Quilting is a creative work. It involves cutting the fabric, sewing, and making different shapes. While dealing with all these, it is very common to make mistakes. You may make mistakes in cutting the fabric, sometimes in choosing. It happens, right?
But the main task is to analyze the mistakes and fix them. And also, keep in mind that next time you sit to do your project, you avoid making the same mistakes repeatedly.
There are a variety of mistakes you generally make. Some mistakes are easily noticeable, while others are challenging to identify.
Following are some common mistakes a quilter makes and how to fix them.
So, do have a read till the end.
i. Not pre-washing the fabric before starting the project.
The fabric is not free from dirt or any other contaminants. The threads will catch this dirt and pull it in the material when you stitch. The result will be a matted-looking quilt with a lot of dirty threads.
A solution to this problem is to pre-wash the fabric. Also, use a spray bottle to clean the fabric before starting the project.
ii. Squaring Up Blocks Before Assembling Them
You are doing your quilting project. You have assembled all the blocks. But you realize that the blocks are not squared up. It is one of the most common mistakes you generally make while quilting.
What can you do to fix this?
Well, there are two options.
- The first option is to take out the stitches. Then re-stitch them again with more attention on aligning them properly.
- The second option is to use something like a seam ripper. Rip out the seams where you went wrong and sew again with more attention on aligning them properly.
iii. Don’t Start a Quilting Machine Without a Plan
It is imperative to plan everything before you start quilting. You need to be very careful with the fabric, thread, and other things while cutting the fabric. You also need enough time for sewing not to get tired of it.
- First, measure the quilt length and width. Cut squares of fabric for every inch measurement of height and width.
- Next, cut one-inch long strips at right angles out of these squares. These strips should be approximately two inches in length.
- Now comes the step of sewing them together to form a row. Sew one strip at a time with another strip on top of it to create a row. If you are working with four stripes, sew three or four rows together. You are then stitching them into a rectangle shape, as shown in the picture.
iv. Don’t Work With Too Much Fabric at a Time.
You may have a large quilt, and you need to join the edges of the fabric. You can try to do it by joining them one by one. But this will take a long time and also you will feel tired. You can cut the excess fabric and then join them one by one to avoid this.
Tips on How To Not Run Out of Fabric
Often, quilters run out of fabric in the middle of their work. There are different reasons for this.
- Some may be that they ran out of material and then had to go to the store to buy more or didn’t order enough.
- Some may be that they had a long piece of fabric and wanted to cut it into smaller pieces but messed up somewhere in the cutting process.
- Or some may have just been trying to get a better idea of how much fabric they needed for their project and made a mistake along the way.
- To avoid the miscalculation of fabric, you can use online fabric calculators. It helps you calculate the correct amount of material you may need for quilting.
You can get into the following link for calculation using this tool, you can calculate the yardage needed for quilting.
This tool has another advantage. Suppose you use a particular kind of fabric in large amounts. This tool helps you to take correct measurements and order them in bulk.
- If you are using a particular fabric print and you suddenly fall short of it. In that case, take a snap and share it on social media. If it is available to the dealer, then you can get connected.
Step-by-Step Guide on How To Deal With Wavy Borders
Quilting is an art. But mistakes happen during the process of making quilts. One of the common mistakes you may have noticed in many quilts is wavy borders. The problem occurs mainly when you are sewing two edges together. It can be due to wrong sewing or fabrics not cutting correctly.
- To avoid this, always use a straight edge to sew the fabric together and ensure that both are cut evenly.
- If you have already made this mistake, take your time to fix it. You can do it by carefully trimming off the excess fabric from either side. Make sure to press open the seam allowance before sewing again so that you get a smooth edge.
i. Choose Good Quality Thread for Piecing
The quality of the thread is directly proportional to the quality of the quilt. A good quality thread will reduce loose threads and give your piercing a neat look.
- There are many types of threads available in the market. Make sure it is all-purpose sewing cotton or polyester when you choose.
- An excellent way to do this is to compare the weight of the thread with a yardstick. If it’s heavier than a yardstick, it’s probably too heavy for quilting purposes.
- If you are using polyester thread, wash it before use. It is because polyester tends to accumulate lint very quickly.
ii. Choose the Type of Needle Very Wisely
Just as the quality of thread is important, choosing the correct needle is also crucial for the quilting process.
The most common mistake every sewer makes is while choosing the correct needle. Not every needle will work for every thread or fabric. Though the universal size of needles is 80/12, it may not work for all types of threads or fabrics.
Needles are available in sizes like 60/8, 120/20, etc. Make sure you choose the correct needle according to the thread and fabric you are using.
iii. Fix a puckered quilt
Puckering in a quilt happens when you don’t do enough basting. Basting is a very crucial step and makes sure you do it properly.
But fortunately, a puckered quilt is not noticeable. People who don’t know anything about quilting will never be able to notice it. But if you want to correct your mistakes, follow the steps below :
- You can hide it by quilting more in that particular area.
- Rip the part out with a chopstick or any other utensil.
Conclusion
So, you have seen how there is a chance of making mistakes at every step of quilting. Starting from choosing needles to threads to fabrics and until you complete the whole project, there are plenty of areas to get wrong.
But you will surely agree that following some intelligent hacks can fix your follies. You are making mistakes while quilting is very common. But your ways of fixing your mistakes make you stand out as an artist.
