NJ Quilter

I think most of us struggle with these issues. I'm guilty of lots of no-no's in my quilting. I do use starch - sta-flo at a 50/50 mixture. Let it settle into the fabric before ironing/pressing. I do this to my yardage before cutting. I TRY to always use the same spot on my ruler but rarely do. A tip that I keep forgetting to use - put a small piece of painters tape or post-it on the spot on your ruler that you want to use for repetitive cuts. Will improve cutting accuracy. Most patterns seem to be designed for the elusive 'scant' 1/4 seam allowance. My machine has a setting for that so that part is easy. Otherwise - again with the painters tape or post-it notes.

I press every seam as I piece. I use steam. I press my seams open unless the construction process does not allow for this. I square up each unit as I piece as well. Sometimes I'm a little over; sometimes I'm a little under. I usually go with 'close counts' if it's not too far off. Fabric stretches and it can also be eased to fit together.

Certainly try to improve your accuracy. But unless it's really far off, don't make yourself crazy.

connietoo

My blocks never came out true to size....And then I was told to try this test.....Make two the same block......Press as you piece on one and finger press the second one and don't press until done with the block. All my blocks now come out perfect without ever having to trim.....Realize that pressing stretches the fabric.

jokir44

I complimented a little lady on her blocks and she told me she never presses. She wet blocks every one. Sounds like lots of work but if you have a pattern with lots of block seams might be worth it.

mac

One of the things that I find helpful is to starch my fabric before cutting it. I find that it give me a clean, crisp line. The fabric is flat, and with the starch, the sewing line seems crisper, too. When I started doing this, I noticed that my blocks came out closer to the size they were supposed to be (at least a lot better than my attempts before starching). It seems that all my blocks are a little bit off, no matter how careful I am.

One of my bad habits is that when I get to the end of the seam, for some reason I don't keep a true 1/4" seam to the end. I don't know why this happens, but I try to pay close attention to this now that I realize that I do it.

I also use Arifil thread because it is not as thick as some threads and you tend to lose a teensy bit of fabric in the seams when it is ironed over a thicker thread.

In addition to this, I just saw a video (I think in was Nancy's Sewing) where they put a block of wood on the seam after they ironed it to weight down the seam while the fabric was cooling for a few minutes. The block of wood was maybe a 2"x4" cut about 10" long. Nancy said that it would help the seam lay flat.

mac

[QUOTE= or can also shrink fabric due to the moisture and heat--which makes sense since using it on a quilt with cupping problems before quilting helps tame the cupping by shrinking it. Has anyone else heard this?[/QUOTE]

I have never heard of "cupping" problems. What is this?

It makes sense about shrinking the material when steam ironing, as that is what you do when wash and dry it in the dryer. But, now that you mention this, it is certainly an "AH Ha" moment for me.

Onebyone

This is called a Clapper. It is a must have tool in the designer clothing and tailor shops.
Cupping is when you have a block that looks convex when it should be flat.
When I was in block exchanges, or putting together blocks from other quilters for a raffle or gift quilt this ruler was a must when the blocks were off from the original size. http://www.nancysnotions.com/product...marker+tool.do

Barbie

Thank you for this link. I, too, have problems keeping blocks square and pressing has always been a problem for me. I end up "ironing" instead of pressing. I have never seen this technique before and am going to try it.

ladyinpurple135

I just watched the video and it is great. I never thought about pressing the corners first but it does make sense. I will try to remember 😄😄 this when I get back hime from vacation.

Thanks
Sandy in Mooresville, NC - visiting in York, PA right now.

PaperPrincess

My cousin got a Steady Betty ironing board cover. She cut it in half and gave me some. It works well for me.

Onebyone

I have the large Steady Betty ironing surface. It's great for pressing blocks. If you can find foam backed vinyl it works the same as the Steady Betty. It use to be at fabric stores sold as outdoor fabric for tablecloths. It's hard to find now.