Thursday, May 31, 2012

Measure or Just Cut???

***  Yikes!  This post turned out a LOT longer than I intended,
but please hang in there with me!  I'd love to have your feedback
on some questions and ideas I have!!!   ***

Hey all my Quilty Friends!  I have a question (or two or three . . .) for you.  When you're making a log cabin block, do you measure and cut each strip the length it should be for the side of the block you're working on and then sew it to the block OR do you just cut a long strip (like the width of the fabric) and sew it onto the block then cut where it needs to end?  Does that make sense???



I'm working on my "Liberty Logs" wall hanging (which is a BIG step for me in expanding my quilting skills . . . yeah, yeah, you can stop laughing now!) and was just wondering if there is a right way to do it???  I'm not measuring and cutting - I'm just sewing the long strip onto the block then cutting it (that's what the pattern tells me to do).  It seems to be working for me!  So much faster than cutting lots of pieces to lots of different lengths and then sewing them like I've seen in some tutorials online!

Now before you answer the question above think about this . . . I've also heard when you're putting borders on a quilt, you're supposed to measure your quilt and cut borders to that size then sew them on, instead of just sewing on a long piece of fabric and cutting it off (I do it this way).  Why would you need to measure first?  I've also seen both ways taught online (that's where I do most of my learning!).

If your answers are different for piecing a block vs. putting a border on a quilt, why are they?

Now onto something else (but don't forget your answers to my questions!) . . .

I'm thinking of starting a post on Wednesdays called "Wondering Why Wednesday."  Tell me what you think of this idea . . . What if I have people (especially beginner quilters like me!) e-mail me quilting/sewing questions (how, what, where, why, when . . . ) and I have different guest bloggers (NOT me!!!) answer one question a week and post it on my blog on Wednesday???  Then I could leave the question and answer on my blog for a future reference for newbies!  Hmmmm . . . what do you think of that???  I have so many silly questions come up when I sew . . . I wish I could have someone sitting beside me to just quickly ask or that could point out an easier or better way of doing things (not watching me sew, though)!  I know I need to take classes and learn through experience, but I'm talking about simple questions that could be answered easily and help my quilting be better, faster, easier.  Tips and tricks, stuff like that.  Like, did you know you can chain stitch blocks together and it makes things go faster?  I just recently learned this simple technique and I can't believe how much faster it makes things go!    Do you think there's a need for that online?  Is there already something like this online that I'm missing out on?  I'm gonna think about this a little more, but let me know what you think . . .

Good Grief!!!  Sorry this is so long!!!  :/  I do appreciate your help though!!!  :o)

Hugs!

18 comments:

  1. I don't cut them to length, I actually chain sew several blocks onto my long strip at a time then cut it all at the end, sometimes that means I have to square my blocks off since they tend to get a little wonky that way but it is the way I've always done it and I'm to old to change it now! :D

    Also, I don't measure my borders other than to make sure I have enough of whatever fabric I want to use. I just sew a long piece on then trim it.

    Also, you can never have to many places to go to get tips and tricks and time savers! :D Did I hit them all?

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    1. OH MY GOSH!!! What a GREAT idea to chain piece your log cabin blocks onto the long strip of fabric!!! Why didn't I think of that?!?!? Even though I'm having fun, it's been pretty time consuming sewing on a little piece then going to the cutting board, then to the ironing board, then back to sew again . . . You just saved me tons of time!!! See . . . this is what I'm talking about! THANK YOU!!! *Happy Dance*

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  2. I think your question Wednesday thing will work great! I'm also new to quilting/piecing. I sew then cut when it comes to log cabin blocks, the 1st time I did log cabins was with "Kayleigh's Quilt" and it took forever 1st cutting all the pieces, if I had known, I would had the strips ready and just started sewing, oh and I love chain piecing too, only recently tried it too, and what a time saver. With regards to the border, I make one long piece, roughly throw it around my quilt to see if its long enough, and then stitch one length down, cut it off, then I sew the opposite side, top and then bottom, I have never measured it... Never thought of doing it, he he... so YES your Question day will work, I'm sure...

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    1. That's exactly how I do my borders! Looks like great minds think alike! :o)

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  3. I think whatever works for you is how you have to do it! If the quilt police come and arrest you I'm sure there are plenty of us to bail you out! LOL I am new as well (about a year and a half now) and have done them both ways! I saw this liberty the other day and it is CRAZY cute! Can't wait to see it done!

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    1. You guys would bail me out?!?!? What great Quilty Friends you are!!! :o) I can't wait to see it done either and hanging up on my wall! :o) I don't want this to turn into another UFO!!! :/

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  4. Single blocks are generally small enough that the sew-and-trim method works fine. Borders, on the other hand, can be used to square up the quilt and remove and distortion that has crept in during construction. For that reason, I measure my borders, pin them in place, and "nudge" the quilt to fit. It results in a flat, square quilt. If you just sew-and-trim borders they will often make the quilt wonky, and not in a nice way. More work to measure? Yes. Worth it? Yes!

