Alright, so I'm working on piecing my first quilt - a rail fence. I made the individual pieces with pretty much no problem (three different stripes sewed together), but now that I'm trying to sew the rest of it together, I'm having a few parts that are uneven.

Take a look:
[IMG]http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/t...100_1127_b.jpg[/IMG]

So I'm assuming that means that I didn't cut something straight? Anyway, I was just wondering what I should do about this? Should I trim that extra bit off or what?

Measure all of your blocks, are they all the same size?
If not, you can resew a seam here and there to fix them, or you can square them all up to the same size before sewing them together.

I prefer to square up/fixing the blocks rather than trying to square them up after they are being sewn together into bigger blocks or strips. If you wait til this point, you can end up losing part of the design element, points, etc...

For a rail fence, I would just trim. It does mean something was off in your cutting, sewing or ironing.

If you have done everything correctly, every rail fence block will be square. My bet is that they are rectangular, and that's why you have this problem when you sew two together. Your best bet is to square your blocks before sewing them together.

Actually, if I look at the two blocks in the picture, it appears that your seam allowance is a little too small. That would make your blocks slightly rectangular rather than square. The block on the left has the length you cut; the block on the right has horizontal seams which do not take up enough of the cloth to match the original cut length of the left block.

To get even more particular, it looks as if the beginning/ending of your piecing seam is not exact. It looks as if just the edge of the right block is too big, which means your seam allowance is not uniform. Turn the block over and check the width of the seam allowance at both ends and the middle.

I have had that happen. It's usually my seam allowance. Sigh. I'm still working on getting that exactly right.

I would measure the cut piece and check to see if your seams are 1/4 inch.

I wouldn't be surprised if my seams were the problem. I'm super new at this and still trying to figure out where exactly 1/4'' is on my sewing machine.

Thanks for all the help everyone!

I agree, with a rail fence design you can trim and square up all your blocks and it shouldn't be a problem. I would go back though and turn the pieces over and measure your seam allowances. You'll quickly see if this is the problem or not. If you aren't sure, simply sew two pieces of 2 1/2-inch fabric together and iron open. It should measure 4 inches across. If it doesn't, then you can see whether you are sewing too much or too little of a seam.

There are several things that could be the culprit in a block not coming out the right size.

What is the thickness of the thread you are using? Belive it or not, the thickness can end up making a huge difference in the size of the seam and not all threads are created equal. The thicker the thread, the more we have to take it into consideration when sewing.

Make sure the pieces are cut exactly each time. If you are off even a sliver, which is 1/16-inch, then in just 8 pieces you are almost a half inch off. This can make a huge difference across the length of a quilt. Often this is my problem area. I'll cut several pieces perfectly and then measure one out 1/4-inch extra. :roll: Really messes me up in spots.

Ironing can also be a huge issue when trying to get blocks to come out the right size. I'm sure you've heard the quilting commandment, "Thou Shalt Press, NOT Iron!" :lol: It's true you don't want to scrub your pieces out of shape, but by the same token you don't want to press too lightly. Don't be afraid to really press the block. I know it probably sounds a bit strange to hear that but it does make a huge difference if done wrong.

I hope some of those things help. I think it's wonderful that you haven't let this stop you from finishing your quilt. Good for you! I can't wait to see a picture of the finished top.

If the rest of the blocks are OK, then rather than take this block apart, I think I would split the difference by trimming only half the extra fabric from the left corner of the right block. Then when you sew the next blocks, you can just fudge the seam allowance there so that in that small spot it will be less than 1/4 inch. Maybe zig-zag that spot for reinforcement. Is that clear as mud?

Major thanks to both of you for the tips, advice and knowledge.

I've been cutting, measuring, and trying to fix this all morning. Not sure how I'm doing, and I'm afraid I won't know 'til it's all over. I've got what amounts to two full 'blocks' sewn together and they look MOSTLY straight. If you look close, you can tell where the bars connect that their off.

