Taking In a Seam...Details
 

When you take in a seam on a block, do you take out the old stitching? Do you re-trim that seam allowance? Do you make other adjustments so that the points look correct? What other factors do you consider when taking in a seam?

If the seam is sewn to be wider then the first stitching then I don't take it out. Sometimes I will take a narrower seam to get a block to line up or not to lose a point. When I take a narrow seam I alway use fusible on the back of the seam allowance to be sure the seam does not pull apart. There are lots of fudge tips and tricks to use. Most I have picked up in classes over the years.

I take it out because I press my seams open

If the old seam is in the new seam allowance and I don't lose points or such, it stays in. Unless, it is a seam where a bunch are meeting and the bulk is too much. It's pretty much a personal choice. Now, if I have fabric that is tending to fray too much, I have been known to sew a wavy seam within the seam allowance to try to stabilize the fabric. And it works for me.

I do leave the extra inside seam and trim back to the 1/4 inch seam. It's best to take out bulk if you can. Then sometimes, it's best to re-make the whole block. Yes, I've done that too.

most often I take it out.by insuring both sides meet up at 1/4" I can insure a perfect seam. I am the first one to admit that my seams are often off . My problem is making them to narrow so w hen they are narrow I will leave the thread in place and sew over to make the seams the right side. Either way getting that perfect 1/4" is the challenge. My seam ripper is always at my side.

When making a Lone Star quilt, I had take in a few short sections of seams to get intersections to match exactly. Typically, the new seam would be only about 1 mm over from the original. I tied off the ends of the new seam and left the old seam alone. (I tapered both ends of the new seam into the old seam.) I ironed my seams open, and I was still happy with how flat it was. (I suppose that if I looked at just right spots there are very small areas with more than 2 layers of fabric, but when it's only 1 mm wide, it is hard to notice.)

I will take out a portion of the old stitching at the intersection if I am 'swirling' the intersecting seams. I usually leave the rest.

I haven't had that problem yet. If I did I would probably take the seam out and start over.