Piecing
A. Accurate, Efficient Piecing
Accuracy and consistency are the key to successful piecing. You want each block to be able to match in size. Almost all quilt patterns call for ¼” seam allowances. To check to see if your seam allowances are accurate, you can do a test. For example, you want to make a 6” finished Four Patch block. Cut four 3½” squares and sew two of them together, using a ¼” seam allowance and the same thread you plan to use to make all blocks in your quilt. Press the seam over to one side and measure those two pieces. They should measure 3½ × 6½”. If your measurements are smaller or larger, adjust your needle position and re-sew until you have an accurate measurement. If your machine doesn’t have the capability to adjust positions, you can lay a small ruler underneath your sewing foot and manually bring down your needle to the ¼” line. Then place a piece of painter’s tape next to the edge of your ruler to give you a guideline.
Francis Stanley, Slidell, LA
Use a “leader” and a “follower” so you never have to pick up the presser foot. Start with the leader fabric (a small scrap about ½ × 1½”) and then proceed to sew your seams. At the end of the seam, just sew off onto the follower fabric, which becomes the leader for the next seam. This is to make sure that the bobbin thread does not pull the seam down into the machine or cause a wad of thread to appear on the back of the seam.
Mary Heidemann, Daykin, NE
An important step if you’re machine piecing is to put a light to the right of your needle instead of the left. This eliminates the shadow that can throw off your ¼”!
Ruth Anglin, Tijeras, NM
I find that folding pieces in half and creasing the centers for alignment has greatly helped in the accuracy of my piecing.
Janet Bland, Smyrna, GA
If I’m using a lighter weight fabric line along with a heavier fabric, I may use some light interfacing in order to keep the lighter one from stretching while sewing. Starch is another alternative.
Kathie Wilson, Camarillo, CA
I love to work with small pieces. I will cut them larger, sew them, and then trim them to a small, perfect size.
Barbara Clarke, Woodbridge, CA
It never hurts to make some extra blocks, whether as practice blocks or as extras to audition in a quilt design. These are fun to incorporate into the quilt backing or to use as a signature block on the back. They can also be the starting point for matching pillows.
Jan Mast, Lancaster, PA
Make a sample block first. Even after many, many years of quilting, I still do that. Sometimes I will use the fabric from the quilt I’m making, but most often I will use scraps to be sure that the cutting and piecing instructions are correct. Very often I will find that I need to tweak a size, or prefer a different method of construction. Sometimes, I’ve make a block and realized I really didn’t like it and have changed the quilt plan because of it.
Sally Eshelman, York, PA
I achieve accuracy by sewing slowly; I have to make myself slow down sometimes.
Vicki DiFrancesco, Conowingo, MD
I piece my quilts with pins, lots and lots of pins. I find that fork pins work well with 90° angle piecing (such as Four Patches or Nine Patches). In all other piecing, I like to use flat-head quilting pins.
Steaming the seams is also another important factor in keeping my seams straight and in place as I am piecing a block into the whole quilt.
I keep a notebook of the stitch length, width, and, if necessary, foot used, and needle placement.
Lisa Hughes, Richland, NY
I keep a notebook of the stitch length, width, and, if necessary, foot used, and needle placement. This record-keeping really helps with reproduce-ability and consistent block sizes.
LynDee Lombardo, Olympia, WA
I always use pins. I also sew over pins. I admit that I bend a lot of pins, and break an occasional needle, but my piecing is very accurate.
Carol Lattimore, Ozark, AL
When pinning, I place my pins perpendicular to the edge that needs to be sewn with the point of the pin pointing towards that edge. That way, if I put down the pinned piece and come back to it later, I know the edge that needs to be sewn: my pins are pointing to it!
Sue Hurley, Princeton, NJ
I use the thinnest pins I can buy (yellow/blue glass heads by Clover) and take the smallest bite with the pin. Also, my pin heads are on the outside of the seam, pulling them out onto the bed as I approach the needle, which creates less shifting. I also nestle the seams together, pin at a seam, then pin in between seams, too. I’m a pinner!
