Quilting is known as one of the best hobbies in creativity and designing. To make a beautiful quilt, you need to make sure that specific parameters are met correctly, or your quilt will suffer in terms of look and efforts to make it.
One of the biggest challenges while making a quilt is to align the quilt blocks and textures perfectly. You need to mark points throughout the quilt to combine those pieces and create a quilt to join them.
Nearly everyone struggles initially regarding the points when they try to piece the blocks together. However, perfect points are not crucial for every quilting project. But it looks perfect when your seams match as precisely as possible.
In this article, we will discover methods and tricks to get perfect points while piecing the blocks together. Although it can seem tricky initially, you need some practice before you get perfect points by yourself in your quilting.
Let’s deep dive into the topic.
What Do Perfect Points in Quilting Mean?
Your quilt blocks are connected by points, the tiny stitches that you make to join them and create a quilt.
To connect the patterns and blocks of your quilt, you need points. By using these points, you perfectly combine your blocks without distorting the look of your quilt.
Points visible on the surface of your quilt give it a professional look. If you want your points to be perfect, you will need to practice and develop some skills to be able to do so.
When your seams are matched perfectly, then it is called Perfect points. When done perfectly, you will not notice any loose threads or uneven surfaces on the surface of your rug.
How To Get Perfect Points in Quilting
To get perfect points in your quilt, you need to follow specific steps to make near-perfect points. Perfect points are dependent on many things, and the most significant factor in getting a perfect point is “practice.”
Even after following all the instructions, there is quite a good chance you will initially make a mistake. Don’t get stressed due to this. It will require some time and persistence before you get desired results.
Let’s look at all of the steps we need to follow to get perfect points.
i. Accurate Cutting
One of the essential things to do when stitching your blocks together is accurate cutting.
Accurate cutting is a broad term. It means that you know pretty well how much fabric will be used for your project and then cut the fabric according to your need.
It also means that you know where to cut the seam line, which can affect your output result. It will determine whether you’ll be able to create a perfect point or not.
This can be tricky because the pattern has already been stitched in, so it can be difficult to tell where precisely the seam is on the quilt block. You may want to use a different coloured thread to keep track of where your cuts should be made.
ii. Accurate 1/4″ seam allowances
First, it’s crucial to have accurate seam allowances. This will help you to get perfect points by yourself. Once you have that, you can focus on the methods and tricks for getting perfect points in your quilting.
It is not wrong to say that 1/4″ seam allowance is everything in quilting. It would help if you got it right so that the block measures accurately and all the seams line up as they are supposed to be.
Once you mark or find out your quarter-inch line, add a piece of tape to align your fabric. It is almost essential to know your quarter-inch allowance to create a perfect quilt.
iii. Proper Pinning
Pinning is very crucial in the process. It holds down your blocs and seams together and keeps them in a fixed place so that you can work on your quilt.
Whenever you are working with pins, always make sure that you insert the pin close to the fabric edge, pierce through both seams. This will always hold the fabric in place at the seam line.
When it’s required to take out the pin, then exit the pin through the right side of the fabric and just off the seam line, which will ensure that the fabric stays in place.
iv. Create visual queues
Even though you might be a professional quilter, it’s still important to note that your quilt blocks are all going to be different. This means that their textures and shapes are also going to be different.
You want to make sure that your blocks fit together as precisely as possible without gaps or overlaps. Your quilt will look great if the seams match up perfectly!
To get this done, you need to create visual queues for the pieces of your quilt block. Keep in mind that your points are only one part of the process of getting perfect points, but they’re an important part nonetheless.
Now let’s break down the steps for how to do this:
i. Press the seams
It would be best to press the seam by holding the blocks together and pressing them with your fingertips. You need to go along the seams of both blocks to align the seams.
Pressing the seams together will create better points than just holding them apart. This act will ensure no loose threads in between in your quilt, which others can see and spoil the look.
ii. Use of seam rippers
Seam rippers should be your best friends. They are more significant than regular scissors while you are doing quilting. Seam rippers can quickly remove all the stitches on one side of your point.
With this technique, you can highlight your seams and make sure they match each other perfectly. You can also create cleaner points with it.
Additional Tips to Get Perfect Points in Quilting
- Check the fabric and pattern of your quilt before you start piecing together the blocks.
- Make sure you have prepared enough fabric to cover all seams.
- Take a little break in between to make sure you don’t get tired and slow down while piecing together the blocks.
- Practice with a paper pattern before moving on to using a real one for the actual project, just in case something goes wrong with the pattern of your material while making it happen.
- Pin the pattern on the quilt block before proceeding to sew it up so that you know exactly where and how to place your points without any confusion or guesswork.
Conclusion
We have gone through all the steps and tricks we should follow to get perfect points for quilting. All of these steps required patience and practice to gain expertise.
Always remember that 1/4″ seam allowance is very important. It certainly is one of the most important steps among all others. If you don’t have a 1/4″ scale with you, then use a 1/2″ scale by simply taking it half while measuring.
Keep practising till you get good at it, and never lose patience and motivation. I hope you like the information provided here. Happy Quilting!
