Prism99

I wanted to also mention that curving can be caused by holding the strips too taut, especially if the strips are not cut perfectly straight-of-grain. Holding the strips too taut while feeding them to the needle can stretch the edge that is being sewn. The more off-grain the strips are cut, the more easily the edges stretch. Bias-cut strips would stretch the most; that is why they require very careful handling.

I just noticed you mentioned in your original post that the strips were curving towards the right. To me, this indicates feed dog misalignment. If you were holding the strips too taut or if the presser foot pressure were too tight, the strips would curve to the left (because the sewn edge would be longer than the rest of the strip). Other possible causes, as mentioned by others, are that the tension on your threads is incorrect so that the stitches are gathering the fabric slightly and/or that the stitches are too close together. Normal factory stitch length is usually fine for piecing, though, so I would be inclined to blame tension first. It can be that both top and bobbin tension are too tight.

pocoellie

When sewing long strips you need to alternate the direction of your sewing. As far as letting the machine pull it by itself, that's what the machine should be doing, if the feed dogs are doing their job correctly.

donna13350

True! and you can straighten them out with the iron!

Onebyone

This video may help you: http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/videos...ong-strips.htm

Pennyhal

If you starch your fabric, that will help, especially if your fabric is cut off grain. I have a really hard time stitching long strips together and keeping them straignt. I finally stopped freaking out over my crookedness and now I am happier! Unless you are planning to enter a quit into a show, it's ok not to be perfect.

Onebyone

If you see the quilt show winners, best of show, viewer's choice in a national show, up close they are not perfect. Better than what I can do but not perfect.

nanquilt

I agree. No one seems to know why the curve happens, but if you sew up one side and sew down the next strip. There will be no curve.

Onebyone

I tried this when sewing my last bargello. Didn't work. The curve seemed to disappear with pressing and after cutting.

mac

Thanks, Onebyone, that was a great video. I've always wondered by the curve happens, now I know how to keep it from happening.

Oh, yeah, that and plenty of starch. I do starch my fabric before I cut it, but ONLY the amount that I plan to use. Otherwise, those little buggy critters like to eat the starch sometimes.

jmoore

Yes, I learned this in a class a few years ago.