Michele Rutolo, Sinking Spring, PA
I set my scant ¼” seam by using the Perfect Piecing Seam Guide by Perkins Dry Goods to mark the throat plate on my machine with several layers of masking tape. I find that strip piecing is the most efficient way to assemble parts of a quilt.
Alice O’Dwyer, Wilmington, NC
Top 10 Must-Have Sewing Room Items, According to Our Survey
. . . An iPad or laptop for inspiration, tutorials, free patterns and chatting. A camera so you can take pictures of your project to share online with your quilting buddies. A furry friend so you don’t get lonely.
Karen Martin, Breezy Point, MN
Make sure you have an accurate ¼” seam. Don’t judge the seam by markings on the sewing machine. The seam is from the edge of the fabric to the needle.
Janet Bland, Smyrna, GA
I love Aurifil thread for piecing. It takes up less space in a seam and makes it easier to get a ¼” seam without having to sew such a scant ¼” seam.
Frances Courson, Maryville, TN
I drew a line with a fine-tip Sharpie on the right side of my presser foot to show the ¼” mark.
Gail Hosmer, Westminster, MD
A precise and consistent seam allowance goes a long way toward guaranteeing accurate piecework. Adjusting the needle one position to the right or left to compensate for a presser foot that’s not accurate is a great way to assure a precise ¼” seam.
Jan Mast, Lancaster, PA
I pin and I am careful to match my seams. I have also put a drop of Elmer’s white glue on the seam if it is a small piece and pressed it—thus no distortion of the seam from pins.
Dee Johnson, Mankato, MN
I use a permanent fine-tipped marker and draw the ¼˝ sewing lines around each piece (tedious to others but a step I do enjoy). Next, I use tiny bites of a running stitch from each end of the seam, leaving the ¼˝ seam allowance open. Following these steps ensures perfect points and junctures.
Joanne Picicci, Spokane, WA
Another trick I just learned is that, since your machine’s upper and lower feeds feed at a slightly different rate, it can create an “arc” or bowing over the length of a strip when you are strip piecing. The trick is to alternate which end you start sewing from. That way you are alternating which fabric is on the bottom. For example, if you are joining sets of two strips, when you join two pairs together, start sewing at the other end. I use a pin at the end of each set to remind me where I started sewing. This makes the seams’ natural tendency to bow get spread evenly in both directions.
Nancy Henry, Rochester, NH
I found my best trick is when I add the borders. I find the center of the quilt and make a small crease there. Then I find the center of the border and put a small crease—however, I crease the fabric so they nest. If I press the quilt right sides together, then I crease the border wrong sides together so the little crease will nest nicely and then I pin on each side of the crease.
I make sure that all seams butt together exactly by pressing all seams in opposite directions and pinning them so they do not shift. I also measure for accuracy every step of the way so any wonky pieces can be corrected right away.
Iva Burroughs, Newark, DE
I piece accurately by using exact seam allowances and making sure they are consistent throughout a quilt.
I piece efficiently by chain piecing: I will send many pieces through the machine and keep them hooked together, moving them to the ironing board to press. I press them and then snip them apart and place them in appropriate piles. I use trays to stack pieces. If there are too many for a stack, I may use a bowl or larger box to keep them separated. This tray or box is then moved back to the machine for quick transportation and further piecing.
Kris Ranck, Indianapolis, IN
When you piece a quilt, press as you go. By the time you finish a block, it is pressed.
The same is true when putting the blocks together. Press each seam as you go and when you are finished sewing, you are also finished pressing.
Instead of using your finger to finger press when piecing, try using a wallpaper seam roller—it works great.
Marti Blankenship, Pleasant Valley, MO
Instead of using your finger to finger press when piecing, try using a wallpaper seam roller—it works great.
Barbara Kolb, Red Bank, NJ
Ironing is very important for a project. One unique benefit is that it gives you exercise! If you put your ironing board on the other side of the room or somewhere you have to walk to, it makes you get up and move around, which is beneficial mentally as well as physically.
