Pressing Direction

When we learned to sew garments, we were taught to press our seams open.  We also use a 5/8" seam allowance.  

In Quilting we're taught  to "press to the dark" side.  This does two things.  First you are less likely to see the seam from the front if the seams are press under the dark fabric as opposed to the lighter one.  Second, when joining units or blocks together, the seams "kiss" or link together nicely making a more accurate and flatter junction.

There's ALWAYS an exception.  Look at the two blocks below.  Can you see a difference?

The block on the left has the seams pressed toward the red square.  Whereas the block on your right, has the seams pressed toward the blue border.  With the left block the red square stands out from the blue background.  On the other (right) the red square recedes behind the blue background.  It depends on the look you want a block to have as to which direction you choose to press your seams.

Quilters generally press their seams to one side.  Although in more recent years, there's a tendency to press seams open.   I personally like to press my seams to one side.  There is less of a chance to see stitches when they're pressed to one side.  Plus and more importantly, you can butt (or "kiss") your seams together when joining blocks or pieces of a block.

There is ALWAYS an exception.   There are times when you have 6 to 8 seams coming together in one spot and the bulk of seams pressed to one side makes a lump.  By pressing your seams open, you elevate some of this bulk and get a flatter connection.  Most of the seams in this block by Amanda Herring are pressed to one side.  The seams connecting the units are all pressed open making the two halves much easier to join.

Direction matters when ripping out a seam as well as pressing it.   Most of us know that ripping out the bobbin thread generally is easier than ripping out the top thread.  But have you ever noticed that some times you find ripping out is easier than at other times?   I find it is easier to rip starting at the end where I stopped sewing rather than at the starting point.  Honestly, most times I can't remember which direction I sewed a seam by the time I start ripping it out.  But if it's not ripping out easily, I turn it and start at the other end.  It's like the serged seams in clothing.  You get it started at the correct end and you can pull one thread and the whole seams comes apart just like that (snap).  Unfortunately, regular seams don't come apart that easily, but direction does make a difference.

Paper Piecing

Note: You can click on images to see a larger view of them.
Corrections for Amanda Herrings Paper Pieced Flower Block (for the Ventura Modern Quilt Guild) are at the end of this post.

Most people either love it or hate it.   The obvious reason to love it is that it is a VERY accurate way to piece.  Particularly those blocks with very sharp points or a lot of small pieces.  And on the other side most people hate it because of the time it takes to rip out all the paper when you're finished.  That and having to rip out those tiny little stitches if you've made a mistake.  Then there are those who declare it wastes too much fabric.  

Hopefully you'll find through my simple guidelines, that all your negative feelings about paper piecing will go away.  I've virtually eliminated having to ever rip a seam out; there's hardly any wasted fabric and the paper comes out quickly and smoothly.

Let's start with using the right type of paper foundation.  I've purchased these two: Papers for Foundation Piecing by Martingale and Carol Doak's Foundation Paper.  I prefer the first; find it to be lighter weight.  And that's the key, a very light weight paper.  Regular copy paper is too heavy for easy tearing.  It also leaves behind paper fragments.  I've also used tracing paper when I've wanted to draw my own design.  Have not tried putting it through the copy machine.  Others I know like Velum or a very fine Pellon fabric.  The Pellon 830 Easy Pattern is designed for making patterns, but can be used for paper piecing.  It will go through an inkjet printer.  This material does NOT get removed from your block so will add weight to your quilt but you'll have no tearing out to do.

When making copies of paper piecing you want to make sure the copier hasn't distorted the size.  An easy way to test this is to draw a 1" square on your pattern.  Make a copy and then measure the square.  If the copied square is still 1" you're good to go.  If not, you might have to adjust your printer settings.  The image to the left is a pattern of Amanda Herring's and she's drawn in the 1" square for you.

