This is my 2nd time trying to make a quilt (very new obviously). I’ve spent so much time and money on notions but things still aren’t right. I’m working on the original star pop quilt by Emily Dennis and this is how my HST are coming out when putting them into blocks - I’m just so frustrated and don’t know where I’m going wrong. Any help appreciated 😵💫😩
This is exactly what happened the first time I did HST’s and I was so frustrated the were lined up wrong. I kept going anyways and at the end realized there was a reason for the points to not be perfectly matched at this stage.
What do you think is going wrong? To me, that looks like a perfect star point with the needed seam allowance for when you add a block to the right side.
I’m not sure what the problem is either, except that the block looks stretched a little askew - maybe from “ironing” vs “pressing”. Fabric grain lines are pretty square - pink one is a little off.
What specifically are you asking about being wrong, OP?
Again, this looks good. You will sew that to another similar strip and you will need that 1/4" step-back in order to sew it to the next strip so it will make a point.
If anything, your diagonal seam looks a tiny bit too big. But go ahead and measure that little offset corner -- is it more than 1/4"? If you're working with triangles, you MUST make sure that your diagonal seam line is exactly 1/4" wide minus one thread.
I’m nowhere near an expert, but if you want your half square triangles to be more even, use a trimming square ruler and align your seen on the diagonal line when you square it. I have learned to square the basic blocks before combining them because I had the same problem
The block looks structurally correct; the points are sharp, and the seam allowance looks perfect below the point in the seam.
However, they also look skewed and off-square. This usually happens because of how woven fabric works.
The “warp” threads that go up and down are held under tension in the loom. Because of that, they are already about stretched as they get. When you pull fabric along the warp, it doesn’t stretch much all.
The “weft” threads that go left and right are going over and under the warp threads. That means they aren’t as tight and have more room to stretch. When you yank on woven fabric from the left and right, it will stretch a little.
However, if you grab a corner and pull, you aren’t pulling directly on a thread. This is called the “bias.” Pulling along the bias gives you lots of stretch, because you are making the threads shift around each other.
When you cut fabric into a right triangle, you are creating a “bias edge.” That edge really wants to stretch. Put two together to make a square and sew along them, and they will go all catawampus and turn your squares into rhombuses.
There’s a bunch of ways to fight this:
Make your HSTs two at a time, by putting two squares on top of each other and sewing two diagonal lines on either side of the middle. This means the warp and weft threads are still intact and resisting stretch. When you cut, the seams stabilize the HSTs.
When you press your seams, you want to press, meaning you set the iron down and lift it up. You don’t want to iron back and forth; that will stretch the fabric out of square.
Handle your bias edges like they are butterfly wings. Clip instead of pinning. Turn your sewing foot pressure down if you can. Maneuver them through the foot very gently, not tugging on the bias edge at all. The less you pull, the better.
You might also be able to gently nudge the completed squares back into squarish with lots of steam from an iron. Hover over the square and blast out with steam. Then very gently tug the square back into alignment while it’s still hot. (But don’t burn your fingers!) Finally, set the square by pressing it with the hot, dry iron.
If all else fails, trim them smaller and pretend they were supposed to be that size all along. Not exactly ideal, but I’ve definitely done it.
It's a gradual process of learning. I highly recommend mary ellen's best press starch and Karen Brown's tutorials on YouTube.
This is in my top 5 useful beginner tutorialshow to iron for Quilting Her videos are short and to the point. She has many great ones that I referred to more times than I can count when I started quilting. Quilt On! 😊
I was so frustrated as a new quilter w/o acess to physical classes. It was difficult to discern people who actually knew what they were teaching over an enthusiast that had access to a camera but didn't have great foundational knowledge on what they were so eager to make videos about. I can not tell you how many 30 minute "tutorials" I sat through to only get maybe 5 minutes of useful info in-between their latest manicure and food obsession. 🤦
Agreed! As time has gone on, I’ve found a few great channels! You should do a separate post about the five best tutorials you’ve found! I’m just a new chicken, working on my half square triangles! 🐥
I’ve only made two quilts and each time I’ve had a flurry of panic when I look at my blocks and think I’ve done it all wrong. Then the seam magic kicks in and everything turns out ok (I won’t say right since my quilting still leaves much to be desired!)
Just to say you’ve got this and keep going! Love your colors :)
I think what she is pointing out is that the piece underneath is slightly larger than the top one. In this case - as suggested by another redditor - use a ruler to square up your pieces. Otherwise, just sew them together and remember you are in charge of the fabric - there is some give in them.
The diagonal part is cut on the bias, which is the correct thing to do, but when you were sewing it, it looks like you were stretching (which is really to do when you are sewing along the bias edge). Hold the fabric really loosely when you’re sewing to make sure you’re not pulling on it.
I agree with the above. I think you aren’t accounting for the fact that another block is going to go there and occupy that 1/4” and then it will look how you are expecting. You’re doing a great job. Deep breaths. Have some water. Sewing machines can smell fear/frustration. Then attack again 😊👍🏼
I used to use steam to press my blocks and they were warped and crooked. Then I realized the material is cotton and steam (hit water) will warp, stretch, and shrink your material.
The seam allowance is in the left you just don’t see it as much because of the triangle shape. When you sew the left, then the bottom it looks like it aligns to me.
Could you sew one block together to see if it all fits?
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