Once I completed a geometric patterned top and had started the quilting on it when I noticed that one piece was not sewn in the right place. I was sick about it and wondered how I could fix it. I hand appliquéd the correct size and piece right over the mistake. I showed that quilt as a show-and-tell project in a club meeting, and not one person could notice a mistake or even tell that I had appliquéd over a spot! Not perfect, but it worked.
Wanda Beach, Gold River, CA
I am not much of a perfectionist, so I don’t worry if the points are not perfect. I make mostly art quilts, and the piecing is more free form.
Margo Ellis, Key West, FL
B. Machine vs. Hand Piecing
I do English paper piece specifically for a Grandmother’s Flower Garden. All my other piecing is done by machine.
Debbie McNeely, Enon, OH
I’ve only pieced one quilt by hand using a hexagon shape. I did it in bed at nighttime when my children were small and that was the only peace and quiet time I had. And, also, I could not set up my sewing machine and keep it out of way of my children.
Lorraine Frederick, Perkasie, PA
If I have a lot of intersecting seams that create too much bulk, I will elect to hand piece.
Teresa Caldwell, Long Valley, NJ
I am making a Tumbling Block charm quilt by hand. The y-seams are easier to do by hand than machine. I work on this quilt only when we are going down the road in the motor home or car. I will hand quilt it when it is pieced. I call it Tumbling Down the Road. This started as a lap size and got a bit out of hand, so it is now planned to be for my antique full-size bed.
I’ve only done hexies by hand. They make a great portable project. All other piecing I do by machine. Bernina makes a great ¼” foot, that has markings to help you stop/start ¼” from the edges, so set-in seams are not a problem.
Ila Kool, Brookings, SD
The one exception I make to machine piecing is when stubborn mitered corners don’t line up properly. Then I hand sew them.
Anne Hollenbach, Hudson, WI
I belong to a small group of quilters that meet once a week at each other’s homes. This is the best time to do hand piecing for my heirloom quilts and to keep alive my love of traditional quilting. The rest of the time, I machine piece, especially when doing quilts for others, which are mostly charity quilts.
Janet Miller, Winchester, VA
Most of my piecing is done on the machine: straight lines, gentle curves, block assembly, etc. It’s faster, and I want to see parts going up on the design wall quickly. I’ve found, though, that set-in pieces (Y’s and 90° set-ins) are more accurately done by hand.
Libbie Ellis, Tarpon Springs, FL
I think that I can hand piece as fast as doing it by machine. I love the feel of fabric and the sense of accomplishment I receive from hand piecing.
I think that I can hand piece as fast as doing it by machine. I love the feel of fabric and the sense of accomplishment I receive from hand piecing. I’m addicted to hand piecing!
Nancy Fairchild, Crossville, TN
I have pieced by hand when I have worked on vintage fabric or antique feed sacks, as the fabric era warrants doing so. I have also repaired two vintage quilts that were originally hand pieced, so I repaired both quilts by hand.
I piece by hand if I’m working on something miniature. I find it easier when sewing something tiny. Otherwise, I always piece by machine.
Brenda Radzinski, Albion, NY
Generally, I piece by machine for speed, of course. However, I always have some type of hand piecing project ready to do on the go. When I’m traveling, I take this project with me.
Marsha Hunt, Glenside, PA
When I travel, I will piece by hand. I do not have to bring a sewing machine. I have a Cathedral Window quilt I have been working on for 4 years now. Maybe I need to travel more! Otherwise I machine piece.
Barb Thomas, Wantage, NJ
I do not piece by hand. I have a lovely old Singer Featherweight on which I do all my piecing. It stitches far more consistently than I can.
Alice O’Dwyer, Wilmington, NC
C. Strip Piecing
Strip piecing can be used on quilts for efficiency where there are a number of units that are the same. Some of these quilts have the added advantage that the ¼˝ seam isn’t so important. What is important is a uniform seam allowance and straight sewing.
Joan Oldham, Panama City, FL
If you have a pattern that uses Nine-Patch blocks, strip piecing is a fast and easy way to do Nine Patches.
Patricia Henseler, Maple Grove, MN
Strip piecing works very well for a scrap quilt, such as Fence Rail, Amish diagonal designs, Log Cabin, and Broken Dishes. Strip piecing is easily cut with a rotary cutter and pieced quickly.
