up of HSTs and squares. This is my first time using HSTs, and only my second quilt. I read through and watched several tutorials explaining how to do HSTs with matching corners, avoiding buried and floating points, etc. And I’ve been doing my best to be as accurate as possible in cutting, pressing, squaring, and sewing the top. Until yesterday, it was “so far so good” – all the blocks were made and all the horizontal rows were sewn together, with just a couple of points slightly buried, and a couple of corners slightly off, but nothing that the perfectionist in me couldn’t live with.

But yesterday I started putting my 8 finished rows together vertically. I used all the information I’d used up to that point to try to get the points and seams to line up. So far I’ve sewn 3 of the 8 rows together, but try as I might, I’m finding it impossible to get them all to line up. The mismatched areas are off by up to 1/8th of an inch. A fair number of them are exact matches, or close enough. But there are also a fair number of those larger mismatches, and they are bugging me.

I’m now wondering whether I should rip them apart and try again. I wouldn’t really mind doing that, but I have no reason to believe that my next attempts would be any more successful than the first ones, since I’ve done everything I can think of to pin them together and sew them properly to get the points and corners to line up, but without success. Or maybe I should just accept my limitations as a new quilter and keep moving forward.

What would you do?

I've been sewing a long time. Corners don't always match up. Usually, mine are because some of squares or HST's are slightly smaller than others. I realized that I didn't always have my rulers in exactly the same place when I cut every time. Also, if you are using two different rulers, some times that is a small difference in the measurement. What to do now? You can ease in 1/8". I know that the better way to ease in is to have the oversized piece on the bottom and let the machine help. I don't trust this method. I would rather have the bit extra on the top so I can see if I am going to sew in a pleat or pucker. This is a good video that may help you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eh7_zvHcIio

Edited to add: if you sew over the pins, sew very slowly. Hitting a pin at speed can cause your needle to break and you never know where the point is going to go.

Personally, as a new quilter, I would probably suggest easing them in as Barb suggested, and chalk it up to a learning experience. Oversizing the HST, then trimming them to size is a common practice. Another thing would be to make all your HSTs, (make a few extra). Find very smallest & discard, then cut the rest down to the smallest ones left THEN cut your squares to match. This obviously will only work if the quilt top is made from squares & hsts.

I would not take everything apart. It's a little difficult to be sure of what's happening. There are usually ways to ease and stretch to work in 1/8" differences, but it depends in part on how far apart the mis-matches are. For example, it's much harder to fix 1/8" difference if you have to do it within 2" instead of 4".

What I would probably do is glue baste instead of pin. It's takes more time, but it's more accurate for me. Basically you have to work at the ironing board with a hot iron and some Elmer's white washable school glue. Use pins straight up and down to pin the intersections together straight into the ironing board (you may have to add some padding to your board so you can do this). The seams should be facing you. Once you have pinned a section of seams together, lift up the top seam at each intersection, place a tiny drop of glue there, finger press the seam down, and seal the seam with the hot iron (dries out the glue quickly). If you see an intersection where there is a *huge* bubble of excess fabric on one side or the other, I would skip the glue there.

After gluing the entire rows together, I would look at those bubble areas and see how I could reduce the excess. It might require re-sewing one of the seams to take up a little more of the fabric (just a 1/16th" increase in the width of the seam at the edge will take up 1/8" of excess, and normally you don't have to take up *all* the excess -- just enough so you can ease in the rest). Or, it might require un-sewing the other seam and re-sewing so that seam is a little more scant than it was.

Once you have fixed the areas that were way off, go back to the ironing board and glue those intersections.

When sewing, you may need to sew in portions. For example, sew the portions of the seam that have excessive fabric on the underside first, then flip the whole thing over and sew the other sections. Keeping the excess near the feed dogs helps ease in fabric.

An alternative would be to add sashing strips. How you would do this depends entirely on the specific pattern you are making. A photo or link to the pattern would help determine if sashing strips would work for you.

I do think it's better to do your best and move forward. Most non-quilters don't even notice all the glaring errors we quilters see in our quilt tops, plus many piecing errors become less noticeable when quilted. A certain irregularity in piecing also often adds considerable charm to a quilt. So I would advise not getting obsessed with perfection here; just do what it takes to "make it work".

