Make Following Patterns Easier Using the Perfect4Pattern Set & Your Acrylic Rulers
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Square Up Your Fabric 101
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Go with the grain for perfect piecing.
Fabric is much easier to work with if you pay attention to the grain.
Fabric comes on a bolt folded once with the selvedges together.
If you unfold it, it will be about 44” - 45” wide.
Hold a piece of fabric right below the selvedge edge.
First, stretch right below parallel to the edge:
Then, move one hand down a little and stretch again:
The first step in any successful quilt project is squaring up.
To square it up, the goal is to cut just inside one raw edge of the fabric,
so that the newly cut edge is aligned with the crosswise grain line of the fabric.
Folding Fabric 101: Leave it folded once in 2 layers or
fold it twice into 4 layers: That is the question.
To trim off the raw edge, the fabric will need to be folded at least once, so it’s about 22” wide, and you can use a 24” ruler to cut across the full width of fabric.
Some quilters fold it twice to four layers, so it’s about 11” wide, and they can use just one 12” ruler.
Either Way, the goal is to fold it precisely so that the grain line on all the layers of fabric are perfectly aligned with each other.
Pick the fabric up holding it just by the selvedge edges. If the grain on both layers is aligned, the fabric will drape smoothly.
If the grain is out of alignment, the fabric will twist a little and not hang smoothly. You can adjust the top layer back and forth against the bottom layer until you eliminate any twists in the fabric. Once you get the fabric to hang smoothly, keep the selvedge edges aligned, lay it on your cutting mat and finger press the folded edge.
You can fold the fabric again by aligning the folded edge with the selvedge edges.
Some quilters do this but if you don’t get all four layers aligned accurately, your strips will come out with a slight “V” like the image on the left and will be unusable.
After Folding Your Fabric, Square It Up the Super Easy Way.
Watch the Animation Here and Check Out All the Details Below.
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Squaring up is much easier when your ruler doesn't slip.
Peel & Stick Grip Strips Included in the Upgrade Kit on Your 12" & 24" Rulers:
Peel crystal clear Grip Strips (11¾” long) off the brown backing paper.
Kit includes six 11¾” Grip Strips.
1) Slide the Connector up to one edge of your 12" ruler, so iit's butted up against the black alignment tabs & Lip Edge.
2) Slide your 24" ruler against the edge of your 12" ruler & the edge of the Connector. Then press down on the suction cups.
3) Align a line on your 12” ruler with the folded edge.
4) Hold your 24" ruler in place, and grab the end of your 12" ruler & pull up to remove it and the Connector together.
5) Your 24" ruler will be aligned with the grain line of the fabric as you trim off the raw edge.
6) The newly squared up edge will be on the same side of the fabric that you'll start cutting strips from in the next step.
Click Here to see more of what you can do with the Quilt Ruler Connector.
Next, Upgrade Your Rulers for Faster, More Accurate Cutting.
Watch the Animation Here and Check Out All the Details Below.
Peel & Stick Grip Strips Included in the Upgrade Kit on Your 12" & 24" Rulers:
Peel crystal clear Grip Strips (11¾” long) off the brown backing paper.
Kit includes six 11¾” Grip Strips.
Guide Lock Strips keep the long, 24” Fabric Guide, from shifting in the middle no matter how much fabric you butt it up against. They are special textured strips that are paper thin.
Attach them underneath your 24” ruler, and the 24” Fabric Guide will stay perfectly straight on the line you set it to no matter how much fabric you line up to.
If you get a new 24” ruler or have more than one to begin with, you can get extra Guide Lock Strips here.
The Fabric Guides include, built-in super tough stretchy bands.
They ensure the Fabric Guides line up straight on the measurement line you want, down the full length of the ruler.
2) Stretch the Guide and slide the other hook straight onto the other end of the ruler.
1) Slide one hook onto one end of your ruler.
3) Once attached, you can slide the Guide to the measurement line you want.
The stretchy bands will ensure that the guides line up straight down the full length of the ruler.
Grip Strips and Fabric Guides are the same thickness.
With Grip Strips on your ruler, everything will be level
and just a little pressure will lock your ruler in place while cutting.
Finally, Sew the Pieces Together Accurately.
Watch the animation here, and click here for all the details.
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There are two things that matter when
sewing your pieces together into blocks:
- Consistency - To have your blocks come out perfectly square and lay flat, you need to sew all the pieces together with the same width of seam allowance.
- Accuracy - To have your blocks come out the right size, the width of your seam allowance should be a Scant ¼”.
A Scant ¼” is just slightly less than a full ¼” & the reason
it matters in quilt piecing is actually pretty simple.
The thread and fold in a seam have some width. To compensate for that, you sew slightly less than a full ¼”, so your finished seams actually come out measuring a full ¼”.
That way, all the pieces and the finished blocks come out measuring the exact sizes a pattern gives.
See how sewing a scant ¼" helps you get
nice pointy points in blocks like these.
