Loose seams: help!
 

Morning all....
Am working on a quilt top made with a gazillion little triangles. I decided before cutting out all 1200 little triangles and then joining them in groups of 4 to make bigger triangles, (shudder) I would do a trial run with enough triangles to construct 2 completed rows sewn together to see how it all would look.
Despite using the rotary cutter and template as carefully as I could some of my triangle seams have been reluctant to line up. Okay, I can live with the inaccuracies....first attempt at this sort of sewing...no-ones' perfect...and so on....BUT what is worrying me is that some of my seams, once I have pressed my triangles, are sort of showing the machine stitching...almost like the stitching is a bit loose? My tension is good and I am loathe to fiddle with it as it is not happening on every construct seam. Should I worry about this? I am planning to do fmq over the quilt top so will it be a problem? i also have a little bit of puckering on some of my triangles as I have persuaded them to seam match with their neighbour.....once again, will this matter once I have fmq the top?
All advice greedily devoured!

as long as your seams are not pulling apart on the ends and your tension seems fine it will probably be fine- you could shorten your stitch length a little bit-that may help are you pressing to one side or pressing your seams open? if you are pressing them open- changing that - pressing to the dark side- or to one side will keep the seams from showing...once it is all quilted & bound, it will more than likely not be noticable.

You might want to starch your fabric before cutting. This helps a lot when you are working
on bias edges...less distortion, etc.

it sounds exactly like your pushing them a bit with the iron instead of PRESSING them first press the seam shut on the back to one side and do all of them to the same side dark say vs the light side. NOW turn it over press down. if you push that seam with your iron too hard it will show the stitches. tada .. also once you have cut your triangles and sew them into bigger triangles you can trim those to size if well rows dont have to line up otherwise double check your cuts I guess. pressing them again stops the distortion which gives you wonky triangles. also do not use crud once you have sewn them together. ruined a lot last year doing that til the fabric was so warped. so water great before you cut once you cut it leave it be. NO STEAM. dump that water from your iron rightnow. do not use steam. groan do I know. spray starch works best when the whole block is done in my not too humble have ruined things opinion. only press no ironing. took me forever to stop doing that. ironing. i

Ahhhhh, okay that sounds like what I've been doing...pushing with the iron instead of pressing. So, after a bit of time will my push ironing seams relax?
Yes ma'am, ( I'm saluting you as we speak!) I've emptied my water...stepped right away from my water.....promise not to touch my water and steam again! hahaha I've also shortened my stitch length a bit too so will see how I go.
Thanks so much peoples. Now also...should I square up my rows before sewing them together as they are a bit wonky or can I just square it all up when I've finished sewing all the rows together?

Ok...hope I am visualising this right ('tis late in the day), now you've worked out pressing as opposed to ironing and your stitch length is shorter before plowing ahead with stitching those rows ...carefully match your seams, without too much pulling/distorting and pin, pin, pin. Yes, it is tedious but it will be of benefit in the long run. Also, tempting as it is....don't put your pedal to the metal....take it nice and steady and keep to that 1/4 inch seam....you can sticky tape a bit of card to your machine bed if that helps keep you on track. Just a tip as you progress, when you are stitching long rows, sew from alternate ends each row....this stops distortion and keeps things nice and neat. Oh...and above all, relax and have fun and don't forget we love pictures:)

Thanks all...now where do I post my pics and is it okay to post a pic of just my 2 little rows sewn together as opposed to a finished quilt? I'm still in the process of cutting out my gazillion triangles.....just thought I would construct enough to put 2 rows together initially to see if it was going to look okay so I've still got a heap more cutting and sewing to do.

Xbox to pictures below main. Quilters do put unfinished projects as well as selections of fabrics they are thinking of using. Waiting to see your triangles. I made a bag with small cup cake blocks cut into triangles it is still going fine after 3 years. I spray start her all squares before sewing or cutting some of the ends of seams did unthread so on the pockets I back stitched one stitch at beginning and end to strengthen.i did not not hoti iron I finger pressed gently To put seam in.

You can post a pic on this thread....go down the page see Post Quick Reply....select the middle tag "Go Advanced" type in your words....go down the page a bit and it will allow you to add attachments from your files. Personally I like pics of all kinds...finds...fabrics...workrooms...not just finished quilts. As long as it's in the right spot, there should be no problem.

Here is a pic of my 2 little rows...am thinking I should have squared/neatened them a bit before joining but will do so from now on. The rows measure 145 cm in length, want to finish with a cream border and multi colored binding.

Well, hey, they look really good to me. It is going to be a pretty sight to see.

Wow!! This is very cute. Keep on cutting those triangles...this is going to be a beauty! :-) Laura

This does happen. Sometimes one fabric might be a bit lighter weight and this can be the result. If it bothers me to much I use a 'pigma pen' in a matching color and run it along the offensive stitching and they magically disappear.
peace

EDIT: Just saw the pic'. AWESOME

Wow! That will be a beautiful piece.

This is an example of how different people do things differently and it all works out - my recommendation is to use a lot of steam as you press...steam is hotter than the iron itself, and helps set the seam.... I've never had a problem with using steam and get a much neater look when I do.

diidn't notice - but do you set your seams first? that means that you press the seam flat just as you sewed it...before opening up the fabric to press the seam allowance to one side. The "setting" process makes the thread sink into the fabric and tightens it up a bit, making it a cleaner look when you press to the side.

Thanks everyone for the encouragement and advice...all duly noted in my little note book. most appreciated.

