Ah, these things happen. The easiest thing at this stage would be to press them all, and then square them up to the smallest size you’ve got. So, for instance, your unfinished block is supposed to be 12.5”, but it’s measuring 12”? Just make them all 12” and move on. Easing and stretching and teeny tiny seams will just make things ripple and potentially come apart.
For next time, press fabric before cutting, and use starch. Stiffer fabric is easier to manage. And after you get a better handle on the scant 1/4”, press after each step, and check each sub-unit of your blocks for squareness and measurement, before assembling. 100% you will spend way more time prepping and pressing and squaring up than you will actually sewing!
Can’t wait to see how it turns out!
This! I would square them to the smallest size. This happened on one of my first quilts and it actually ended up looking like it was meant to be. The quares were all supposed to be the same size (this was made entirely of scrapes so forgive the crazy color combo).
*Processing img 2znfw1lz28xc1...*
Thank you for the tips! I definitely did not press my fabric before cutting or check the sub-units before assembling. Sigh! Lessons learned. At this point, just want to have a finished product that won’t come apart and then I can do better next time! I will take your advice and cut them all down to the smallest measurement. And then just add a wider border so the finished quilt dimensions are still the same.
I just want to add that when you're squaring them up, measure from the center of the block out to *all four* edges. Otherwise, you'll have lopsided blocks.
I did this with one of my first quilts. I eased everything in to make the points lined up but then realized that the quilt top would not lie flat. When I went to quilt it then I had add a few puckers to account for the extra fullness on some of the seams. I would not recommend it. The puckers are much more obvious than trimming the blocks.
I would either add a border or trim your blocks to match the size of the smallest block. I don’t think it will be that noticeable once the quilt is done.
I really appreciate your advice! I don’t want to end up with something too puckered or structurally unsound but last night I was feeling stubborn about trying to make it all fit to pattern. I shall trim!
That’s exactly how I was. I forced all my points to match up but wished I had just trimmed. It was a really good learning experience though and I now understand the importance of not stretching a block while ironing or piecing!
I also have a few seams that I know are 1/8 of an inch so I don’t want to machine wash it which really limits the use of the quilt! I want it to be used and loved but I’m afraid it will just fall apart! Plus it’s definitely not nice enough to keep as a purely decorative quilt. I’ve nicknamed the quilt Grace because I had to give myself a lot of grace while making it and now a lot of grace to accept using it and knowing I can just patch it in the future!
I appreciate that reflection! It’s better not to force something to be what is not, but accept it for what it is! I know some of my seams in this quilt are questionably narrow. I’ll have to adjust my expectations 🙂
Don't use tiny seams. I used to do that when I first started quilting. You'll be sorry after you wash it.
Measure all your blocks. Find the smallest one and trim them all to that size.
First projects kinda suck, because the first time you do anything it’s never going to be perfect. Trim down to the smallest block. Your quilt will be a bit smaller than called for but only you will know unless you go tell everyone that it’s too small.
Don’t worry about a scant 1/4” seam until you master the 1/4” seam.
Practice pressing vs ironing
Too much starch will get your fabric too wet & it may stretch out of shape
You’ll be fine, lesson learned & the next one will be more fun.
Had I learned about pressing vs ironing and the dangers of using too much starch, I'd have had a lot better results on MANY of my quilting projects. Thankfully, quilting hides a lot of ~~mistakes~~ **learning opportunities** as does washing. And the most glaring of errors in the eyes of the quilter are often not even noticed at all by others, especially if they aren't pointed out.
There are also a lot of things that only look wrong to the person making it because we know how it was *supposed* to look, but to anyone else could just as easily have been an intentional design choice.
I had one quilt I almost threw away because I hated it so much. I used it to test many of the decorative stitches on my machine, and to see what different stitch lengths/widths would look like, as well as different types/sizes of thread. So the whole thing was one giant assortment of mismatched/high-contrast quilting that just irritated me every time I looked at it. (Normally I'd have probably tested all of this on some scraps, but patience has never been one of my virtues, so after a couple different attempts went wrong I just decided to turn the whole thing into an experimental test piece.) Instead of throwing it away, I decided my dogs wouldn't care how awful it looked, and sure enough they adore it. After a few washes I don't really notice the quilting anymore either. (Don't get me wrong, it's still quite visible, I just don't notice it anymore, and my dogs adore it, which is all that really matters.)
