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I bought two pieces of plaid fabric for the back of my quilt. I'm having trouble getting the plaids to line up right when I sew the two pieces together. Is there some secret technique that I don't know about to get the plaids to line up?
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Plaids can be tricky but I have found that if you pin well and sew slowly it helps. Also try using a stiletto or the tip of your seam ripper to feed the fabric as it will be pushed less by your fingers. We do that and don't even realize it. Breathe deep and lightly start to sew. :-)
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Thanks for the info! I'll put it to good use.
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Make sure when you pin you are pinning the needles in line with the stripe you are trying to mate. That way the stripe will stay aligned and not slip as it will with the pin loaded vertically. Also you need to realize with plaids you may need extra material to make the match. Kind of like matching seams in wallpaper. Same process.
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Yeah, I made the mistake of not buying extra plaid fabric the first time around. Didn't occur to me to buy extra when I was buying it...I hadn't planned on getting any fabric that day and when I saw this nice blue plaid fabric on sale I just thought "That looks better than the stuff I got now!" and just bought it. Then I got home to pin and sew the two pieces together I realized that in order for the plaids to line up one of the pieces would have to be a little bit longer. So I had to go back to Wal-Mart and buy another two yards...which I guess isn't a bad thing. I can use the stuff I didn't use for the back of a baby quilt or something.
The info you gave me really helped! It took me forever to pin it all together last night (I was watching Memoirs of a Geisha while doing it...I finally got done once I was half-way through the 2hr 20min movie). But the stripes lined up like they should *happy dance*. |
Have you tried using a "Walking Foot"? It will allow your top fabric to feed at the same speed as the bottom. It is like having feed dogs on top and bottom.
DD |
I don't even have a walking foot for my sewing machine.
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I'm glad to hear it worked for you. I know it takes a little more time but when they line up it is like you said.."HAPPY DANCE". my feet are tapping for you! :lol:
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I figured it was going to take more than five minutes so I popped in my favorite movie to pass the time. Hmmm, I wonder why I watch that movie almost every time I quilt...maybe its because of the beautiful kimonos (made out of beautiful hand-dyed, hand-embroidered textiles) the actresses wear.
Well, that's one hurdle I had to jump over...now I have to go do another one. If I come on here tomorrow screaming "I quit!"...you'll know why. |
Don't say that! Just say you are taking a break. Soemtimes, you just have to set it aside for a little while.
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I know, but Nick's coming up next weekend and I want to try and get his very late 21st birthday present (the first b-day gift in six years, if you don't count his co-workers taking him out to the bar) done before he gets here. If I'm not on here I'm most likely quilting and watching Memoirs of a Geisha for the 800th time. I got almost all the prep-work done: the top is finished, the backing is sewn together, most of the binding is ready to go...so right now its just a matter of layering it all together (which hasn't been going so well).
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I have every confidence in you. No-one with Zelda as her avatar can't face and conquer her challenges. Buck up Goddess! :wink: :mrgreen:
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Correction: That would be Link in my avatar.
Well, getting the backing pinned to the batting and keeping it flat is going a little better. Tried pinning and adhesive spraying it together on the kitchen floor yesterday...didn't quite work. Just became one sticky mess. I was about to give up, but I came up with a solution: tacking the batting and backing to the wall and then pinning it. Seems to be working a little bit better 'cause this way I'm not stepping on and over anything and its not quite a hassle to keep everything flat. Hopefully everything will go smoothly and I can get this quilt done by next weekend. :D |
Hang in there! We are all rooting for you.
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Thanks for the encouragement, guys.
Well, so far so good. The only real problem I've run into is the heat conditions. Man, it sucks not having air conditioning. Has anyone gotten heatstroke from quilting? |
Isn't that when you have the pedal down all the way and the stitches seem to grow and stretch across the quilt? Or is it from running to the quilt room fast enough you slide up to the machine like at home plate and put the square under the needle and press down the foot at the same time? Not me. :wink:
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Hmmm...I was thinking more along the lines of being overheated because you're working on a 20 pound denim quilt in a room with no air conditioning when its 90-something degrees outside.
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Funny how we are! I always seemed to be making afghans in the summer and light dresses in the winter. Know what you mean....Hang in there. It will only be a couple more hours or so. :D
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Eh, I would say more than a couple hours. I'm still pinning the back to the batting so its going to be a little while before the quilt is done. Geez, I couldn't tell you how many pins I've used so far. I ran out of the nice quilting pins so I had to use the cheap pins which come in a box of 1000 (or something ridiculous like that) for 88 cents.
I'm trying to pace myself so I can get it done by next week, but I don't want to rush it and then end up making many, many mistakes (that would be bad). My goal is to, at least, start pinning the top to the batting/back layer by the end of this week and then spend next week sewing it all together (I figure the binding part shouldn't take too long). |
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