I have a personal rule. I rip out mismatches up to 3 times and then I give up and live with it or if it is just a block maybe make a new one. Every project is a learning experience.

I have never 'glued' a seam and wonder how easy it would be for a new(ish) quilter. I have, on occasion, used a basting stitch on the over large piece and very gently gathered it to fit the space. After stitching the seam, I then removed the basting stitch and after pressing (NOT ironing) no one was ever the wiser. Most fabric has a bit of give so I would pin the intersections, keep the larger side to the bottom, and sew, stretching the top as needed, and then press. If the seam is a little puckered, dampen with a spray of water and let sit overnight. The dampening should help the over stretched areas return to their original shape. Once the pieces are all put together, you will probably find that you don't even notice the trouble spots.

Congrats on trying to find a solution and not getting discouraged. I really want to see your top. I'll bet it is amazing!

Many thanks to each of you! I have just done another row, taking extra extra care to pin it well at the intersections and to ease any over-large sections as has been suggested here. Maybe it was just good luck this time, but this row came out much better!

I'm not sure how to post a photo, but I will try. In the meantime, if someone wants to know, it's the "Out of Step" pattern by Libs Elliott -- I'm making it with Kona cottons for my decidedly-geometric and computer-oriented son.

Sometimes HSTs are not "square" after you've sewn them and the diagonal isn't exactly ON the diagonal, so this will cause loss of points when blocks are sewn together.
For this reason I almost always make my HSTs slightly larger than I actually need them and then trim them down to the required size.

Here's how I do that with two graphics I've drawn with instructions - one with a blue and yellow block, one with a gray block; one may be more clear to you than the other so I include both.

Jan in VA

HSTs, since they're cut on the bias, do tend to get distorted with steam and handling. So keep that to a minimum. Also if the pattern says cut a square to a size such as 4 7/8, many of us simply round up 1/8 for wiggle room. My HSTs turn out better that way.

I have been known to make several too small, by the way. Instead of redoing, I just cut the squares to same size as the HST. I wasn't following a pattern so as long as my blocks were the same size, everything was going to be fine in the end.

You'll also find that once it's quilted and washed, the points won't be so noticeable. You'll like the thing so much it won't matter, and can simply look forward to getting better with practice. I tell myself I'm not as good as I want to be, but better than I was a year (or two months or whatever) ago. It's gratifying to see one's own work improve with each quilt.

Jan and zozee, thanks so much for your help. Thanks to you and everyone else who've commented I'm doing better now and will do much better next time. But I will live with this one "as is," and be happy with it now as an accurate reflection of my best work to date!

Wow! what a lot of good info from the members! Just keep working at it and you will progress. I learn new things every day and Jan's drawings are great for us all. Good luck.

I feel your pain, I did the same thing when starting out. I solved it by making the HST's larger and squaring them up. Also make certain your seams are the same on every sewing. Whether it's a large 1/4 or a scant 1/4, as long as they are the same, it should work out.

Floating is better than buried. But just a little buried is not earth shaking.

You can sew all of your seams perfectly some of the time, you can sew some of your seams perfectly all of the time, but you can't sew all of your seams perfectly all of the time!

Be sure to trim your HSTs as Jan suggested, and pin each intersection. Then let come what may and be happy.
There is no way I'm going to flip my piece each time to get the larger piece on the bottom. Just use a stylus, seam ripper, pin or something to ease in the top where the excess is.

What I do is stretch the seam from the front and back as it is going under the needle, then let the feed dogs show me how fast to feed it. I've actually seen someone else do this, too.

I can only commiserate. I'm working on my second quilt and having some of the same problems. (Thankfully, they are all squares and rectangles.) I'm really looking forward to the next quilt, as this one is better than the last one. I have only had to redo 2 squares, but had to rip out and resew several to minimize the seams so they would fit well. My "mentor" will look for the matching seams. Of course, she's 86 and has been quilting all of her life. She's really good. Her hand sewing and quilting is so even, you would think it was done on a machine.