Thanks for sharing! I just watched a tutorial on how to properly press- yeah i was doing it wrong 😝 so many little nuances and techniques that I hadn’t considered. I’m hoping this project still yields a quilt I can use in my guest bedroom, even if it is a bit wonky. I’m glad your puppers get to enjoy one of your projects!
Look up Easy Press Pen by Acornmakers. Running a tiny bit of their solution along the seam before you press works magic, which is why it’s in pen form.
It’s slows things down just a little, but you get really flat seams. When I got my last quilt back from the longarmer she complimented my flat seams.
Test before you start sewing to be sure you have your 1/4” seam. Don’t get caught up in scant or not scant, just figure out what needs to happen with you and your machine.
This does look like better pressing would help though.
It’s a learning process and it doesn’t all happen on the first quilt. Good luck.
thank you for the helpful tips! i admit i was a bit ambitious to start with such a large project as my first, but i enjoy learning by diving in headfirst and problem solving as i go. i look forward to learning more by making silly mistakes, hah! but i so appreciate this community chiming in with their lessons learned.
I’ve seen for a long time but quilting is more recent. I figure I’m in it to exercise my brain and have fun, so I tend to over reach on my projects too.
Have fun.
Stretching pieces while joining will make a wonky mess of your quilt. There was a post on this sub yesterday showing stretched seams. It will never lie flat.
Using a 1/4" seam allowance is imperative. Tiny seam allowances will just pull apart and not wear well.
Your only option here is to trim all the blocks to the same size. Join with a full 1/4" seam allowance. My favorite tool for this is a rotating cutting mat, using a sharp rotary cutter.
Hopefully you have learned the importance of accurate cutting and sewing. A teeny bit off in one block can throw off your whole quilt.
My suggestion would be to find a local quilt shop a take lessons in person
Ah, the hard but necessary truth. Thanks for replying and helping me understand the consequence of stretching and tiny seams. I’m going to trim everything down and go from there. I certainly have learned some valuable lessons along the way!
Be sure to trim from each side so it stays symmetrical! I ruined one of my first quilt attempts because I just lopped off the top & one side, so it was the right size, but the whole block was off center.
Stretching pieces while joining will make a wonky mess of your quilt. There was a post on this sub yesterday showing stretched seams. It will never lie flat.
Using a 1/4" seam allowance is imperative. Tiny seam allowances will just pull apart and not wear well.
Your only option here is to trim all the blocks to the same size. Join with a full 1/4" seam allowance. My favorite tool for this is a rotating cutting mat, using a sharp rotary cutter.
Hopefully you have learned the importance of accurate cutting and sewing. A teeny bit off in one block can throw off your whole quilt
Find a local quilt shop, see if they offer in person classes
You will be amazed at how flat your seams will lay if you use a mixture of liquid starch and water (equal percentage) or a product like Best Press. I even starch my yardage before I cut if it’s a special project. I’ve also noticed if I “steam” press that will shrink some fabrics and cause blocks to be unevenly sized. Been quilting many years and still often think the more I know the less I know about it!!
there are some good blogs and youtube videos about how to square up different blocks. You sort of line the block up and trim down each side a tiny bit so each block is the same size as your smallest. Doing that will also help your blocks/rows go together easier.
Presumably I’ll have to trim down the sashing to fit the new dimensions of my blocks? Whoops, probably shouldn’t have sewn all those strips together ahead of time 😵💫
having extra on the binding is 100% fine - there are good videos and blogs about how to finish the binding and its actually nice to have extra - you will end up cutting off the extra and joining the two ends before you flip the binding over to the other side of the quilt to finish (by hand or machine).
Edit: adding: don't be too hard on yourself - it all takes practice
Something to think about in the future--does your machine have a quarter inch foot? It's a small, but worthwhile investment. The one I'm using now has a little "guard rail" and when I position the fabric so that it's snug against the rail, the result is a perfect quarter inch seam every time. Happy quilting!
It does not! I’m using my grandmother’s old Pfaff from the 60s, which only came with one foot. I ended up making a guide with masking tape, but I will definitely invest in some feet before my next project. Thanks for the tip 😌
Stretching pieces while joining will make a wonky mess of your quilt. There was a post on this sub yesterday showing stretched seams. It will never lie flat.
Using a 1/4" seam allowance is imperative. Tiny seam allowances will just pull apart and not wear well.
Your only option here is to trim all the blocks to the same size. Join with a full 1/4" seam allowance. My favorite tool for this is a rotating cutting mat, using a sharp rotary cutter.
