Lining up seams
 

What is everyone's secret on how to sew your rows so that your seams line up perfectly? I press my seams open and am just working with squares, nothing fancy. I have tried pinning, not pinning, etc but it seems like things still shift/stretch by the time the needle goes over the seam. I have resorted to sewing over JUST the seam so I have less stitches to rip out if it doesn't line up and then going back and sewing the rest of the line once my seams are lined up which is taking forever. If you can't tell, I'm a perfectionist :)

I think the first secret is not to be a perfectionist. :)

Sounds like you need to use a walking foot to help your fabric layers feed evenly.

I don't press my seams open, I press to one side. I am careful that one row is pressed to the right, the next to the left. This way the seams nest, minimizing slipping. Also, if it's possible, feed the row so that the loose edge of the seam on the top gets fed into the presser foot first. The feed dogs will pull the seam on the bottom butting it closer to the one on the top. It's not always possible to do this, but I try!

the neat thing about not pressing your seams open is that you can nest the seams against each other. That way works best for me. I've heard that some people use Elmer's glue, but I haven't tried that method.

Definitely pressing the seams to the side, with them flipped opposite from row to row, so that they nest!

I was doing a TATW last night, so lots of seam matching.
Almost all lined up perfectly by pressing and nesting.
For those that did not, I just opened a few stitches either side of the seam and re-stitched them.

This usually works for me, too.

I have a much more difficult time lining up the seam llines when the seams are pressed open. Whem the wad is really thick, I have resorted to hand basting these joins to minimize slippong before machine stitching the whole seam

Exactly this!

One seam one way, one seam the other way, nest together and put a pin on both sides of seam

This has always worked well for me too.

I use Elmer's washable glue stick. I just dab a little on one piece seam and match the other seam to it then pinch them together. I'm a pinner so I also put in a pin but you shouldn't have to. They match perfectly.

I press to the darker side. Just Press!

I use Elmer's Washable School Glue to spot glue my seams. I iron seams in opposite directions, nest them together, dab of glue on the intersection, iron the glue dry. This works great for me, no pinning and no unsewing!

Press don't iron, this will help with the stretching. Use a walking foot to prevent the shifting. It's all trial and error and believe me I have some great trial quilts. I look at them and think well it gives others something to talk about. They're just as cozy as the perfectly aligned ones.

I agree. I also wonder if your seams are sewn consistently at 1/4 inch, if you are careful not to let the end of the seam slide a little at the end of the square as it feeds through the pressure foot and careful not to stretch your fabric (starching helps this).

I can attest to this. I think I have a little more affection for my trial and error quilts. Kind of like my children's fridge art ;-)

So I already have about half my blocks complete with the seams pressed open, will it mess it up if I start pressing seams to the side halfway through?

Not to minimize encouraging you to strive for perfection, but the old adage goes "can you see it from a galloping horse?"

That said, PIN, PIN, and PIN SOME MORE!

When I am sewing rows of blocks together, I pin them together at the seams and then I pin again about a finger width on each side of the pinned seam. That way I know if there is any extra that needs to be eased in. I also press to one side and nest the seams but sometimes I screw up and don't get a row pressed the right way. The 3 pin method works well for me.

I press one each way.. and then I sew only that spot first to be sure its going to line up. I sew each spot where the blocks need to line up - - sometimes I have 10 or 15 spots that are tacked in place. Then when I am happy I sew the whole seam

press your seams to one side- all in one direction on one row- then in the opposite direction on the next row so the seams *nest* when lined up- then as you sew them they will 'snug' up to each other creating perfect match points.

This is the way I do it to. You want the seams to nest next to one another. I am also a pinner and a starcher so that the fabric won't shift.

Definitely don't press open seams, have the top seam going toward the machine and the bottom seam going toward you so the machine pulls/pushes them together tighter. But, I think pins factor in also. If you are using the ones with the yellow ball on the end, they are too thick. Several companies, I know Dritz is one, make glass head pins. They take less "bite" out of the fabric and the pin itself doesn't cause shifting.

I sometimes press seams open - sometimes to the opposite sides so they 'nest' .. but either way.. 1) pin with the point toward the cut edge and if i think i might have trouble 2) put a dot of Elmers washable school glue at the matched seams. It takes some time on the front side, but it goes much more quickly during the sewing process....and they will line up.

My secret -- Elmer's washable school glue. Whether I nest seams or iron them open, when it's important that they match perfectly I glue baste before sewing. To do this I go to the ironing board, put a pin straight down through the exact intersection I want (the pin is a scant 1/4" in from the cut edges, where the sewing line will go), lift up the seam allowance and put a tiny dot of the Elmer's washable school glue in there, then press with a hot iron for a few seconds. This dries the glue. I take the pin out and then open up the fabric to make sure that the seams are exactly where I want them. Only after all these matches have been done do I go to the sewing machine and sew the seam.

