Chain piecing means sewing one seam after another without
cutting the thread.
If the stitch length is too long, then the seams will have a
tendency to come apart. I see this very frequently on quilts,
especially at a border where there is no cross seam to secure the
stitching in place.
When I sew another seam across the end of a seam, that helps
to secure the stitching so it doesn’t pull apart.
However as in the case at the bottom right, there is no seam
that crosses that border seam to hold it in place.
I frequently mention to people that their stitch length is too
long and I usually get one of two common answers:
1. ” I didn’t know it should have been smaller. I just sewed at
whatever the stitch length was when I turned on the sewing
machine.”
2. “Oh I know – I like it like that. It makes it easier to rip out
stitches!”
Ooops – neither answer is acceptable!
The best way to solve this problem is to decrease the stitch
length to 2.0. This shorter stitch length allows you to strip piece
and chain piece and no worries about the stitches coming loose
at either end of the stitching.
Chain piecing
The first thing I do when I turn on the Ruby Royale (or any of my
sewing machines) is to decrease the stitch length to 2.0.
You can always use the My Stitches menu on the Ruby Royale
to make your own custom stitch (with a shorter length) so you
don’t have to remember to change it. But I find it very simple to
just use the stylus and decrease the stitch length to 2.0. Then
I'm good to go for that piecing session.
¼" Seam Allowance
This is a HUGE issue with many quilters. They're unable to get an
accurate or consistent seam allowance.
What exactly is a 1⁄4" seam allowance? When we talk about 1⁄4"
seam allowance, what we really mean is a scant 1⁄4" seam allowance. The seam allowance should be just a thread or two less
than 1⁄4". And why is that? Well as your fabric folds back over the
seam allowance, the height of that fold takes up some fabric. If
you don’t compensate for that fold, your seam allowance will be
perfect, but the piece will be too small.
The end of this border seam is pulling apart
There are many many different styles of 1⁄4" feet available. Some
are clear, some have guides, and it really requires that one experiment with the various styles to see what works best for you.
I know that switching from one style to another is a big deal! It
takes some time to readjust to the new foot.
Things like needle position, thickness of thread, your fabric, how
you position the seam – all of these can have a bearing on the
actual seam allowance.
Every time you switch to a new foot you should do the following