Sewing long strips
 

It seems that whenever I sew long strips together for a project, they never lay flat. They get all wavy. I cut them carefully on the grain of fabric, so I don't think it's a bias problem. I'm thinking of doing a pattern that uses strips, but I need to solve this problem first.

If they don't lay flat, this means there's a bow which means you are
not sewing straight. Put a long piece of masking tape on your sewing
machine from your needle down. This will be your guide when sewing
those strips. Starching your fabric before cutting would also help.

Alternate your seams. Sew the first one top to bottom, then then next one bottom to top. Press after each seam, don't wait until the end. If you have an ironing surface with a grid, this will help you press. In addition to a strip being cut with a slight bow, or a wavering seam, the tension on the strips may be uneven causing it to not lay straight. In other words, either the strip on top or on the bottom is pulling thru the machine at a slower rate than the other one. Try using a walking foot or lightening up your presser foot pressure just a bit & make sure you are not holding on to one of the strips as you feed it thru your machine.

I've found this helps me and many of my students.

Jan in VA

Jan, that's a great tip. Thanks for sharing.

Pennyhal, I do a lot of strip quilts and sewing the strips from opposite ends as PaperPrincess suggested helps a lot.

Thanks for the tip--I will try this.

Wow Jan! I am going to try that tip the next time I iron long strips. I always wondered what caused that bowing, now I know- thanks for the tip!

Jan, I love that tip. You are so full of information and willing to share.

As others have said, Thank you Jan. That is a great tip that I will use the next time I sew strips.

Yes! And if you gently lift the fabric just an inch or so before the iron as you go, it will make pressing the open seam so much easier!