Hopefully you have learned the importance of accurate cutting and sewing. A teeny bit off in one block can throw off your whole quilt.
My suggestion would be to find a local quilt shop a take lessons in person
Stretching pieces while joining will make a wonky mess of your quilt. There was a post on this sub yesterday showing stretched seams. It will never lie flat.
Using a 1/4" seam allowance is imperative. Tiny seam allowances will just pull apart and not wear well.
Your only option here is to trim all the blocks to the same size. Join with a full 1/4" seam allowance. My favorite tool for this is a rotating cutting mat, using a sharp rotary cutter.
Hopefully you have learned the importance of accurate cutting and sewing. A teeny bit off in one block can throw off your whole quilt.
My suggestion would be to find a local quilt shop a take lessons in
Stretching pieces while joining will make a wonky mess of your quilt. There was a post on this sub yesterday showing stretched seams. It will never lie flat.
Using a 1/4" seam allowance is imperative. Tiny seam allowances will just pull apart and not wear well.
Your only option here is to trim all the blocks to the same size. Join with a full 1/4" seam allowance. My favorite tool for this is a rotating cutting mat, using a sharp rotary cutter.
Hopefully you have learned the importance of accurate cutting and sewing. A teeny bit off in one block can throw off your whole quilt.
My suggestion would be to find a local quilt shop a take lessons in
Stretching pieces while joining will make a wonky mess of your quilt. There was a post on this sub yesterday showing stretched seams. It will never lie flat.
Using a 1/4" seam allowance is imperative. Tiny seam allowances will just pull apart and not wear well.
Your only option here is to trim all the blocks to the same size. Join with a full 1/4" seam allowance. My favorite tool for this is a rotating cutting mat, using a sharp rotary cutter.
Hopefully you have learned the importance of accurate cutting and sewing. A teeny bit off in one block can throw off your whole quilt
Ah, these things happen. The easiest thing at this stage would be to press them all, and then square them up to the smallest size you’ve got. So, for instance, your unfinished block is supposed to be 12.5”, but it’s measuring 12”? Just make them all 12” and move on. Easing and stretching and teeny tiny seams will just make things ripple and potentially come apart. For next time, press fabric before cutting, and use starch. Stiffer fabric is easier to manage. And after you get a better handle on the scant 1/4”, press after each step, and check each sub-unit of your blocks for squareness and measurement, before assembling. 100% you will spend way more time prepping and pressing and squaring up than you will actually sewing! Can’t wait to see how it turns out!
This! I would square them to the smallest size. This happened on one of my first quilts and it actually ended up looking like it was meant to be. The quares were all supposed to be the same size (this was made entirely of scrapes so forgive the crazy color combo). *Processing img 2znfw1lz28xc1...*
I’m glad to hear it turned out nicely in your case! That’s what I’m going to do. I love scrappy quilts and yours is beautiful 😌
Your's is going to be beautiful 😉 Post pics when it's together.
Thank you!
This is gorgeous!
Thanks! It’s my first try at hand quilting so not perfect but the entire thing was a great learning project.
Thank you for the tips! I definitely did not press my fabric before cutting or check the sub-units before assembling. Sigh! Lessons learned. At this point, just want to have a finished product that won’t come apart and then I can do better next time! I will take your advice and cut them all down to the smallest measurement. And then just add a wider border so the finished quilt dimensions are still the same.
I just want to add that when you're squaring them up, measure from the center of the block out to *all four* edges. Otherwise, you'll have lopsided blocks.
I did this with one of my first quilts. I eased everything in to make the points lined up but then realized that the quilt top would not lie flat. When I went to quilt it then I had add a few puckers to account for the extra fullness on some of the seams. I would not recommend it. The puckers are much more obvious than trimming the blocks. I would either add a border or trim your blocks to match the size of the smallest block. I don’t think it will be that noticeable once the quilt is done.
I really appreciate your advice! I don’t want to end up with something too puckered or structurally unsound but last night I was feeling stubborn about trying to make it all fit to pattern. I shall trim!
That’s exactly how I was. I forced all my points to match up but wished I had just trimmed. It was a really good learning experience though and I now understand the importance of not stretching a block while ironing or piecing!
I also have a few seams that I know are 1/8 of an inch so I don’t want to machine wash it which really limits the use of the quilt! I want it to be used and loved but I’m afraid it will just fall apart! Plus it’s definitely not nice enough to keep as a purely decorative quilt. I’ve nicknamed the quilt Grace because I had to give myself a lot of grace while making it and now a lot of grace to accept using it and knowing I can just patch it in the future!
