QUILTsocial | Issue 08

The width of the seam allowance at the end of
the seam is consistent with the width of the seam
allowance in the middle
Check out the sample below. See what
happened at the end? It’s not a scant
¼” seam allowance and this can cause
some major inaccuracy issues, especially
if it happens a lot.
Yes – there’s a lot of stopping and
starting when you’re piecing. I’d rather
be stopping and starting to position
fabric and line up seams, than sew like
crazy and then have to rip out.
None of the seams in the pictures
below were pinned or measured in
anyway and you can see how beautiful
the intersections are. I know where my
scant ¼” seam allowance is by using my
Quilter’s ¼” Piecing Foot P, I pin on the fly,
using the quilter’s awl and I take control
of my seams and match things up as I go.
This process saves a lot of time and yet I
get pretty accurate results.
Twirled seams that are pressed flat
The width at the end of the seam allowance is
NOT consistent with the width in the middle
Why does this happen? Most times, it
occurs because we take our hands off
of our pieces as the seam nears the end.
We’re in that much of a hurry to grab the
next pieces and the sewing machine takes
control and let’s the pieces do whatever.
This frequently occurs if there’s a
diagonal seam on the reverse side
(which there is). The bulk of that seam,
will push the fabric to the left or right
and you end up with this inaccuracy.
It’s very important that you stay in
control of those pieces and “man handle”
them with your quilter’s awl until the
absolute end of your seam. Stop sewing
and then pick up your next piece.
Perfect intersection
I do twirl my seams on the reverse side
(it’s an old habit that I can’t shake, but I
like the way it looks on the front) and
reduces bulk in the seam allowances
particularly with diagonal seams. In a
post on QUILTsocial, I touch on how to
reduce bulk in the seam allowances.
Intersection is absolutely flat with the twirled seam
I love surprises and each time I
discovered something on the Designer
EPIC, well it was exciting. There are some
absolutely amazing design features on
the Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC. I
hope you enjoyed reading about those
features and the little tips on achieving
those scant ¼” seams.
I’ve got a tutorial on making the perfect
Quarter Square Triangle. Read on.
Q
.com
UILTsocial
| issue 8 53