Next thing that helps with quick paper removal is to use a small stitch.  The smaller the better.  On my computerized Pfaff, I drop down from a normal stitch length of 2.5  to a 1.  It's about 20 stitches to the inch.  Each machine will be different.  I know that ripping out that small of a stitch is a bear, but hopefully with the following instructions, you'll never have to rip out.  But if you do, you are better off pulling the fabrics away from each other and working your ripper in between the stitches rather than trying to rip out stitches the on either the fabric or paper side (Impossible to rip the stitches on the paper side without destroying the paper).

There are a few tools I like to use.   One is the "Add a Seam" ruler.   A normal ruler with  Quarter inch markings works just as well, but the "Add a Seam" has a raised quarter inch lip that butts up against the folded paper nicely.   Depending on where I'm working it's nice to have a roller presser to press your seams if an iron is too far away from your machine.  The other piece(s) of "equipment" I like are very thin card stock or business cards.  Makes folding your paper clean and simple.  I use the postcards that fall out of your quilt magazines and the fake credit cards you might get in the mail.  I have a card that Quilters Newsletter sent once that has backing measurements on the back.  Anything that is sturdy but thin will work.

Amanda Herring Flower Block

Cutting your pieces of fabric to the right size will eliminate a lot of waste.  I measure the sections and add a half inch to the width and length of the piece.  More recently I worked on a block from designer Amanda Herring called Flower Block.  Her pieces had the measurements written right on the pattern.  That was the first time I've come across this added bonus.   I found some of her measurements a bit big and others a bit too small, so I'd suggest if measurements are given to double check them.

Joan Leaky

Some patterns such as this one from Joan Leaky's Mariner's Compass have included the final 1/4" seam allowance around the outside edges. Amanda's pattern doesn't show this but it implies it when it says to cut along dotted line.  Other patterns will tell you to add a 1/4" around the outside edge of each section.  

The numbers on the printed pattern indicate the order in which you should add your fabric.  Amanda's pattern tells what colors go to which numbered pieces.    I like to color code my pieces.  This particular pattern called for various shades of turquoise.  So I colored a solid square in the #2 spot for the solid fabric I was using.  In the #3 spot I was using fabric with circles and the #4 spot were squares.  #1  and #5 were white, so I left them blank.  By using a colored pencil on each of your pieces you don't have to be checking back at your ledger to see which fabrics you assigned to which number.  One less chance of having to rip out the wrong fabric!  

For most of the rest of my instructions, I'll be using the Flower Block by Amanda Herring.  It was a free pattern I found on the Modern Quilt Guild's website.   

Now that we have our fabrics cut, our pattern pieces color coded it's time to start the actual sewing process!  You're going to be sewing along the line between section 1 and 2 to start.  You're sewing on the lines so the fabric will be under the paper.  I always place the paper with the section I'm adding away from me (or at the top).  In this case, its Section 2.  And it will be folded down towards me.  This is where those magazine postcards, or fake credit cards come into use.  Place a card on the line on top of Section 1.  Fold the paper (Section 2) over your card 

White Section 1 Fabric

and make a nice crease.  Leaving the paper folded, place the fabric for Section 1 under the paper so that a 1/4" shows above the fold.  The wrong side of the fabric is against the paper.  You can see through the paper to see that your fabric extends beyond the outline of Section 1.   Take the fabric for Section 2 and as with regular sewing, you'll place the right side against the right side of the first fabric or Section 1 fabric, matching the top edge of the  fabric. 
Again, look through the paper (you may want to hold it up to a light or window, so you can see if the fabric covers section 2 on the paper.  In this case the turquoise fabric (Section 2) extends farther to the right than the white fabric for Section 1.

 Turquoise Section 2 fabric

Begin & end 1/4" past line

REMEMBER to adjust you stitch length to 20/per inch.  Fold the paper back "up" and stitch on the line between Section 1 and 2.  Make sure you begin your stitching as least 1/4" before the line begins and end at least 1/4" past the line.  This will ensure your fabric will be enclosed in the cross seam.  Trim your threads and fold your fabric into position.  Press with a dry iron or use a roller to press the seam.  This will be the hardest seam to do; getting both fabrics in the correct position since neither has been sewn in yet.

