Before you look at the title and tell me that you don’t mind if your quilts aren’t perfect . . they’re made to be loved, I know what you’re saying. But, sometimes, especially if you’re wanting to use a pieced border, you have to strive to get the blocks the right size so that it comes out correct when it’s time to add those pieced border. The Road to Llano quilt is a good example of having the top nice and correct before you get to the borders. There are a lot of bias edges on the outer edge of the quilt and if the blocks are off much, it’s going to be a struggle. Yes, there are plenty of pretty and well loved quilts that don’t have pieced borders and it doesn’t matter a whole lot in the end if everything matches up. But, if you have a bit of trouble and if you want to do a little better, this series of posts is for you!
My quilts are far from perfect. I do know how to make a perfect quilt, but I don’t always do it. When I was traveling and teaching, folks often asked me if I was nervous when speaking. I wasn’t . . but it did make me nervous to have people looking closely at my piecing! It isn’t always perfect but knowing a few tips that can make it close to perfect can surely make those blocks and rows go together easier.
When cooking, sometimes it’s hard to create a perfect dish. For example, how do you perfectly time the cooking of potatoes. Some potatoes are done just right after a certain amount of time, while others, even from the same bag may take a bit longer or shorter cooking time to be perfect. And steak . . it can look fantastic in the package and not be so tender or tasty. So, you see, it’s much easier to have a perfect quilt than to produce a perfect dinner!
In my opinion, a quilt does not necessarily have to be perfect to be a lovely quilt and it certainly doesn’t have to be perfect to be loved and cherished. Very few quilts will be show quilts.
This post is probably more about making the piecing process easier on yourself than it is about having a quilt that can get past the quilt police without at least one citation. 🙂
These are tips that have worked well for me through the years. There’s really no right or wrong way to do so many thing so if you’re doing something completely different and are getting good results .. that’s great — this is for the folks who are not happy with their results.
- Washing the fabric before using it – some folks do not wash it. If you don’t, that’s fine. I do. First, that fabric has been sitting around . . look at where it was made! It’s been on a boat, in a warehouse, on a UPS truck, in a shop. I just plain don’t like the feel of unwashed fabric. It seems a bit “creepy” to me. Not creepy as in spiders and scorpion creepy but it wants to wiggle and slide and not stay where I put it. Also, there’s the issue of color fastness. I’ve had name brand fabrics bleed even after washing. And, there’s the shrinkage factor. I use a cotton batting so my quilts are going to shrink some but if using all different fabrics, without getting into the different greige goods aspect of fabrics, you’ve experienced that fabrics, even by the same manufacturer, feel differently. Take Moda for example. I love Sandy’s Solids. They’re a bit thicker and “less wiggly” than Moda Marbles, which I find thin and crawly. Different fabrics are going to shrink at different rates. Do you want all the ecru fabric in your top to shrink a different amount from all the navy fabric in your quilt, and then the batting shrink also, along with the backing? I do not! So, for cleanliness, color fastness, feel and shrinkage, I wash all my fabrics.
- Pressing – Before cutting fabric, I give it a good spritzing with starch. Vicki Welsh has a homemade liquid starch recipe here that she loves and I use also. Through the years, I’ve heard that start (cornstarch) will attract bugs that eat fabric. Since we certainly have our share of bugs here in Texas, and I don’t want them eating my fabric, I only use this when I’m working on the quilt and I plan to finish it and wash it fairly soon. I do not use starch on the fabric I’m pressing if I’m ironing stash fabric. If I’m working off a big piece of fabric, I only starch the end where I’ll be cutting. Mary Ellen’s Best Press is great. I use it when I don’t have a batch of Vicki’s starch made up. It’s expensive though, and I go through a lot of starch. Having the fabric fairly crispy when cutting helps me get more accurate cuts.
- Cutting – Over time, the edges of most rulers will wear down. I noticed this when I looked at the edge of one of my favorite rulers and saw that it had a bit of a curved edge instead of a straight edge. Cutting against that edge for years and years had worn it down a bit. Check your rulers to be sure they’re very accurate. If you’re using an old, heavily used ruler, it may be time to replace it.
- Rotary Blades – This is where the quilt police would get me for sure. There’s no need to have your cutter gnawing through fabric! Change the blade when it gets dull. I never realize how dull my blade has gotten til I put a new one in. When I’ve talked about this before, I’ve been surprised at how often some folks change their blades. Honestly, if I don’t run over a pin or worse, my blades are usually good for about 6 months and I do a lot of cutting. Definitely if you’re having to go over an edge a couple of times, please change that blade.
- Cutting Mats – Even these get worn and can result in the fabric being mashed down into a cutting line and not being cut evenly. Look at your mat for gouges or cuts. It may be time to invest in a new mat. I have a big mat on my big cutting table. It’s expensive so I use a smaller mat for cutting, since most of my cuts are smaller. I use the big mat for trimming quilts and measuring.
