Nine Patch Block

[Nicole H.]

Hi All-

Does anyone have any tips on how to get my seams to meet on 9 patches? They always seem to be a hair off. I tried pins with a little luck but not much. Are there any secret tips? Or is it just practice?

Thanks,
Nikki

[Frances L.]

Nikki,
It takes practice. One of the things that helped me is "fork" pins. They look like a bobby pin with sharp points on both ends. I found mine at JoAnns. I make sure that the seams line up then put the pins on both sides of the seam. I saw them on one of the shows, pretty sure it was one of the 300 shows.
Frances

[Barbara C.]

Nikki.... I don't want to insult if you are not a beginner but don't want to assume you know all this, either!

Have the seams on one block ironed one way and the opposite way on the other side. Snuggle the seams together. You can *feel* that they fit together. Put a pin on each side of the seam line and one in the middle if you like. The most important tip is leave those pins in when you sew and sew SLOWLY. Actually walk the needle over the pins. If it looks like the needle is going to hit the pin, pull the pin out just as you get to it. With more practice you will get good at pulling the pins out just as you get to them and not have to stop sewing to do it!

Some people have a hissy fit about sewing over pins. I do it all the time and hardly ever hit a pin. Of course I am not going fast when I have pins in. That would be dangerous!

Barbara

[Barbara C.]

Nikki, as I am sure you have noticed, there are many different ways to do the same thing. I like the butting the seams that have been pressed opposite ways but I also put a small drop of Elmer's washable glue where they need to meet and then press with a hot iron. Then I can look and see if it matches the way I want before I sew. If it matches, I can sew and not have to pin.

[Barbara C.]

I agree, glue is great...put a pin thru the matching points, add a little bit of glue in the seam allowance, & hit it with the iron to set the glue. Then you can sew it without any pins at all -- nice! Basting glue, washable school glue, & washable glue sticks all will work.

It also helps keep the seams together if you can sew with the top seam allowance facing *towards* the presser foot (this seems like the opposite of the way it "should" be). The presser foot pushes the seam forward just a little as it moves under the needle, which helps seat it more firmly into the seam on the bottom. Was that confusing?? :roll:

[Nicole H.]

Thanks for all the replies. I am not exactly a beginner but am only working on my third quilt so I guess still new. I like the glue idea. For some reason the pins don't work for me.

I am going to try glue today thanks again !

Nikki

[Nicole H.]

I consider myself a beginner, I have made two king size quilts and 8 lap quilts. There are so many variables that effect whether the seams match, if you cut the squares just a tiny bit off, if the fabric stretched when you are ironing the 3 squares together before you sew the 9 patch together. It is frustrating to not have my seams match.

Now I have slowed down, take my time and get out the seam ripper if my quarter inch seam is just a hair off. My mom says I am a perfectionist, but I wonder, how close is good enough in everyone's eyes?

Zimmy

[Paula D.]

It's so easy today, what with glue, paper piecing, and all. It just takes practice. ....Hey, I learned to quilt before pins were invented! :shock: 8)

[Paula D.]

I have been quilting over 25 years and always learn new things. One of things I have learned to do by making the BOM this year
is to starch more. There are also several other books and teachers
that emphasize this now. Especially if you have washed your fabric before starting your quilt. Starch helps to stabilize the fabric after I have been tugging or making those flimsy pieces fit. When I made those small blocks with one inch squares the starch helped stabilize those little pieces to make the seams match.

[Paula D.]

Glue!! Why didn't I think of that. I too have trouble matching the seams no matter if I use pins or do the "feel-ly thing or whatever. Thanks for the tip, I'm sure going to try that next time.

[Judy M.]

Zimmy, you are absolutely NOT a beginner--not with all those quilts you've made!

[Diane O.]

Now I have slowed down, take my time and get out the seam ripper if my quarter inch seam is just a hair off. My mom says I am a perfectionist, but I wonder, how close is good enough in everyone's eyes?

Zimmy

To me, how close is good enough, is up to each quilter and how close they want to be. Personally, I try to improve with every quilt I make. If something is off, then I figure out what I'm doing wrong, and work to improve it. If it's my cutting that is off, then I may just work with what I have, since I don't want to go buy all new fabric. But figure out what I need to do to correct it on my next quilt.
If it is my sewing, then I may take out my seams and do them over. And then work on getting it right the first time on my next project.

What is good enough is what make YOU, the quilter HAPPY. If you aren't planning on entering your quilts into shows, then they don't have to be "perfect" and as long as you are happy with your results, that is all that matter.

Diane in Colorado Springs

[Diane O.]

This is a really nice forum. As far as a beginner, I still feel that way because I am working on a simple nine patch with Moda charms and 5 inch squares that I am making into a lap quilt for my family.

While sewing the blocks together into strips, I find that I am off about an 1/8 of an inch in places, not all places just 2 or 3. This is really bugs me. The blocks were right on (most of them) when I was assembling them. Sigh.

I do know that practice will help, sometimes I wonder if Moda charms are off, the pinked edges were gone on a couple of the charms. God forbid I would cut a square off, I do have issues with ruler slippage at times. I use the Gripper and some sand paper disc on the bottom of my ruler, I think I need to use more of those.

I have free motion quilted all of the lap quilts that I have made, they are Christmas gifts for family. Hopefully, they will not see the seams that do not quite "measure up".

Thanks Judy for telling me that I am not a beginner, you know I have been afraid to attempt triangles until I can better match up nine patch seams. I have yet to take a class, I have learned most everything on the net, no family member quilts. Maybe I should join a guild, but I would think guild members are way more advanced than I am.

I absolutely love quilting and feel blessed to have found a hobby, okay an addition that thrills me. I want to improve with each quilt and believe that I will.

I am looking for more info on FMQ, without a frame, I have a Janome 1600P that I quilt with and a Featherweight that I piece with. This forum really surprised me to have a section on basic piecing advice.

Happy Quilting All,
Zimmy

PS I do have a dry sense of humor

[Karen M.]

Zimmy-one of the most wonderful things about this Forum is there is so much information and helpful advice available that you can't help but learn a multitude of great things....and this in turn will stimulate your creative side and turn you loose to become a better quilter. One of the first rules to remember is there are no quilt police here to judge you....and believe me we are all thankful for that. I for one believe like the Amish who intentionally put in a "flaw" somewhere in their quilting because "Only God is perfect" and that is a comforting thing to me in some strange way. I used to worry too much about perfection when I quilt, but now I find that since I have given up on being perfect my work is better all the time. Here at TQS there is an answer and a well explained method for any quilting problem. I am still trying to be consistent with my 1/4 inch seams when I piece. Some days are better than others. Maybe that is why I like to applique and free motion quilt so much more than traditional piecing! I say...go for it...turn that dry sense of humor of yours loose and just have fun.....if someone comments on what they consider a "flaw" tell them it took you a long time to get that "flaw" just right and you love the way it looks! :roll: :shock: Karen

[Gloria H.]

I have learned to be careful with the precut bundles. I was doing a project with a layer cake and discovered that the 10 inch squares were 91/2 inches. It took some scrambling to make the project work. I do like using the charm packs but I usually trim them to a smaller size.