Julie Jaquith, Lunenburg, VT
I find the Tumbling Block pattern and Bargello are good examples of patterns for strip piecing because you can avoid y-seams and with the Bargello, you get a good amount of design freedom.
Teresa Caldwell, Long Valley, NJ
I love taking a pattern with large, solid blocks and substituting strip-pieced blocks for them. It gives the quilt a little pizzazz.
I love taking a pattern with large, solid blocks and substituting strip-pieced blocks for them. It gives the quilt a little pizzazz.
Janet Bland, Smyrna, GA
I am working on circular patterns that use strip piecing . The strips are cut in wedges and re-sewn, creating the most unusual and interesting designs.
Janet Keen, Medicine Hat, Alberta
Strip piecing is a great stash buster. It is time consuming, but you don’t have to be real exact. You just cut different widths of strips.
Mary Heidemann, Daykin, NE
You must pay attention to the level of thread in your bobbin because if the machine doesn’t alert you and you pick up the pile behind your machine, beaming with pride at how much you have accomplished . . . then, zap, you realize they are not sewn together.
Gale Priesmeyer, Bellville, TX
Recently, I learned that reversing sewing direction from one strip to the next keeps unwanted curves from developing.
Valerie Turer, Brooklyn, NY
Strip piecing works great for any pattern where you want repeat color progressions. I have found the set-up process (sewing the strips together) to be excruciatingly boring, though, and really prefer a more random, scrappy look.
Libbie Ellis, Tarpon Springs, FL
When I get bored with making lots of the same units over and over, I find it helps to keep a picture of the quilt in front of me. Often it’s a photo from a magazine, sometimes just a colored graph paper design, but it helps keep me focused on the end result.
Cathie Shelton, Montgomery Village, MD
D. Paper Piecing
Paper piecing works best for patterns that have odd-shaped elements. Pieces that can’t be cut in multiples are more suited to paper piecing.
Sharon Genners, Omaha, NE
Paper piecing liberates the block design by allowing much more complicated shapes to be accurately sewn together. Anything with odd angles, small shapes or a lot of bias edges is great for paper piecing. It helps with odd angles by enabling more accurate piecing than with templates. Small shapes are more accurate as well. It also stabilizes the fabric. For that reason, it is best not to tear away the paper until the blocks have all been sewn together.
Kari Vojtechovsky, Centennial, CO
Lots of angles and triangles and bias edges can be tamed by paper piecing. Also, blocks like New York Beauty that combine curves and triangles can’t be done easily without paper piecing.
Valerie Turer, Brooklyn, NY
When accuracy is a must for the finished block, as in Mariner’s Compass, stars, and New York Beauty, and you do not like hand piecing, paper piecing is your answer.
Mary Andra Holmes, Prescott, AZ
When paper piecing, you don’t have to cut accurately, you just need to be able to sew on the line. As long as you can sew on the line and follow the pattern, your points won’t get cut off and your blocks will be consistent.
Paper piecing allows quilters to use all of their bits and pieces of expensive fabric.
Louise Lott, Healesville, Australia
Paper piecing allows quilters to use all of their bits and pieces of expensive fabric.
Geraldine Whitley, Washington, DC
Anything that has tiny pieces and points work well for paper piecing. Small pieces are very difficult to piece, and it’s easy to cut off points if you don’t use paper piecing.
Michele Haberer, Zurich, Ontario
Paper piecing is a wonderful way to be creative. However, instead of using paper which sometimes is difficult to detach from the design, I use gauze, dryer sheets, or muslin. These fabrics can remain with the design through the quilting process. In many cases, the middle layer (batting) can be omitted from the quilting process because the muslin, gauze, and dryer sheets are substantial enough.
Geraldine Whitley, Washington, DC
Remember to shorten your stitch length when you’re paper piecing so there’s less chance of distorting the block when you remove the paper, or else use the AQ paper that stays in.