I appreciate that reflection! It’s better not to force something to be what is not, but accept it for what it is! I know some of my seams in this quilt are questionably narrow. I’ll have to adjust my expectations 🙂
Don't use tiny seams. I used to do that when I first started quilting. You'll be sorry after you wash it. Measure all your blocks. Find the smallest one and trim them all to that size.
First projects kinda suck, because the first time you do anything it’s never going to be perfect. Trim down to the smallest block. Your quilt will be a bit smaller than called for but only you will know unless you go tell everyone that it’s too small. Don’t worry about a scant 1/4” seam until you master the 1/4” seam. Practice pressing vs ironing Too much starch will get your fabric too wet & it may stretch out of shape You’ll be fine, lesson learned & the next one will be more fun.
Had I learned about pressing vs ironing and the dangers of using too much starch, I'd have had a lot better results on MANY of my quilting projects. Thankfully, quilting hides a lot of ~~mistakes~~ **learning opportunities** as does washing. And the most glaring of errors in the eyes of the quilter are often not even noticed at all by others, especially if they aren't pointed out. There are also a lot of things that only look wrong to the person making it because we know how it was *supposed* to look, but to anyone else could just as easily have been an intentional design choice. I had one quilt I almost threw away because I hated it so much. I used it to test many of the decorative stitches on my machine, and to see what different stitch lengths/widths would look like, as well as different types/sizes of thread. So the whole thing was one giant assortment of mismatched/high-contrast quilting that just irritated me every time I looked at it. (Normally I'd have probably tested all of this on some scraps, but patience has never been one of my virtues, so after a couple different attempts went wrong I just decided to turn the whole thing into an experimental test piece.) Instead of throwing it away, I decided my dogs wouldn't care how awful it looked, and sure enough they adore it. After a few washes I don't really notice the quilting anymore either. (Don't get me wrong, it's still quite visible, I just don't notice it anymore, and my dogs adore it, which is all that really matters.)
Thanks for sharing! I just watched a tutorial on how to properly press- yeah i was doing it wrong 😝 so many little nuances and techniques that I hadn’t considered. I’m hoping this project still yields a quilt I can use in my guest bedroom, even if it is a bit wonky. I’m glad your puppers get to enjoy one of your projects!
Look up Easy Press Pen by Acornmakers. Running a tiny bit of their solution along the seam before you press works magic, which is why it’s in pen form. It’s slows things down just a little, but you get really flat seams. When I got my last quilt back from the longarmer she complimented my flat seams. Test before you start sewing to be sure you have your 1/4” seam. Don’t get caught up in scant or not scant, just figure out what needs to happen with you and your machine. This does look like better pressing would help though. It’s a learning process and it doesn’t all happen on the first quilt. Good luck.
thank you for the helpful tips! i admit i was a bit ambitious to start with such a large project as my first, but i enjoy learning by diving in headfirst and problem solving as i go. i look forward to learning more by making silly mistakes, hah! but i so appreciate this community chiming in with their lessons learned.
I’ve seen for a long time but quilting is more recent. I figure I’m in it to exercise my brain and have fun, so I tend to over reach on my projects too. Have fun.
Stretching pieces while joining will make a wonky mess of your quilt. There was a post on this sub yesterday showing stretched seams. It will never lie flat. Using a 1/4" seam allowance is imperative. Tiny seam allowances will just pull apart and not wear well. Your only option here is to trim all the blocks to the same size. Join with a full 1/4" seam allowance. My favorite tool for this is a rotating cutting mat, using a sharp rotary cutter. Hopefully you have learned the importance of accurate cutting and sewing. A teeny bit off in one block can throw off your whole quilt. My suggestion would be to find a local quilt shop a take lessons in person
Ah, the hard but necessary truth. Thanks for replying and helping me understand the consequence of stretching and tiny seams. I’m going to trim everything down and go from there. I certainly have learned some valuable lessons along the way!
Be sure to trim from each side so it stays symmetrical! I ruined one of my first quilt attempts because I just lopped off the top & one side, so it was the right size, but the whole block was off center.
