i'm about to start a square quilt with squares only and the directions say when cutting out several pieces and sewing straight through going from one piece to another with little space between....does the thread unravel since it's not tied off when you cut between the pieces.

it is called "chain piecing"..and yes, it will be ok!
google it, and you will come up with examples and probably even a video on utube!

good morning and welcome from Michigan!

morning kathi,welcome
dar

Welcome from southeast PA!

When you stiche the 1/4" seams you don't need to secure the 1st & last stitches as they will be secured later within the seam when you sew your rows together.

Okay.......thank you all very much.

Hi from Ohio!

Welcome!

Welcome from New York state! This is a great place to ask questions! You'll love it here.

Hello from WV and Welcome to the group
jazs2

Welcome from Germany!

Welcome from Oklahoma! :lol:

Hi and welcome from western Nevada! :thumbup:

Hi Kathi! :) Welcome from Minnesota!

Hello and welcome from SW Iowa. Glad to have you here.

Thank you all so much.....this is great.....be prepared i'm sure more questions will be asked........again thank you for the warm welcome

Hello and welcome from England !

Hi and welcome from northern California!

Welcome to the board from Southern California!!!!!

Hi from Ky. Start stitching and have some fun!

hello and welcome from central California

Hello and welcome from Ontario.

Greetings from CA. When you sew the squares together in rows and you press the blocks, I would recommend that you press the seams so they will NEST into each other when you join the rows. It makes matching the blocks much easier.

thank you.....i'll try

Hi Kathi. Welcome from Southern Indiana.

Depending on the pattern, I may shorten my stitch length, but most machines make a nice and tight enough stitch, it shouldn't be a problem :D:D:D

Welcome from Tennessee. I shorten my stitch length to just under 2.

Just be sure not to use a really large stitch length.
If you have a fairly modern machine, the stitch that comes up by default is probably 1.8 or 2.
That is a good all around stitch length, and with gentle handling will not pull out before you can get the cross seams sewn over it.
On your very last seams, you might like to back stitch at the beginning and end of those seams, as there will be no further seams to cross them before you can get the quilt quilted and get your binding on.

And welcome from Arkansas! You will find a lot of great quilters in this group, and all are willing to share their knowledge.
A suggestion; start with a smaller project than a king sized quilt. Finishing a crib quilt or wall hanging, heck, even a potholder, will give you confidence to move on to those larger projects.
Whatever you decide though, we are here to support you.

Howdy from Tennessee! What a wonderful road you've started down! Glad to have you aboard.

Never be afraid to ask a question no matter how silly you might think it is. The only dumb questions are the ones you don't ask! I have found out that there will always be someone on this board that can answer a person's question! What a great group of quilters we get to know here!!!

It will not unravel if you use a slightly closer stitch. If your stitch length is to long it may tend to fray. I use about a 2 stitch length. My machine goes for 0 - 4, so its about half way on my stitch length.

When doing this - you don't cut the thread between the pieces. Saves time and thread in the long run.

Welcome Kathi from Michigan's beautiful Upper Peninsula. You'll love this site - very informative

Welcome from NC. I'm also a new quilter and it's unbelievable how many good hints you get from this board. Everyone is great to share secrets and tips.

I would also get well aquainted with your iron and bottles of starch. It helps with the cutting and with matching everything properly. I did my first with out starch and it was nuts and after I started to starch my fabric my blocks started to look better. And as for your question, you don't need to do a back stitch because you will be going over the ends with other blocks or the boarder or the binding. just make sure that your stitch langth is on the shorter side. I have mine sitting around 1 1/2 on my Janome and on my singer. It makes ripping take longer but it keeps the seams nice and secure. I hope you like your new addiction.

Welcome from SE Alabama, I chain between pieces as often as I can. I guess it saves a little thread and more importantly it makes the whole process faster.

Hi, and welcome from Washington!

Exactly - what she said!

Hello and Welcome from South Dakota!

Greetings from Washington State way out in the West! :-D