I just wanted to add a note to my previous post on getting even corners.

I said I usually just put one pin in whereas some say they put in two pins, one on either side of the seam.

I was sewing some blocks together again just the other day, and my corners constantly seemed to be off, so I figured I would put in two pins, immediately on either side of the seam.  And, waaala, my seams came out pretty much perfect every time.  So, now I know, taking the extra time to put in two pins, really works.

It amazes me, that after many many years of always only doing one pin, I now am going to keep doing two pins.  🙂

Question:

My name is Terri, I love to quilt.  I am getting better at it.  I am having trouble with corners.  I sew squares together, but when I go to sew the rows together, my corners don’t come out even . Help!    Terri

Hi Terri, Here I have some pictures demonstrating how I sew my rows together to have my corners match up.  Here i have all my rows for this quilt sewn together.

Sewing rows together

Here you see that seams from one row to the next, are ironed opposite to the other. In this way they will easily match up when you pin the rows together.

Seams ironed opposite direction to next row

Flip the first row onto the next row so you can pin the two rows together.

Flip first row onto the second to pin rows together

Slide the seams together to match evenly, and even out the bottom raw edge.

Match up the seams

Then pin together making sure the layers don’t shift as you put the pin in.  Put the pin in further up, and then come back up about a quarter inch from the bottom, which is pretty much where you are going sew when you sew the two rows together.  This is to prevent as little shifting of layers as possible.

Pin rows using one pin per seam

Some like to pin the seams by putting a pin on either side of the seam.  You can do this if you like and you feel like it helps.  I never do it.  I feel it doesn’t really make a difference doing it with one pin or two, so doing one pin is just simpler for me.

Pin rows together using two pins on either side of seam

Sew your rows together.  You can go right over the pin if you like, but just be cautious and go over it very slowly, so if you hit the pin, it won’t break your needle.  You can even use your side wheel to manually sew over the pin.  Then take your pin out, but not before you’ve sewn over the seam, or at least right on top of it.

Sew rows together

Like I said, you can sew just over the seam before you get to the pin, although the pin should be placed as close to the seam as possible, so there isn’t any chance for layers shifting.  Then you can remove the pin before you sew over it if you are really not sure about sewing right over it.

Sewing right over the pin

This is about as far off as It usually gets.  If you are working with other than 100% cotton fabrics, it could get further off than this.  If it does get further off and you are not happy with it, just take out the seams and try again.  To me this on is not too far off.  It won’t be obvious at all especially after it’s quilted and finished.

Just slightly off

My rows are all sewn together for this baby quilt I’m making for a friend.  All it needs now is a border to finish the quilt top.

rows are sewn together and ready for a border

Enjoy quilting and remember, there are no quilting police :).