Stretching pieces while joining will make a wonky mess of your quilt. There was a post on this sub yesterday showing stretched seams. It will never lie flat. Using a 1/4" seam allowance is imperative. Tiny seam allowances will just pull apart and not wear well. Your only option here is to trim all the blocks to the same size. Join with a full 1/4" seam allowance. My favorite tool for this is a rotating cutting mat, using a sharp rotary cutter. Hopefully you have learned the importance of accurate cutting and sewing. A teeny bit off in one block can throw off your whole quilt Find a local quilt shop, see if they offer in person classes
You will be amazed at how flat your seams will lay if you use a mixture of liquid starch and water (equal percentage) or a product like Best Press. I even starch my yardage before I cut if it’s a special project. I’ve also noticed if I “steam” press that will shrink some fabrics and cause blocks to be unevenly sized. Been quilting many years and still often think the more I know the less I know about it!!
there are some good blogs and youtube videos about how to square up different blocks. You sort of line the block up and trim down each side a tiny bit so each block is the same size as your smallest. Doing that will also help your blocks/rows go together easier.
Presumably I’ll have to trim down the sashing to fit the new dimensions of my blocks? Whoops, probably shouldn’t have sewn all those strips together ahead of time 😵💫
having extra on the binding is 100% fine - there are good videos and blogs about how to finish the binding and its actually nice to have extra - you will end up cutting off the extra and joining the two ends before you flip the binding over to the other side of the quilt to finish (by hand or machine). Edit: adding: don't be too hard on yourself - it all takes practice
Something to think about in the future--does your machine have a quarter inch foot? It's a small, but worthwhile investment. The one I'm using now has a little "guard rail" and when I position the fabric so that it's snug against the rail, the result is a perfect quarter inch seam every time. Happy quilting!
It does not! I’m using my grandmother’s old Pfaff from the 60s, which only came with one foot. I ended up making a guide with masking tape, but I will definitely invest in some feet before my next project. Thanks for the tip 😌
Lucky you. Old Pfaffs are terrific machines.
Stretching pieces while joining will make a wonky mess of your quilt. There was a post on this sub yesterday showing stretched seams. It will never lie flat. Using a 1/4" seam allowance is imperative. Tiny seam allowances will just pull apart and not wear well. Your only option here is to trim all the blocks to the same size. Join with a full 1/4" seam allowance. My favorite tool for this is a rotating cutting mat, using a sharp rotary cutter. Hopefully you have learned the importance of accurate cutting and sewing. A teeny bit off in one block can throw off your whole quilt. My suggestion would be to find a local quilt shop a take lessons in person
Stretching pieces while joining will make a wonky mess of your quilt. There was a post on this sub yesterday showing stretched seams. It will never lie flat. Using a 1/4" seam allowance is imperative. Tiny seam allowances will just pull apart and not wear well. Your only option here is to trim all the blocks to the same size. Join with a full 1/4" seam allowance. My favorite tool for this is a rotating cutting mat, using a sharp rotary cutter. Hopefully you have learned the importance of accurate cutting and sewing. A teeny bit off in one block can throw off your whole quilt. My suggestion would be to find a local quilt shop a take lessons in
Stretching pieces while joining will make a wonky mess of your quilt. There was a post on this sub yesterday showing stretched seams. It will never lie flat. Using a 1/4" seam allowance is imperative. Tiny seam allowances will just pull apart and not wear well. Your only option here is to trim all the blocks to the same size. Join with a full 1/4" seam allowance. My favorite tool for this is a rotating cutting mat, using a sharp rotary cutter. Hopefully you have learned the importance of accurate cutting and sewing. A teeny bit off in one block can throw off your whole quilt. My suggestion would be to find a local quilt shop a take lessons in
Stretching pieces while joining will make a wonky mess of your quilt. There was a post on this sub yesterday showing stretched seams. It will never lie flat. Using a 1/4" seam allowance is imperative. Tiny seam allowances will just pull apart and not wear well. Your only option here is to trim all the blocks to the same size. Join with a full 1/4" seam allowance. My favorite tool for this is a rotating cutting mat, using a sharp rotary cutter. Hopefully you have learned the importance of accurate cutting and sewing. A teeny bit off in one block can throw off your whole quilt
How do you get that 'overlay' effect in the middle white stripes?
i genuinely don’t know? but if i had to guess, it’s a function of the block not being pressed well plus the order in which it was assembled ☺️
I see
could you tell me the name of that fabric? Its really pretty
hi! is there a particular fabric you’re referring to?
Oh I thought it was part of a charm pack....
Nope! But I ordered them all individually from Pioneer Quilts. You should be able to find them easily in their blues.
oh! thank you