Step 1: Cutting for Machine Piecing

You don’t make marks on your fabric for machine piecing, so your guide will be the edge of the fabric. Using a rotary cutter is the easiest way to get a precise edge.

The seam allowance for machine piecing is 1/4 of an inch. I cut my squares 1/2-inch bigger to compensate for this. Since my finished squares are going to be 5-inches and 2 1/2-inches, I cut them to be 5 1/2-inches and 3-inches.

I cut the squares out carefully using one of our transparent rulers.  It’s important, even for an impatient person like me, to try to be as accurate as possible when cutting. It will make the rest of the process go much smoother. Also, if you are paying close attention for accuracy, chances are you are making safer cuts, as well.  No cut fingers, please!

I first cut  5 1/2 and 3-inch strips. From those I cut squares.

I line up the horizontal and vertical edges as exactly as possible so that every thing will fit together when it’s time to sew.

 
Here are all the cut squares, looking very square, and ready to be sewn.

Comments

[jess]

hey,that was cool! thanks so much for the excellent and simple tutorial. i just completed my first, very simple quilting project, and didn't do things nearly as methodically as this... next time!

[chris]

A couple materials I use to make templates out of are: sandpaper and exposed xray films (I go to the xray department at my local hospital and ask if they have any over-exposed xray films they are going to throw away-the platic is heavy weight and it's free)