Thanks, Ladies, for all the tutoring.

bkay

The way I remember this technique - I have heard it called the "baggy bottom" the piece that is slightly larger, goes onto the bottom and the accurate piece is on top, where you can see. The theory behind it is the feeddogs will gradually take up the excess fabric, good for 1.8 inch difference. Once sewn, you should not be able to see the difference and should not have pleats.

Like some of the others here, I've been quilting a long time. With that said, I still goof on the HST's.

My biggest downfall is that I tend to IRON instead of PRESS.

Yes, I know how it's supposed to be done, but my brain still wants to IRON. The best tool I've found to help ME is the StripStick ( http://www.thestripstick.com/ ). Yes, this does press the seams open, and some ppl will scream about that, but as I said, this is what works for me. IMHO, the only time the open seams really matter is if you plan to SITD (Stitch In The Ditch, for you newbies). SITD truly requires both seams pressed to one side.

As others have said, I also make my HST's "oversized" and then trim them; I especially ignore anything that says "7/8", "5/8" and so on. I always up-size to the next 1/4 size - 1/4, 1/2, or 3/4. You can ALWAYS trim down... adding on after the fact is impossible (too bad the same can't be said for my body, it needs to quit adding on!! :) )

Don't beat yourself up over this small of an imperfection. One of the "quilters' sayings" that I like is "If it's not noticeable from the back of a galloping horse, don't worry about it"... or something along those lines.

Only another quilter is really going to notice your imperfections - and then it's usually to commiserate and say "I mess that up too" or "Here's how I got better at this".

Good luck, we will want to see your finished quilt!!

Jan, you are wonderful. You have explained and demonstrated beautifully how to get great HST. Thank you.

My friend, who is a long time quilter and has won many blue ribbons, told me when I was first starting that if a man on a horse galloping at 20 mph couldn't see it from 2 miles away, it was good.

Although I happen to know that she rips out and re-sews at least 3-4 times. :-)

Useful comments above me. Quilting is so therapeutic; just have fun with it!

Jan, Thanks for all your help. If I lived closer I would ask to sit at your knee and listen to all you have to tell about quilting.

I bought Quilt in a Day 4 1/2" triangle square up ruler and I love it. I just made a quilt with 2" squares and 2" finished HSQ. Everything matched up perfectly and it was so easy. It was a little pricey but I feel it was worth the price to avoid the frustration.

Once you made all your HST's, did you square them up? Some times this will make a big difference too.

Yes thank you all again, so much, for your cyber-companionship, help and (especially) support and encouragement. Can't get over how kind and generous you all are with your experience and skills. Letawellman, I looked at the StripStick video and I can see how it would be helpful. (But in the video, isn't she actually ironing rather than pressing?!?). Halo, yes I did square the blocks, but some of them ended up being just a bit too small. I just tried to adjust the seams as best I could to make up for that as needed.

I am putting the borders on my quilt top now. I took a photo of a part of it in progress; I'll try to post it if I can figure out how!

You sure picked a doozy for a beginner's quilt. Matching all those points would be a challenge for anyone but with patience you can do it. Good luck!

Really, GeeGee? If so, that makes me feel better! I didn't know enough when I picked this pattern to realize that it might be too advanced for my non-existent skill level!

The one thing I do not see mentioned in quilting circles, including here, is that WOF cotton, has a naturally occurring stretch, but if you tug just inside a selvege edge, it does not stretch. As I cut my smaller squares or whatever shape, I try very hard not to turn the fabric, so my stretch will all be on the horizontal and the no stretch stays in the vertical position. If any of you can explain this better for a 'newbie' please jump in. I am not so good at making some things clear. If you do this as you cut, your corners nearly always match as if by magic.

Most people don't even notice something off when they see your quilt. Bonnie Hunter says if you can't see it from the back of a galloping horse (I think she said that) - if not, I did. I have an Ocean Waves quilt that is my pride and joy and is done really well. I worked hard to make every corner of those 1/2 square triangles perfect. I don't get anymore raves from it than I do my first wonky quilts. Enjoy each quilt you make, they all teach you something.