Tear the paper to get your fold

Add-A-Quarter

 For Section 3, turn your paper so that  Section 3 at the top laying away from you.  Lay your card on the line between Section 1 and 3.  Fold just the paper down over the card.   You won't be able to fold the paper with out tearing it a bit where the end of the 1-2 seam is.   Once your  paper is folded along the line between Section 1 and 3, it's time to trim off the excess fabric from Section 1.  This is where the "Add-a-Quarter" ruler comes in handy.  The lip of the raised part snugs up against the paper and allows you to trim without the ruler slipping.  A regular ruler will work also.  Now you have a nice straight edge of fabric to line up your next piece of fabric.  (After making the first of this block, I found if I increased the with of the fabric, I had a big enough triangle of fabric left to use for another section #1).

Place fabric 3 rights sides to fabric 1, above the folded line.  Look through the paper again to make sure you have Section 3 covered with the 3rd fabric.  In the picture to the right, the arrows point to the edges of fabric 3 and how they extend beyond the shaded Section 3.  (For those of you who are very observant, you may notice this fabric 3 is different from other pictures posted.  I didn't have a good picture with the original fabric. Actually, the solid turquoise is also different.) 

Again, fold the paper back and sew on the line between 1 and 3 making sure you've extended your stitching beyond the line you're sewing.  Once sewn, fold fabric 3 up and press seam.   

Here's the part that makes paper piecing so great.  Getting that point were fabrics 2 and 3 meet.  Place your card on the line for adding fabric 4.  You'll have to tear away where the stitches cross from fabrics 2 and 3.  If you have made your stitches small enough, you'll get a clean tear without loosening your stitches.   Trim the fabric as you did before and line up the 4th fabric.   

Line up the fabric and check that it is covering the Section 4.  When  you sew across the line make sure you hit the spot where the two cross seams intersect.  When you press your fabric up you should have a perfect point.  To be honest, I had to take another stab at hitting that point exactly right.  Fortunately, I did not have to rip it out because I was short of the point rather than over the point.  

The final fabric to this piece is the background and crosses over Sections 1, 2 and 3.
My postcard wasn't long enough so I had to fold over part of the line and then move the card to complete the fold.   (A suggestion: at Home Shows, or fairs keep your eye out for vendors that have very thin plastic rulers with their logos on them.  They work great for this.)

Once you have your fold and your fabric trimmed, line up your last piece for Section 5.  This particular pattern had us cut the strip 2 1/2 X 8" and I felt it could have been 2 X 8 1/4".   It's a perfect example of doubling checking the measurements before cutting.  The arrow on the picture to the left show that the fabric barely covers the edge of Section 5.

Once that is sewn into place, press the piece with a dry iron.  It will look a bit strange until you trim it.    Flip the piece to the paper side.  On this pattern you're cutting on the outside lines (dotted lines).  Remember each pattern is different.  You may have to add a 1/4" seam to the outside line of someone else's pattern.
Once it's all trimmed, you have one unit complete.  Each of the next 5 units will be pieced in the same fashion.  Each will be the perfect size and will come together with ease.  

Here are a few pictures of the final units, paper side and fabric side. 

When your stitches are small the paper tears off cleanly.  You may have to use the point of your seam ripper to get the middle section started and to pick out any small pieces that get trapped in the pointy tip.  

On this pattern we were told to sew together two halves of the block first.  You'll notice I pressed the seams open where I joined each 3 unit piece into a half block.  I did this because I knew there there going to be a lot of seams converging in the middle and that the center would lay flatter if the seams were open.

When jointing the two halves together, I found the  spot where the points should meet and stuck a pin through it and the one on the opposite side.  

Sally Collins is a small scale quilter. In a class I took from her she said that once you have the "centering" pin through both pieces, use two other pins to pin the pieces together on either side of the "centering" pin.  Do not turn the "centering" pin to pin the pieces together.  If you do it will distort the line up of the fabrics.  You can read about it in her book "Mastering Precision Piecing" .  We belonged to the same guild for many years and I was fortunate to learn a great deal from her.

