bias edges.
• Spray starch is useful to stabilize fabrics and give more body, especially if stacking fabrics ready for multiple layer cutting.
• Don’t forget that many stages of piecing can be finger pressed, particularly for small units. Finger press on a hard surface using the flat area of the thumbnail so the seam lies flat. A Hera or other firm tool can also be used.
• Press work first as it comes off the sewing machine to ‘set’ the stitches and help them settle into the fabric and reduce small puckers. Then press towards the seam allowance. Press seams so they lie in opposite directions as the work will then lie flatter and be easier to quilt (see diagrams below).
Preparing Edges
Check all fabric pieces for straight edges. It may have been cut accurately but this isn’t always the case.
• If fabric isn’t straight, use your rotary cutter and ruler to trim it.
• Some loosely woven fabrics can be straightened by pulling a crosswise thread from the weave and then cutting along the gap. Tearing fabrics is rarely accurate enough for patchwork.
• Fabrics such as stripes and plaid patterns may have skewed grain lines. These can be straightened out by pulling on the two short sides of the fabric to return the warp and weft threads to right angles (see diagram in Using Fabric Grain below).
• Trim off the selvedge, that is, the tightly woven edge on a fabric. It is often more than 1⁄4in (6mm) wide so may well appear in your patchwork without you intending it to.
Using Fabric Grain
Fabrics are made with lengthwise threads called warp threads and crosswise threads called weft threads. Warp threads are on the straight grain and are the strongest with the least stretch. Weft threads are also firm but with a little more give. At a 45 degree angle to these threads is the bias grain, which has the least strength and the most stretch (see diagram).
Cutting and sewing fabric on the straight grain causes the least stretching and distortion, which means that patches and units will align more accurately. When edges are on the bias they are likely to distort and stretch with handling and pressing, so when in doubt have the straight grain on the edges.
A fabric’s tendency to stretch can be a positive benefit in some cases, for example, when cutting strips for bias-strip appliqué and bias binding, when you want the fabric to ease around curves easily. Bias-cut edges can also be of benefit for needle-turn appliqué, where edges need to be turned under smoothly. Bias-cut edges are also useful for slashing and chenilling to encourage fabric to fray and ‘bloom’.
Using the Right Needle
Before sewing you need to check you are using the right needle for your fabric. If you use too fine a needle in thicker fabrics it will break: use too thick a needle in a fine fabric and it will punch holes that will weaken the fabric. Generally, use larger needles for thicker threads and finer needles for thinner threads.
Needles are made of high carbon steel wire and, to resist corrosion, are plated with nickel, gold, platinum or titanium alloys. Needle sizes are in metric (European) and universal (American). For example, for a needle size 80/12, 80 is the metric size and 12 is the universal size (see the needles table in the Useful Information section). The higher the number, the thicker and longer the needle.
Needles are given various names that reflect their function or characteristics. Embroidery, or Crewel needles, are sharp, pointed needles with a longer eye than Sharps, making threading thicker threads easier. Betweens, or Quilting needles, are shorter than Sharps or Embroidery, with a small round eye and are good for detailed work on slightly heavier fabrics. Tapestry needles have a blunted tip and a large eye, making them suitable for wool thread and canvas stitching. Chenille are sharp-pointed with a large eye and are good for hand sewing with thicker threads or for ribbon embroidery. For machine sewing, Universals are available in a wide range of sizes and are suited to woven or knitted fabrics. Topstitch or Microtex needles are useful for general sewing. Metallic are designed for use with metallic threads and have a large eye, sharp point and fine shaft. Twin/Triple are double- or triple-pointed needles used in a sewing machine to create double or triple rows of stitching for decorative effect. Wing needles have a flared shaft that creates a decorative hole in fabric and so are useful for decorative machine stitching.
Choosing Needles
When choosing needles the following guides may help.
Hand sewing and piecing – Sharps 60/8–65/9.
Hand quilting – Betweens 65/9, 70/10 and 80/12.
Hand appliqué – Sharps or Betweens 60/8–65/9.
Decorative hand stitches – various, depending on thread.
Machine piecing – Universal 80/12 or 70/12 for straight stitching.
Machine quilting – Universal 75/11–90/14.
Machine appliqué – Universal 70/10 or Embroidery 75/11 for satin stitch.
Decorative machine sewing – Embroidery 75/11 for 40 weight threads and 80/12 for 30 weight threads.
Italian quilting – Large-eyed Tapestry needle for threading the wool cord through channels.
Sewing Machine Basics
Advice on using a sewing machine for patchwork, quilting and appliqué is given throughout the book, especially in Machine Piecing and Machine Quilting.
Stitch length – This is the length in millimetres of each stitch that makes up the pattern. For machine quilting most people use a stitch length of about 10–12 stitches per inch (2.5cm) but this may be varied depending on fabric and threads being used. The thicker the fabric, the longer the stitch required.
Machine tension – This is the tightness the stitches are formed under and can affect how the work looks from the front and back. The upper and lower tensions should balance, so thread used in the bobbin should not show on the top of the work, and vice versa. The bottom bobbin thread tension is controlled by a screw on the bobbin case, which can be loosened or tightened. The top tension is controlled on most machines by a dial, the position of which will vary. If the bobbin thread is showing through on the top of the work, the tension is too tight, so loosen it by selecting