Have a look see:
[IMG]http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/t...noio/seams.jpg[/IMG]

And here's from farther back:
[IMG]http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/t...nnoio/oiii.jpg[/IMG]

So I guess I'm going to leave those blocks as they are - I know they're off, but it IS my first quilt and, well, hopefully I can't get away with it. >_< Now I'm off to try to straighten up the rest of my blocks.

Looking good!

I think you did a great job for your first quilt!! It didn't turn out badly at all and from a distance, which is how most people will view your quilt, it looks darn good. :thumbup:

A book that I consider a Must-Have in any quilter's home library is a book by Sally Collins called "Mastering Precision Piecing." She does quilts that are considered miniatures, I'm talking a 4-patch that is only a quarter inch big and stuff like that, and her piecing is perfect. Her book teaches how to go step by step to achieve the perfect piecing. I must say, she's a pretty darn amazing lady and her quilts are absolutely stunning! One of her many tricks is that she measures each unit before advancing to the next stage. If it isn't right, she knows the mistake is in what she has just done and this makes it easier to spot what you are doing to make the mistake and to fix it before you get too far into the quilt.

She also has a video out that shows her in her home sewing room. She gives a tour, shows the tools she considers a must-have, and demos various techniques. Her technique for ironing is amazing and has made a HUGE difference for me. She presses the unit or block and then sets a weight (she uses a book or a ruler with a weight on it) on the piece and allows it to cool completely before picking it up to sew on the next piece. I was shocked at just how flat the piece comes out. The reason to let it cool completely, which only takes a minute or so, is because when the fabric is still warm it can stretch. Most of us press our pieces and then snatch them up and head straight to the sewing machine to sew the next piece on. I know I am always eager to keep going. It never occurred to me that I could be stretching out my pieces by moving them while they are still warm and pliable. I didn't think I had a problem in this area but I sure do notice a difference doing it her way!

If you can't afford to buy them, see if your local library can get hold of them. They're worth reading/watching. ...Can you tell I'm a fan!?! :lol:

Are you going to quilt this yourself or send it out and have it done by a long-armer?

Looking good! Just remember, it's a one of a kind and your work of art. You don't want something that looks mass-produced. Keep sewing!

Sounds like I'm definitely going to have to look this lady up! :) I figure in the future I'll be stopping to measure and square up my blocks BEFORE I put them together - just another lesson learned, lol.

I plan on quilting this one myself. I couldn't justify paying to have it long-armed. My only debate is whether to do it on the machine or by hand - and then what pattern to use when I do decide. I kind of want to do it by hand because I really like the idea of it, but I'm also tempted to use the machine - but then I'm afraid it'll be hard to manuever all the fabric around in my machine.

Looks good, in that pattern, if not to far off just cut and keep going. More quilts you make the better it gets. After all we didn't learn to ride a bike without falling off once in awhile.

What size will your quilt be? If it is going to be queen sized or larger and you choose to machine quilt it, my suggestion would be to practice first on something the size of a lap quilt or smaller. It's a dickens trying to quilt something large when you are not used to it. I decided to do a king sized quilt years ago on my home machine and while I can do a quilt that size now, it sure wasn't what I should have started with! :|

Hand quilting is very relaxing, at least for me, and I usually do it when sitting in front of the tv. I'm horrible about being able to just sit there & do nothing with my hands. If you are like me and you enjoy hand quilting, I bet you are going to just love applique! (Come to the Dark Side!) :lol:

It's going to be small - probably a lap quilt. I'd be afraid to try anything too big right now. I'm very tempted to do hand quilting. I think if I tried doing it on my machine, I could only do stitch in the ditch, whereas by hand I'd be tempted to try something a little more fun. Plus it'd be nice to have something I could do while sitting next to DH when he plays video games (instead of going back in the bedroom by myself and sewing on the machine). :)

Sounds like hand quilting will be the way to go. I understand what you mean about having more freedom with your quilting doing it by hand over machine quilting, esp when you are just getting started. I can do a lot on my machine but I still feel more comfortable doing difficult quilting by hand.