Lining up seams
03-14-2014, 07:38 AM
#41
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03-14-2014, 08:40 AM
#44
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Originally Posted by DebraK
the neat thing about not pressing your seams open is that you can nest the seams against each other. That way works best for me. I've heard that some people use Elmer's glue, but I haven't tried that method.
I've used Elmer's Washable glue when matching seams and it works very well. But it means (for me at least) standing at the ironing board, applying the dot of glue, ironing it dry, and moving on to the next seam. If I can match them by pinning I don't bother with the glue. But you seem to be having problems with the pinning so you might try the glue. Just make sure the seams really match, though, because pulling the glued seam apart is not fun, either.
03-14-2014, 09:59 AM
#45
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I am a Virgo and therefore a perfectionist by nature, so I understand where you are coming from. That said, I quilt because I love it, and I have learned over the years that nobody is perfect, so I give myself some slack on being "perfect". Pressing seams to one side on one row and the opposite in the next row usually gives me good results. I haven't tried it, but I saw a quilting tutorial where a pin was placed straight up, making sure it went 1/4" on both sides, then pins placed on either side to stabilize the piecing and that seemed to work. The Amish deliberately leave a mistake in their quilts, as only God is perfect. Fortunately for me, I never have to deliberately leave a mistake. LOL. Just be patient with yourself, perhaps basting just the place where pieces come together, then checking and if all is well, sew with a regular stitch.
03-14-2014, 04:54 PM
#47
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Originally Posted by PaperPrincess
I don't press my seams open, I press to one side. I am careful that one row is pressed to the right, the next to the left. This way the seams nest, minimizing slipping. Also, if it's possible, feed the row so that the loose edge of the seam on the top gets fed into the presser foot first. The feed dogs will pull the seam on the bottom butting it closer to the one on the top. It's not always possible to do this, but I try!
This is how do it.
03-14-2014, 05:28 PM
#48
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Originally Posted by luckydiver17
What is everyone's secret on how to sew your rows so that your seams line up perfectly? I press my seams open and am just working with squares, nothing fancy. I have tried pinning, not pinning, etc but it seems like things still shift/stretch by the time the needle goes over the seam. I have resorted to sewing over JUST the seam so I have less stitches to rip out if it doesn't line up and then going back and sewing the rest of the line once my seams are lined up which is taking forever. If you can't tell, I'm a perfectionist 
03-15-2014, 03:44 AM
#49
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I am going to side with the "try not to be a perfectionist" group here. If you keep that up, you take the fun out of what your doing, and when you do that, you just keep more mistakes, and then pretty soon, you have put what ever your working on over in the UFO pile. Making quilts is supposed to be relaxing, fun, enjoyment, etc... try the suggestions above and they are sure to work, but don't fret if one is not perfect : )
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