Beginner's Guide To Quilting - UK (2020-04)

Patchwork Made Easy

LEARN THE BASICS
Straight seams
This is the easiest type of seam to sew,
and the most common type of seam you’ll
need to sew when you’re working with
patchwork projects. See our step-by-step
guide to sewing a straight seam (right).

Nesting seams
This is a way of pressing your seams so
they fit together (or ‘nest’) neatly when
you line them up with another pieced
section. See page 49 to find out more.

Strip piecing
Strip piecing is a nifty technique that you
can use to sew two, three or more strips
of fabric together and then cut them into
larger shapes or blocks. It’s a great
technique for speedy piecing, and for
transforming long solid fabric strips into
funky checked or stripy patterns. See our
step by step guide on page 44.

Chain piecing
This is a nifty way to speed up your
piecing if you’re machine sewing together
a batch of similar-shaped pieces of fabric.
You sew your two pieces together, but
instead of cutting the thread you feed the
next pair onto the same thread on your
machine, then snip them apart later.
See page 54 for our easy tutorial.

HOW TO PRESS YOUR SEAMS 5 6
Pressing is an important part of
patchwork and quilting and can make a
huge difference to the look of your
finished project. Follow these useful
guidelines for great results.
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will make cutting more accurate.
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seam open first, to set the stitches and

then press it to one side or according to

the project instructions.

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press towards the darker fabric if

possible. This way the colour won’t show

through the paler fabric on the right side.

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can stretch and distort the bias edges of

fabric. Spray starch is useful to stabilise

fabrics and give them more body.

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your piecing can be finger pressed –

particularly if you’re sewing small units

or short seams. Simply use your

thumbnail against a hard surface to

press the seam flat.

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that will later be sewn together, press the

seams in opposite directions where

possible so they ‘nest’ together neatly (see

page 49 for our guide to nesting seams).

Beginner’s Guide to Quilting 41

Top tip

For the neatest

results, use a ¼in

(6mm) seam

allowance.

Sewing a straight seam

USE THIS BASIC TECHNIQUE TO START SEWING SHAPES

TOGETHER, ADD A BORDER OR ATTACH BINDING.

STEP 1 Cut your fabric

pieces to the size you need.

Place the first two pieces

right sides together, lining

up the edges to sew.

STEP 2 Pin the two pieces

together, then sew along the

edge to secure them in place,

using a ¼in (6mm) seam.

STEP 3 Take the sewing off the

machine and press the seams

open or to one side.

If you are piecing

two rows of units

together, place pins

either side of each

seam to stop the

fabric moving.

Press seams in opposite directions,

so they ‘nest’ together.

Press towards darker fabrics to avoid the

risk of colours showing through.

HOW TO PRESS SEAMS

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5 6