The block is now assembled and trimmed to 12 1/2".  It was nice of Amanda to have the background fabrics larger than necessary so that the block could be trimmed to size.

Another project I've been working on (for years) is a Hunter's Star quilt.  I took the original size and reduced it way down.  BIG mistake.  It's become my "retreat" block.  I take it every year and work on it until I get bored with it.  It's the same piece over and over.  Should never have made it so small!  You can see by the picture, how much I reduced the size.  My granddaughter helps me lay it out once in awhile so I can see how many more little triangles I need to make.

I hope you've learned a few new tricks that will help with your paper piecing.

I made another Mariner's compass for an example star block for a block exchange I jointed.  Here are some pictures of how that went together.  

Cut fabric Mariner's compass

Pieced Unit 1 of 8

  

Corrections for the Ventura Modern Quilt Guild May Block:

1.   Piece 1 and 5 are background (White), Pieces 2 and 3 will be the flower petals (two different of the same color) and color 4 is the center of the flower.

2.  Cutting corrections:

            a.   Background fabric:

• Cut 1 strip of 4” wide by WOF.  From that cut 5 81/4” pieces.  Use 4 of them for Unit A, C, D & F piece 5.
• Take the last one cut it in half lengthwise giving you 2 - 8 ¼ X 2” pieces. Use them for Unit B and E, piece 5.
• Cut 3 pieces 3 X 5”.  Use for Piece 1 on 3 units.   After sewing 3 of the units and have trimmed these 3 pieces, use the fabric for the remaining Piece 1s (on the next 3 units.  

            b.  Center Piece 4
                 These only need to be cut 2 1/2" X 2 3/4".

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Continuous Quilting for a 9 Patch and Ohio Star

Been messing around figuring out how to continuously quilt an Ohio Star - not a pieced block, just the star itself.  Came up with this.  Figured I may as well do a 9 patch as well.  Hope someone else out there might be able to use these.  (You need to click on the picture in order to see the Ohio Star.)

Backing fabric for your Quilt

Most LongArmers like to have the backing fabric 6 to 8 inches wider than your quilt top.  That gives them 3 to 4 inches on each side of your quilt.   And at least 10" longer than your quilt.  More is better than scrimping.  Quilting on a longarm machine actually takes up a bit more fabric on the back.  These extra inches will allow for any "shrinkage" during the quilting process.   I always told my clients to leave whatever length their backing ends up to be alone.  That way they would get one piece back rather then having them cut the backing down to 10" and then me trimming off the backing and giving them another small piece.

Whenever possible I like to use a solid piece for the backing fabric.  It usually comes in a width of 108".  Your Longarm Quilter will love it! 

When piecing your backing horizontal seams are the best.  And when I say horizontal, I mean I want the seams to run the same direction as my longarm rails.  Let's say it's going to take 3 lengths of backing fabric to make the backing of a Queen size quilt top.  Each piece would be cut around 95".  Most fabric is 42" with the selvages cut off.  That will give you a backing piece of 95" by 125" inches.

The diagram shows how to piece the fabric.  Remove the selvages from both sides of the center piece and the seam edges of the top and bottom piece.  Leave the selvages on the top  and the bottom of the other two pieces.  If you're quilting on your domestic machine, this will help the edges from fraying.  If you are giving it to a Longarm quilter, she'll appreciate the selvages when she is pinning the backing to her leaders.

To insure that you have enough backing fabric I use this technique.  I first fold my backing into quarters.  Then I fold my quilt into quarters and lay it on top of the backing.  Aligning the two folded edges.   As you can see the amount of backing hanging off the off the table is ample for the length of the backing.  Remember it's double that amount since the length is folded in half.   On the right side of the picture above and the one on the right, you can see there is ample backing fabric for the sides of the quilt.  Sorry this example is white on top of white.  Hope you can see it.  If you are viewing this from an email notification, you might want to go to the blog site.  The pictures are a bit more clear and larger.