Jana Pratt, Barnegat, NJ
One of the great things about English paper piecing is that you just grab a piece of fabric and do not have to worry about bias edges. Paper piecing works best when you are using smaller scraps that may or may not be cut on the straight of grain. You get a better result, and it won’t be so distorted since you do not know how it came off the bolt.
Olivia Kuebler, Kansas City, MO
I make a lot of miniature quilts of 1 to 3” finished blocks. I am constantly asked if I achieve my accuracy via paper piecing. Fact is, my construction technique is the same as for larger blocks: rotary cut, stitch, press, trim. I find paper piecing wasteful. Though I have done paper piecing, I am not a great fan. I often think I am not dyslexic enough to grasp this “backward” technique.
E. Keeping Order with Small Pieces
Mark the pieces after you have cut them. I like the 2” Wonder Clips to hold the cut pieces together. You can mark them with a dry-erase pen so you know what you have in hand.
Karen Benke, Medina, OH
I sort colors in clear plastic sandwich bags and tack them up on a cork board, lining them up in the order I will use them.
Norma Gehman, Ephrata, PA
I use index cards and zip-lock bags. I write on the index card the step from the pattern, size of the square and how many for each block after I cut them. When I start to sew, I just look for step 1 and all the pieces are together.
Jill Armstrong, Bradenton, FL
I put the separate pieces in small plastic bags and label them with a magic marker. I then put all the small plastic bags into a larger plastic bag and mark it for each block.
Nancy Fairchild, Crossville, TN
When I have to number rows, instead of using small scraps of paper, I use pins to make the Roman numerals, as they can all be done with straight lines.
Marsha Hunt, Glenside, PA
For each quilt that I start, I place the pieces in a large bag with handles so that I can keep them together and work on several quilts at the same time. When I watch TV, I have the bag near me to pin the pieces together for sewing. I often get the bags from places like Olive Garden, Panera Bread, or Bath and Body works.
Donna Dickinson, Harrington, DE
I use an old, rimmed cookie sheet to line up my pieces in order. I tape a label for each piece across the edge before placing the pieces on the tray. I slide the tray into a large plastic bag in between sewing sessions to keep the pieces in order.
When I am “kitting” a quilt (making a kit) for future piecing, I separate the pieces into labeled sandwich bags for each block.
Barbara Merritt, Brackney, PA
I doubt that I have ever made a quilt that did not have a tray involved.
I like to use low-cut boxes such as the ones canned goods arrive in at the store to organize cut pieces. I also use lots of trays. I doubt that I have ever made a quilt that did not have a tray involved.
Susan Eaglaton, Maryville, TN
I have used clean pizza boxes with a layer of batting to keep cut pieces from shifting.
Charda Seuferer, Des Moines, IA
I use cupcake tins as a great way to organize small pieces. I can label each section.
Kathie Wilson, Camarillo, CA
I save the boxes that prewashed salad greens come in. They are a nice big size and they are clear plastic. The boxes stack nicely, I can see contents at a glance, and they are free.
Emily Galea, Boca Raton, FL
As I am cutting pieces out, if there are not too many, I place them on paper plates and stack them on top of each other. If there are lots and lots of pieces, I have plastic containers that I label with the specific piece information. If I have to put stacks of several shapes in the same container, then I will label the top shape on each stack with an office dot that has the identifying information on it.
Juanita Brandt, Huntsville, AL
Lori Holt of Bee in my Bonnet shows how to make small project boards. The board is covered with batting or flannel, so the pieces stay put, and I can move them from the cutting table to my machine. I have several of these boards, and I love them.
Twila Sikkink, Clear Lake, WI
Sometimes I pin the pieces to a block of styrofoam to keep them organized.
E. Anne Hendrickson, Toledo, OR
To organize strips, I often use a clothes-hanger-type rack for men’s ties.
Marsha Hunt, Glenside, PA
I hang a flannel-backed vinyl tablecloth on my wall with the flannel side out as a design wall. It can be taken down and folded up with the project on it if it needs to be moved, taken to class and brought home intact. I have a couple tablecloths and can change out when necessary.
Martha Ethridge, Rolla, MO
If the pieces are small, I cut as I go so I don’t lose anything.
J. Duda, East Amherst, NY