I also believe in cutting larger (usually an 1/8") and then trim down. To me it's easier to take the extra time to square up than try to wiggle and ease in blocks that aren't square.

Maybe a little spray starch to the back side of your fabric will help and I agree about the over size of a hst. and cutting it down. ( like Jan in Va) shows. That's how I do it.

I think the picture shows an excellent job done. If it's not going in a show where quilt police are I would pat my back if I was you.

Thank you, Mary! Your compliment is very appreciated, though not entirely deserved! I have learned several good lessons by making this quilt and by reaching out to all you quilters here. I will try some Best Press as you suggest, and next time I'll definitely be adding an extra 1/8th or 1/4 inch to my cut pieces size!

Something that helps me when I'm stitching long rows together is to tack each intersection together with my sewing machine using three or four stitches, then I check each one and fix any that need fixing. If I do have to pin rather than simply nesting the seams I'll just use my hand wheel to sew the tacking stitches and that way can easily sew over the pins-- the needle will just slide over them. I check each tacked intersection as I go and fix it immediately then move up to the next intersection and tack it--- no stitching in between. Once the intersections are tacked then I sew the entire row starting at one end and making sure to stitch exactly over the tacked areas as I progress to the other end. This method allows me to ease in any areas where there may be a slight size difference in the squares and for me it's faster and more acurrate than trying to pin an entire row and then sew it.

Rob

Very good Hint Rob. I would have never thought of that. Thanks mary

I think your corners are great! I love your color selection! I have been quilting a long time and I was once told that we are our own worst critic!
I use water when I am fudging my points into place. Especially if I have already cut the fabric and there is no more for fixing problems. Water will help the HST stretch a little more than it might want to and as it dries there will be less of a pucker.

Mary

I have learned in my short quilting career to make extra blocks. If something doesn't look right when I assemble my quilt, I can ditch it and put in one of my spares. Right now, I am making a quilt that requires 16 rolling stars. I am making 23. If one of my blocks doesn't turn out OK then I can sub in an extra. If they all turn out great, I can make a pillow or pillow sham to complement my quilt. Half squares are not good candidates for ripping in my opinion. If I had your problem, I might use sashing or alternate my blocks with a solid. What you do is less important than what you learn from this experience. We all learn valuable lessons as we go along. My choice would be to move forward. Don't get overwrought with mistakes, but blossom and grow from the lessons you are learning.

Hey, Barb. That's a great link. Thanks for sharing. And Pagzz, we share the same philosophy....only I may redo only once or twice. One of these days all of those "missed" blocks will go into a utility quilt.

I agree. looks great. Jan's diagram/illustration is good. You can save Jan in Va's diagram. Just right click on your mouse scroll to save picture and label it. That's what I do and did. Great for reference.

Tacking the intersections sounds like a great idea, Rob -- so long as I can learn to control my stitching well enough to track exactly over my prior tacking stitches, rather than my sometimes-off straight stitching. Hopefully practice over time and my new Juki will help me with that! Mary, I'm wondering how you use water to coax/stretch HSTs into place -- too new at this to be clued in, but I want to learn. I also think I'll try cutting extra pieces and making extra blocks as Innov8r and others have suggested. I've saved Jan's diagrams too. Thanks to all who've chimed in here -- I've really been learning a lot. And thanks again for your encouraging compliments (but Mary, this quilt top is being made from a Libs Elliott pattern and I take no credit for her color selection, though I am kind of excited to be designing the quilt back especially for my son).

I'm so glad you mentioned this. It's something I never think about but I can see how it could make a difference, although it's more to worry about when putting blocks together. How do you keep it all in your head when putting your blocks together: dark here or there, these in this row, warp/weft going which way...it's all too much I tell ya.

I just work a little slower and methodically place things in my stacks in predetermined positions on a tray, and move the tray where needed. Worth the little extra work to get things to fit. Since I work slow anyway, adding a little more care makes very little difference to my finish date. Lol!

So many good comments. I really wish we had a "Like" button. I would have used it several times in this conversation

And I do really like the quilt colors....so bright and cheery. I look forward to seeing the finished project.