Piece It! Irresistible Charm Construction Techniques
June 01, 2009 | By
In this installment of the QuiltPossible! series, we explore how to master the 1/4" seam allowance used for quilting.
Mastering the 1/4" Seam
Unlike home decorating and apparel, the standard seam allowance for quilting is a mere 1/4" wide. This does not allow a lot of room for error, so precision is almost a necessary evil of quilting. In charm quilts, consistency is more important than precision, but in more complex projects, you will appreciate having learned how to master the 1/4" seam.
Why is this seam allowance so important? There are so many variable that come into play, and at 1/4" wide, every factor is magnified. Not only do you need to cut the blocks the same size, but you even need to consider the size of the needle and the thread you use, as those also contribute to the size of your seam. I won't go into the gory technical details; the goal here is to show you how to produce your own 1/4" seam using the materials you use every day.
First, you need a sheet of paper, a pen with a fine point (or a mechanical pencil), and an acrylic ruler with 1/4" markings. Line up the ruler on the edge of the paper at the 1/4" mark and draw a line.
Along this line, every inch or so, draw a line perpendicular to the line you drew, so that you divide the line into segments.
Next, you need your sewing machine. I am assuming that your machine has a variable needle position (if this is not the case, leave a comment, and I will address how to do this if your machine does not have an adjustable needle position.) Choose a presser foot that you will designate for quilting (some machines come with 1/4" presser feet; others just have basic feet.) Every time you set up for quilting, you want to use the same settings, so knowing which foot you will use is important.
Take the piece of paper to your sewing machine, and align the edge of the paper with the edge of the presser foot. (My machine has a foot with a metal guide on the edge.) I prefer to keep the machine threaded for this - sewing on paper shouldn't hurt the machine and has a negligible effect on the life of the needle.
Wit the needle in the normal position, I can see that this is not the right position for a 1/4" seam, so I have to move my needle to the right. Before I move the needle though, I want to actually stitch down this line, keeping the paper aligned with the edge of the foot. This establishes my benchmark setting.
As I approach the next line, I move my needle to the right to get it closer to the line, and stitch to the next section. As you go, write down the needle position you used in each section. Keep stitching this way until your needle is as far as it can go or until you reach the end of the paper. If you are at the end of the paper, but you still haven't reached the line, draw a 1/4" line on the other edge of the paper & repeat.
Notice how my stitch setting at 3.0 looks close? That is a mistake you want to be careful not to make. It is very close to the line, but it actually is just next to the line, on the left of it as I stitched it. While this seems like a small difference, just think that if you are off of your seam just 1/16 of an inch, that means that every 16 inches of seams, you are off by one inch. That doesn't seem like a lot, but for a queen sized quilt, the difference can be 5 inches or more.
The setting 3.3 is also very close, but this is sitting on top of the line, and this is also not correct. It is very very close, but still not close enough.
The setting at 3.5 is actually the correct setting on my machine; this is what quilters call a scant 1/4" seam. That is, it's almost 1/4", but is just shy of being 1/4". This small difference actually works in your favor; when you take into consideration the width of the thread in the seam allowance, this scant 1/4" is enough to account for it, and blocks come out to be the right size.
Just for your information, even experienced quilters need to review this to make sure they are indeed using the scant 1/4" seam. I'll let you in on a little secret - I've been stitching quilts using the 2.5 needle position for months! It wasn't until writing this tutorial that I discovered how off my seams were. This is where consistency comes in; because I was always consistent in my error, my quilts turned out fine, although it was quite vexing for them to end up smaller than I expected!
In the next installment: how to square your fabric for rotary cutting, as we put together our first 9-patch charm block!
Did you miss an earlier installment of QuiltPossible! in this series? Catch up here!
Feature Article: QuiltPossible! Irresistible Charm
Piece It!: Irresistible Charm Block Styles
Photo Credits:
All Photos by Ebony Love
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Each QuiltPossible! series includes:
Feature Article: Serves as the introduction to the series, and explores the origins, history, and modern evolution of the quilt style to be featured.
Piece It!: Provides more detail of a particular block within that series and recommended construction techniques; there may be more than one Piece It! within the series.
Switch It!: Demonstrates variations of a block within that series; different shapes, color ways, and other options to explore beyond the basic techniques.
Try It!: Offers tutorials of specific projects utilizing the blocks featured in Switch It! Projects are not limited to quilts, and will be geared toward beginning and intermediate crafters.
Bind It!: Presents a variety of finishing techniques (bindings, embellishments, labels, etc.) to add spice and personality to your QuiltPossible! projects.
Feature articles are typically published once per month, with subsequent articles published every Monday and Thursday.
Ebony is an avid quilter & crafter in the greater Chicago area, and you can see her work via her online portal at LoveBug Studios.
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