I recently had the pleasure of hearing Dora Cary lecture.  She said she does her quilting on a domestic machine.  She NEVER pins or bastes her quilt sandwich.  Dora always uses 100% cotton batting that grips the fabric.  She smooths out the backing fabric, layers on the batting, hand pressing it against the backing.  Then she layers on the quilt top and again hand presses it smooth against the batting.  She had a quilt with her that was partially quilted.  We could see that the layers were smooth and "stuck" together.  I haven't tried this, but it sure would be a time saver.  She was a very interesting speaker.  I'd highly recommend her to any guild looking for a good speaker.  https://www.orangedotquilts.com/

Feel free to send questions along about any making backing fabric.  The method for checking to see if you have enough backing fabric is a fast and true method.  I've used it on wall hangings to CA King size quilts, it never fails.

Quilt Labels

How many times have you come across an antique quilt and wondered about the maker.  Who was she/he?  Why did they make this particular quilt?  Where did she/he live?  

Some day someone may be asking the same questions about your quilts.   So PLEASE put a label on the back of your quilt!   Not only for historical purposes, but for your family.  When did Mom make that quilt?   Was this Mom's quilt or Aunt Jane's?  Quilts that are given as gifts should have a label too. 

There are different ways to add a label.  As a longarm quilter, I found that most people add a label after the quilt has been quilt.  They'll sew it down in the corner using the binding to cover 2 of the four raw edges and turning under the other two edges.  If you are piecing the label into the back make sure you have it moved away from the edges of the backing.  You don't want to have it quilted and then find your label didn't make it all the way into the backing.   There were several quilts I quilted for clients that I had to load the quilt with the bottom of the quilt and backing at the top of my machine to make sure the label made it into the quilt!

Some people fold a square of fabric in half into a triangle, and again sew it into the corner binding, having only the folded edge to tack down.  Some have left this folded edge unsewn and tucked in washing instructions if the quilt is given as a gift.

An example of a label sewn into the backing  is one of my own quilts.  It was a simple Irish chain quilt that I had planned to use penguin fabric I loved.  It was a queen sized quilt that I was hand quilting.  I was afraid my husband wouldn't want penguins all over our bed quilt.  I ended up quilting the outline of penguins on the front and put my penguin fabric and block on the back.  It became the label.

You can print out labels too.  Either with pre-bought fabric attached to paper, or make your own using freezer paper.  I did this one to the left for a quilt I was entering in an exhibit.  (I've blacked out my phone number, and old address for this posting.)  I should redo the label for a more personal touch.

For the most part labels are hand written with indelible ink.  Writing on fabric can be difficult.  Iron a piece of freezer paper to the back of the fabric to stabilize it.  I can't write straight for the life of me.   Using a heavy Sharpie, I draw lines on the paper side of the freezer paper.  Once it's ironed onto the fabric, you can see the lines and write out a nice label.

Which brings us to What do you write on a label.   Of course your name and date.  I generally use the month and year I finished the quilt.  If it's for a birthday or wedding, use that date.  You can also add your city and state.  The title of the quilt if you've given it one.  A message to someone you're giving it to.  You may want to add how the quilt was pieced or quilted.  (By hand or machine). Type in Quilt labels on the internet and you'll find all sorts of poems or sayings for labels.  You can even find decorated labels you can print on fabric.

The label  below I printed for a miniature double wedding ring quilt I made for my great niece.  Since she is not a quilter, I gave her information about the quilt design.  Added her name for ownership of the quilt and the date of their wedding.  Then a message from us, and finally how the quilt was made and by whom.  I had made a similar one for her brother when he married.  They were small enough to put in shadow box frames.

You'll notice I generally use my maiden name as my middle name.  This is so that in the future, if one of my quilts is deemed an antique and someone is trying to track my history, they have my maiden name.

The Double Wedding Ring Quilts for my niece & nephew

Hope these have given you some ideas on how to create your own labels.  Now go get labels on your quilts!