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The Machine Quilting Adventure This quilt has tons of triangles that could present problems since they all have one bias edge. Use freezer paper and the techniques shown in this DVD to create perfect half-square triangles for all of your heirloom quilts. |
Do those bias edges on your patches stretch as you sew, like mine do?
Here's a suggestion -
Cut freezer paper templates the size of your finished patch. Iron them onto the back of the patch, and then sew the patches together - with the freezer paper still attached.
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Plain ole' freezer paper can help keep the seam allowances tucked in and prevent your bias edges from stretching out of shape. |
Not only will this give you a great, straight stitching line that will guarantee an accurate seam allowance, it will stabilize the bias edges and keep your fabric from stretching out of shape.
And, sewing circles and curves will be a breeze using this freezer paper secret. Just iron the freezer paper onto the back of the circle or curved piece you are attaching to your quilt top.
Merrily stitch around the curve, and then cut a little slice in the fabric behind the freezer paper to remove it.
I admit the first time I cut into a quilt top of mine in this way, I held my breath, and almost closed my eyes. It just seemed wrong.
After that quilt was finished, I ran across a book that suggested cutting out the entire area behind the appliqued piece, and trimming it back to the seam allowance, removing a lot of the bulk in the quilt.
That was the technique I used when I made the quilt pictured below. For each of the animal shapes, I cut a freezer paper template and ironed it onto the back of the fabric. In this case, I hand stitched each animal and plant onto the background fabric. Once the piece was sewn, I trimmed the background piece back to the 1/4 inch seam allowance and removed the freezer paper.
Yes, it's all a little extra work, but I have found the extra work is worth keeping the shape of my bias pieces.
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This quilt was made using the freezer paper technique described above. Each piece was added, and then the background fabric was trimmed away to remove the paper. This is still one of my favorite quilts. |
Penny Halgren
Master Quilter
