I am sewing strips and they do not lay flat but are wavy. What am I doing wrong?

Are you stretching them when sewing... OR have you not cut the strips with the grain of the material going the same way...

JOY, I HAVE CUT THEM WITH THE GRAIN ALL THE SAME. IT MAY BE THAT I AM STRECHING THEM WHEN I SEW. WILL TRY TO WATCH THAT. THANKS

You could quarter point each strip and then they would match at the same places... it is so easy to stretch strips, not meaning to... it is like sewing borders on quilts... they have to be quarter pointed and the quilt also.

I alternate the starting end when sewing multiple strips. It seems to cut down on the tendency to twist. Good luck.

piney

if they're wavy after you've sewn them together and pressed, it may be that the two different fabrics react differently to the heat of the iron - especially if you're using steam and/or spray starch.

i take one each of the different strips i'm going to use over to the ironing board and test their reaction to pressing before i sew them together. if the fibres contract or expand when the spray starch hits them, i know to press all the strips of that particular fabric before i sew them with them.

it's a pain and slows me down, but it takes less time than ripiting the strips apart to fix them.

Thanks everyone for your tips. I am so glad I joined this group, everyone is so great to help. It's wonderful to have experienced quilters share their knowledge.

Beverly

Once you have stitched two strips together, set the stitches by first pressing the stitches, then proceed to press the seam to one side or open. It also helps to press along a straight line. Think about using a pigma pen and draw a straight line on your ironing surface and making one edge of your strips align it.

When cutting your fabrics, it is best to cut all in the same direction, i.e., either from selvage to selvage or lengthwise along the selvage. There is different stretch for each and may also be the cause of "wavy".

Suzanne

Good point. I am a wash before cutting person ~ many conversations have been had on this ~ just once too often I got caught. :( Besides, I am one of those odd ducks that actually likes to iron. :D

piney

When cutting your fabrics, it is best to cut all in the same direction, i.e., either from selvage to selvage or lengthwise along the selvage. There is different stretch for each and may also be the cause of "wavy".

Suzanne[/quote]

Suzanne - thank-you for this very important reminder. I think it may solve BDor's problem & I definitely need to remember this.

I alternate my starting point on the strips like Piney and can vouch for this method to keep strips straight.

I alternate the starting end when sewing strips as well... did a class for a bargello quilt and that is what the tutor taught us...

Patrice... the quilt top is now at the quilters.... I finally made it !!!

You need to make sure that your strips are straight when you cut them. If you have the dreaded V in them they won't lay straight and will be wavy when sewing. And you should aways press not iron your strips. Ironing can pull them out of shape. Debbie

One can avoid the dreaded "V" if the fold of the fabric is straight along a line on your ruler. Obviously, if there are two folds BOTH must be align straight on a line. You may need to giggle the fabric to get them both on parallel lines, but no "V's".

Suzanne

If you are sewing a panel of several strips, assemble them in pairs first and then join the pairs to make sets of four and then assemble those... instead of starting with one strip and continuing to add to it. You want to handle the fabric as little as possible.

And probably, you are pulling on the strips as you sew. It's hard to NOT do that, when you have long skinny strips to sew together!