Seam allowance is different
 

Hello :),

I picked up a book in a discount shop in the UK called 'Quilting In No Time' by Emma Hardy. Great I thought, now I can just follow the steps and make something nice. Well, I have looked at it 'properly' and not just a flick through before I bought it and realised that she has made the patterns with a 1/2" seam allowance.

Whaaaa!! I thought that all quilting was made with 1/4" and I have just bought a sewing machine foot exactly for this purpose. What should I do If I want to make the projects from the book with 1/4" instead of the 1/2"?

Is this a stupid question....:o

That is weird. I have a lot of quilt books and magazines and other than projects like bags or clothes, they've all had 1/4" seams.

Yes, it is weird isn't it? Any suggestions as to what I should do?

If you haven't already cut your pieces, you could change the dimensions to make your seams 1/4". Otherwise just for those patterns use a 1/2" seam.

Hello Mom-6, I haven't cut any fabric yet as I don't know what project I would like to do first. If I do use them from the book, just use the 1/2", it's not a problem as you say.....problem solved me thinks. Just have to but another book!

Hello, and welcome from Spring, Texas. I agree with everyone else.

I agree I would use 1/2 for the quilts in that book.

I have an old beginner quilting book from 1973 and the seam allowances are 5/8". Maybe you have an older book printed before a more standard 1/4" seam became popular.

I looked up the book on Amazon, and your complaint about the seam allowance is also stated there. And the book was printed in 2009! Certainly not written by a quilter. According to other complaints, even simple shapes are to be cut with templates. Yeeeccchhh!