Those long rows are hard to handle. Try stitching 8 of the triangles into a rhombus and then join the rhombus blocks.

Very pretty and looking good. Personally, every time I drop by the QB I find little tips and learn techniques that make my quilting life easier...there's also a lot of encouragement and large dollops of humour, which is pretty fantastic when you are a "lone quilter". Anyway...nice one ruby2shoes....keep us updated and happy piecing.

Ohhhhh, rhombus...never thought of that! Thanks. Work is finished for the week, OH is away for the weekend so it's just me, the dog, a bottle of red and the rotary cutter!!!!! Hehehe, even have a television set up in the sewing room and a swivel chair so I can swivel from sewing machine, to cutting mat, to lowered ironing board and iron. My idea of perfect laziness and enhanced production! I just have to remember to keep the garage door shut so no-one thinks I'm at home when they call by for a visit...shhhhhhhh!

Spent the afternoon cutting and sewing more triangles and this time I shortened my stitch length by half a measure and was more particular and careful when pressing my seams including "setting" them as suggested. My pieced triangles look more uniform/neater and stitches aren't showing between pieces so as I sit back for a cup of tea, a piece of chocolate and some inane t.v before going to bed I thank you all muchly!

A job well done....happy quilting.

It's been months since I posted so since I have finally got all my triangles pieced, sewn, and sewn into rows, with 8 rows of 18 sewn together I thought I would post some photos. As you can see, accuracy has suffered somewhat due to the inaccurate cutting and piecing I did.......thought I was doing okay but, well, one too many reds after dinner and my not really paying proper attention to everything I had read about cutting and piecing. However, never mind....a good learning experience. Now, due to my inaccuracies I'm not going to be able to do simple straight line quilting.....it'll show up all my not-straight lines too much. So what do you suggest? Stitch in the ditch around the triangles?, or maybe just some fm meandering? And what colour thread should I use...grey?, multi-colored?, white? I'm planning on straightening the edges and putting a 3 " border of undecided colour... Solid colour or maybe a marble?

Ruby2shoes that is a beautiful quilt top!

Thanks......another 11 rows to be sewn onto it...hopefully done by the end of the week and then it's border selection.......any advice on my quilting pattern?

How pretty is that! Worth all your hard work.

What a gorgeous quilt!! Mind blowing!!

Ditching around the triangles may highlight inaccuracies....a meander would probably be quicker and more effective. As for colour, depends on what colour the backing will be. Anyway....its very pretty and once it is quilted and washed, you won't notice any little "slips".:)

that looks great!!! But do worry about loose seams. They will give you more trouble later. I had the problem one time. I called my dealer and got to speak to the actual repair guy!!!!!! He said there was almost certainly lint or a smidgen of thread caught somewhere. He said to notice where the thread tensioner was, for reference, then open it all the way up and clean in there. Yup, 1/2" of shredded thread. there was also a bit of lint under the bobbin case's tension spring. I ended by doing a massive cleaning finding tiny bits in several places. The combination gave the sort of off and on tension problem you are describing.

I agree about using Stitch in the ditch to control wobbles.

When I'm cutting tiny pieces, I start with a damp fabric, iron it to death, starch it and if the pieces are going to be cut with bias edges I fuse light weight interfacing that dissolves in water or super thin to leave in (Misty Fuse)to the back. I do all this before cutting the pieces. They all fit and match up perfectly. The smaller pieces the more I want the pieces to be like stiff paper.

Thanks everyone; I've certainly learnt a lot doing this quilt and have a whole new healthy respect for the art! I dare say that any future quilts I embark on will benefit hugely from the mistakes I have made with this one! I'm leaning more towards a meandering quilting now.....have bought some old sheets from the local op shop to practice my fmq on first as I've only had a bit of a dabble into fmq up to now.

Your quilt is turning out beautifully. Thanks for posting, I've learned a lot from the advice you've received. However, I don't think I would ever have the patience to make this pattern. I will just enjoy looking at yours.

The over-all impression of your quilt is that it's very attractive - I love the bright colors you used! You arranged the colors well!

One does learn as one goes -

Accuracy and consistency in cutting, sewing, and pressing do - in my opinion - make the total project go together more easily. Sometimes five minutes in prep/clean up time can eliminate hours of 'trying to make it work' later.

Your quilt top is beautiful. I love bright colors. Try not to just look at the bits that you did wrong, the overall effect is lovely. Great work.

Is this a MENSA challenge , how many triangles can you see? If so I give up.

Can't resist...humour me...teehee

378 big triangles...or.....1,512 little triangles....or 1,890 if you count both lots in the one count!

Gee they are small - well done! Where in Oz do you live? I'm in Brisbane if you are too pm msg me!

You"ll never guess what I've done...pass me the red please dear!!! I was looking at my quilt top and thought.."what do I want to do with this when it's finished", and, "wow, it's pretty big isn't it" so..........I'm thinking of cutting the top in half or rather, unpicking row 9 so I have 2 couch quilts of approx. 1.5 metres x 1.2 meters each. Hmmmm what do you think? I have enough border material and batting to do it....and am thinking they will look pretty thrown over the backs of my 2 couches in the lounge room rather than just one huge one on one of the couches. Am I crazy????????

I actually think that is a fabulous idea especially if it means you will enjoy the use of them more! After all of the work you have put in it is better to have them out to enjoy daily versus sticking it in a closet....or whatever. Go for it!

I love this quilt top! It's so bright and colorful! Looks great to me!

I love this quilt and the bright colors you used! Great job!