Later we’ll talk about other and equally important steps to creating perfect quilt tops but these are a few that most of us know and practice but some newer or self-taught quilters might find helpful.
Angie says
Thank you Judy for some very good advice and tips. The only thing I have never understood is how you can cut with one rotary cutter blade for 6 months. I could never do that. And I use good rotary cutter blades and am careful with how I cut. I don’t use an old mat, and my rulers are fairly new or have been replaced. I do all the good things you suggest—so, could you please mention the brand of rotary cutter and blade you use. Thanks!
Tina on NJ says
I recently changed my rotary cutter blade, and it started chewing up my fabric like nothing I’d ever seen. I’d put in both blades from a two-blade pack! One I took the spare off, everything was fine.
Joanie says
Love you site. I follow it daily, You have solved a lot of my problems.You always seem to hit the subject I am only wondering about. thanks for being you.
Marion Morgan says
Excellent advice, thank you
AngieG9 says
When I was a kid back in the dark ages we always had to make our own starch, and even though our house was full of creepy crawlies I don’t think anything was ever eaten, so I don’t think there is anything to worry about in cornstarch. We made a stiffner out of sugar for some crochet Christmas ornaments once though and that was a whole nother story. I think the buts even ate the tree, but can’t say for certain. Just that after that it was back to cornstarch. Have you ever tried using a metal ruler? I have used one for over a century and it has never failed me, although if I get a little bit off the line and cut into it the blade is ruined, and I get off line a lot. But my 18″ metal ruler still rules around here. As for washing the fabric, definitely, but use some vinegar in the rinse cycle to set the color and there shouldn’t be any residual bleeding when you wash the finished quilt.
JudyL says
It’s real hard to see through most of those metal rulers!
It is proven that bugs are attracted to starch . . it all depends on if the bugs are in your house or not.
Mary-Kay says
I’m glad you wash your fabric. I’ have a story about that. A while back, I was doing some laundry, half the load I hung up to dry and the other half in the dryer. I packed clothes for a trip from the dryer and the line. When I opened my suitcase, the dryer clothes smelled and the line clothes didn’t. I thought there was something wrong with the dryer. When I got home, I called the repairman and he asked me what kind of dryer , gas, and if I had done any painting in the house. I said no and he asked if I had sprayed anything like paint or varnish. Again I said no but we sprayed some bug killer in the laundry room around the windows because there were all these flying ants. He said to run the dryer with the laundry room door and window open with a wet towel in it for an hour. Sure enough the smell, which was from the insecticide, was gone. Now how this relates to washing fabric begins here. I was taking a class at a shop up in northern MI. I bought fabric there and didn’t pre-wash it first because I was out of town. As I was making the quilt at the class, I could smell that chemically smell, like my clothes from the dryer. My sister heard from a fabric designer, that when the fabric is brought in to the US that it’s sprayed for insects before it’s released from customs. I would have never thought that but apparently in other countries there’s different bugs than here. But one thing I do know is when I pressed these unwashed fabrics, they smelled exactly like my clothes from the dryer with the bug spray. I’m glad I pre-wash all my fabric first before I make a quilt..
Carolyn says
I’m so glad you are doing this! I just finished a quilt that was also set on the diagonal. the pieced borders were not cooperating, and then when quilted there was a lot of bunching on the edges. I knew that they were not the right size. Any help would be appreciated.
Peggy says
Today has been busy for me and I have read several of your blogs at one time. Today you have scared me and at the same time I so understand your thought process.
I know you are respected by many and I am glad you are giving this advice. The best part is your backing up your reasons. If I had only know about starching fabric before cutting years ago, I am sure I could have made less mistakes.
AmyM says
Good tips, all. I have started using Mary Ellen’s Best Press and found the large size ( gallon) on Amazon.. It seems to be lasting a long time.
but I can see making the home made if there is a lot to do in a few days… before a planned cutting project.. Thanks for the tip.
Linda Steller says
Good advice Judy! I agree with you wholeheartedly. I think everyone should learn to be a little more careful with their piecing, because I end up quilting other people’s quilts. Are mine perfect? NO, but I’m working on it! ;D
Bon says
Judy, great idea about the cutting mat. I never thought of doing that. A smaller mat is much more affordable to replace than a big one. And I usually only use one end of my large mat. Thanks for the tip.
Liz says
Niagra makes a liquid starch in a bottle like Mary Ellen’s only ts @ $2.00/bottle. I use this for all my fabric. I don’t iron fabric after its washed, only when I’m about to use it. At $2.00 bottle I cna afford to stock up on this and use a lot of it. I find my piecing is much more accurate when working with starched fabric. The other benefit of this starch is that it doesn’t attract bugs!