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    1. Deanna - Would you be a guest blogger about this? I don't understand what you mean about borders squaring up the quilt and removing distortion??? Do you make the borders bigger at the top than you do at the bottom to make the quilt appear square? Maybe pictures would help me see what you're talking about??? I'm sorry I'm not the sharpest pin in the pincushion (he,he!), but I just don't understand. :/

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  5. I agree with deanna about the borders. I believe if you do the measuring it's supposta help with the "ripplely ness" And I agree with Josie about the Quilt police. I learned to chain piece my log cabin blocks from Debbie Mumm book and a Better Homes and Garden Book- right onto a long strip with just enough room to slice them blocks apart.
    I like the wednesday post idea too!

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    1. I think I might just have to try measuring some borders on my next quilt and see how it looks different from other quilts I've already made by just sewing and trimming??? Hmmmm . . .

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  6. I tend to leave my pieces as they are and trim them after. I make a lot of paper pieced scrappy log cabin style blocks and always leave the pieces as they are just encase I cut it too short before sewing.

    I leave my borders at least 5" longer than they are meant to be as no matter now many pins I use I still end up with ripples or the fabric not making it to the very end once I start sewing.

    The idea for the Wednesday sounds great. I'd love to be one of the guest bloggers =D

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    1. That would be great if you would be a guest blogger! I'll put you down and when I get all the details worked out I'll send you an e-mail! Thanks! :o)

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  7. I think your Wednesday blogger idea is a great one. People can always learn something new even if they've been quilting a long time. That's why people continue going to classes: they always learn something new from a different teacher.

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    1. Thanks, LeAnne! When I get it all figured out I'll let everyone know how it will work! And I think you're right about learning - there's always new or different ways to do things. There usually isn't only one right way to do something, but there may be a faster or easier way to do it and learning things like that would hopefully help me to become a better quilter! :o)

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  8. Just cut - take a long strip, sew one side of log cabin on, whack it off - or follow Bobbie's comment suggestion about chain sewing on the one long strip leaving a small space in between for cutting. Just be careful that you maintain the accurate quarter inch or scant quarter inch the entire seam. If it is too narrow/too large at the start or end of the seam then your log could look crooked.
    Borders: I understand the theory about measuring, taking the average, cutting to length, then dividing the border and quilt into quarters to match the two so can ease in whatever is too big - and the quilt comes out square without ripples or distortion... but I'm not that patient. So, I measure the quilt and check for square corners and trim if needed. Then, I make a long border strip, sew it on, press, then whack the border off to length while attempting to keep the corner square. We make bed quilts to use, so ripples and such are no big deal. For a wall hanging, you may want to take more time so it will hang straight. Luckily, it is smaller so you can more easily follow the quilt police method. Now, if you are going to show quilts .... better be a perfectionist.

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  9. I sew and then cut for both log cabins and borders. I agree with the chain sewing on log cabins (when it applies - I'm currently involved with both scrappy log cabins so no chain piecing and log cabins from a honey bun with each using only two fabrics, so again, no chain piecing on one strip). With borders (assuming you mean unpieced borders of only one fabric), I'll nearly always miter the corners, so they need to be extra long. I DO pin borders so that there isn't any rippling or distortion due to the top and bottom fabrics being pulled through the machine at different rates.

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  10. I'm currently working on a courthouse steps quilt. It's slow going, lol.

    When I started, I was just sewing and then cutting, but with the last row, I started cutting the "logs." (I'm an intermediate quilter and I'm a pretty precise piecer.)

    I like the cutting better and I'm not sure if I can explain why. It seems to go faster for one thing.

    I also square up my block at each round. It's only a sliver here and there, but it makes a difference when you get the blocks finished.

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  11. On borders it makes it so much easier to quilt your finished top (whether it is by you or a longarmer) if your quilt is square. If you just sew the border on and then cut, or even if you pin it from one end until you get to the other end, you are probably stretching the quilt, which makes it into an hourglass shape. Not attractive. I have done this on several quilts. I've had much better results since I started measuring. Measure across the middle of the quilt and cut your borders that length, mark the centers (and 1/4's if it is a large quilt) of both the quilt and borders, then pin the ends in place first, then the centers and any other markings. Then ease it all in as you continue pinning. It really does make a difference, especially if you do multiple borders. Imagine a quilt with a bunch of borders, each stretching a little farther--it would start to look like it had ears. I don't think it matters as much on smaller blocks.

    Sorry this is the longest reply ever. I just started following you because of Operation Wood Hollow and I'm excited to help.

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Thanks for taking the time to comment! I sure love reading all of them! They let me know that I'm not out here in blogland all by myself! :o)