Edit: I should mention that there is enough padding on my ironing board (it is a layer of Warm and Natural covered with cloth) so that I can put a pin straight down into it.

Like so many others, that is what I do also. I do put a pin at each intersection. I know that many people do not use pins; but if I use a long, very thin pin, my seams match perfectly.

I think squaring your block is the way I got to lining them up.

I'm the odd man out here. I press most of my seams open. When I pin two blocks/rows together here is what I do. Place a pin straight up/down through the seam that you are matching about 1/4" in from the edge. Closely (doesn't have to be exact) line up your underneath block/row and place that same pin straight up/down through the seam of that block/row about 1/4" from the edge. Holding that up/down pin as straight as possible, put pins horizontally through both layers of fabric as close to either side of that up/down pin as possible. Repeat this process for each seam to be matched throughout your block/row.

If you end up with some bagging/flopping fabric, put the baggier side on the bottom when you sew and let the feed dogs help ease that excess. If it's a lot of excess, tug lightly on the seam as you are sewing on it and it will stretch the top fabric to help ease that excess as well.

I was never overly successful pressing to one side and getting my seams to 'nest' the way lots of folks are able. This is why I started pressing my seams open. And when you are dealing with blocks with lots of seams, I think the blocks lay flatter when seams are pressed open.

Take your time, take a few deep breaths and you'll be fine. Remember, this isn't a race. We're supposed to be enjoying the process.

It depends on the pattern I'm making which way I do seams. I've been taught if lots of seams...press open. I've also been taught press (never iron) to the dark side (no dark side just pick a direction). Then I've been taught to nest (one way then the other way). There is no right way or wrong way. Sometimes the seam will "talk to you" about which way it wants to lay (sounds crazy I know). Remember there are no quilt police and whichever way you decide to do your seams will be the "right" way for you. Just relax and enjoy the quilting experience!

Anita

Make sure your machine is in good working order too. I have a machine that will shift the seams every time I sew on it (so I don't use it much). It might be something to do with the feed dogs or something but I haven't figured out how to fix it yet.

All phases of the construction process are important when sewing the units of the block and it is important to know the kinds of places you have a tendency to deviate from true size seams-like at the end of a seam. Most blocks call for pressing to one side and nesting. You still need pins to get perfect seams. You spoke of stitching rows together. It is especially important to be sure that every junction matches before you sew. If they don't fit 'comfortably' it is best to go back and fix the problem. If you force it to fit it will show on the front and you can't always quilt it away. Starch and washable glue are great tools but they can't substitute for accurate sewing. I do think open seams are more of a challenge and hand basting small areas works well. It takes more time but saves lots of frustration and unsewing.

Get a walking foot for your machine. It will change your life if you have trouble with shifting fabrics.

If one side seems to have a little excess fabric (as in too small a seam), then feed that side thru the machine next to the feed dogs. It will ease in the excess.....same as for bias edges, and it will keep you from stretching the shorter edge to match the longer one. Clear as mud?

I think my first quilt teacher said something like press seams in opposite directions. Nest the seams. Place 1st pin lining up the center of the nest. Place 2nd and 3rd pin on either side. Remove 1st pin. I also use a walking foot.

..this is it, along with pinning to anchor...but, make sure your pins are thin shafted or they will misalign that seam match. As you get more proficient, you won't need to pin those seam intersections, but at the start it helps...then your fingers will become very sensitive to those seams. Don't pull on your fabrics as they are being stitched by the machine, let the machine do the pulling.....and the most important......make sure your seams are consistently the same....carelessness in piecing can make joining those seams more difficult than it should be. Having said that...they will look perfect as you ride by three feet away on a galloping horse!

In Addition to all the great hints here, I chain my blocks. Sew Row 1 block 1 to row 1 block 2. Then chain row 2 block 1 to row 2 block 2 ,,,all the way to the end. Then I chain all the block 3's to the 2 blocks, then all the block 4's, etc. you end up with a chained top it is now easy to see which way to press the rows. Plus you can check that all is in order! I will try to find some pictures.

No one has mentioned using fork pins. I have always pressed to one side and nested the seams, but had problems with the slipping and not matching. I came across fork pins at a LQS and have been very pleased with the results. Fork pins are very fine and are like having two pins in one. Nest the seams and place one side of the pin on one side of the seam and the other side of the pin on the other side of the seam. You only have to pin once and no more slippage. These are one of my "can't do without" notions.

Hi Dunster! I like your style! LOL

I use the glue stick, also, and have never, ever had such perfectly aligned seams. I run a line of glue stick, line them up..then I flip back one piece at where the 1/4" would be(approximately)..if it's good, I pinch them together to set it. If not, the glue is damp and easy to slide the seams around. I never bother to pin anymore.

I do it like PaperPrincess. I just finished piecing this - no pins, but the squares are only 2 1/2" each. My seam ripper and I are BFF and that helps. :)
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