Today's Quilter - UK (2019-11)

67

ESSENTIALGUIDElfabricstripweaving

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Fig 1 Turned- edge strip

Fig 2 Tube strip with seam outside

Fig 3 Tube strip with seam inside

Fig 4 Tube strip with batting

TURNED EDGE STRIPS
Thisis a commonmethod,wherea stripis cutinwider
thanneededwiththelongedgesturnedunderbyinand
pressed(seeFig 1 ). Judgingtheinseambyeyeis usually
sucient.Usingspraystarchwillhelptoturntheedgesover
andfixtheminplace.A projectmayrequiredozensofstrips,
soit’sa goodideatoarrangeyourpressing area so you can
sit comfortably as you prepare them.

TUBE STRIPS
Thismethodusesmorefabricbutdoescreatea thicker,more
robustpieceofwork.It alsoallowsthefabricstripstobe
paddedwithbattingif desired.Tocalculatethesizeofthe
striptocut,takethefinalsizeyourequire,doubleit andthen
addin.So,fora 2infinishedstrip,cuta 4instrip. Tube
strips can be prepared in three dierent ways:

Seamoutside:Theseamcanbeontheoutside(rightside)
oftheworkasshowninFig 2. Here,thestripis foldedinhalf
alongthelength,withwrongsidestogetherandainseam
sewn.Thestripis thenpressedwiththeseammanoeuvred
torundownthecentrebackofthestrip,sotheallowance
won’t show. The seam can be pressed open or to one side.

Seaminside:Theseamcanbeontheinsideofthework
withtheallowancenotshowingat all.Foldthestripinhalf
alongthelength,asbefore,butthistimewithrightsides
together.Sewtheinseam,turnthestripthroughtothe
rightsideandpress.Theseamcanrundownonesideorbe
manoeuvredtothecentreback,asinFig 3. Turninga strip
throughtotherightsidecanbedonewitha seamturner
gadget.Alternatively,youcanusea largesafetypinattached
tooneshortedgeofthestripandthenfeed it through the
strip, pulling the fabric tube with it.

Paddedstrip:If youwanta morepaddedlooktothe
finishedpiece,usea stripofbattinginsidea tubestrip.This
is alsoa goodideaforwhenyou’remakingplacematsasit
willhelpblockheat.Youcouldalsousespecialheat-resistant
batting.Thebattingneedstobeplacedononehalfofthe
wrongsideofthefabricstrip,leavingenoughroomfora
seam,asinFig4A. Fixthebattinginplaceeitherbyusing
fusiblebattingorbysprayingthebattingwithfabricglue.
Foldthestripwithbattingrightsidestogetherandsewthe
seam(Fig4B). Turn through to the right side and press.

PREPARING STRIPS
Therearevariouswaysto preparethefabricstripsandthemethodyouchoosewilldepend
onthefinaluseandpersonalpreference.Stripsneedto be prepareda coupleof inches longer
than the final size of the block to allow for ease of weaving and final trimming.

Strip of batting

Wrong side of fabric

RAW EDGE STRIPS
Edgescanbeleftrawif youwanttogivetheweavinga rusticlook.Oncewoven,quiltingover
thewholepiecewillhelpkeepyourstripsinplaceandpreventthemfromunravellingfurther.
A deliberately frayed edge on silk strips can look very attractive, especially in an art quilt.

B

A