Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Tutorial: Machine Chain Piecing Techniques

Here a tutorial on two machine piecing techniques. Simple Machine Piecing shows you how to make a simple single strip for quilt borders etc. Chain Assembly assembly allows you to make larger quilted pieces very quickly.

NOTES:
1) Cutting your pieces accurately is a really important part of making your quilt. If your pieces are not cut to the correct size to begin with - your quilt/pattern will not fit together as you have planned.
2)
I prefer to press the chains as I go. Iron the back of the chain first, ensuring all the seams are ironed in the same direction. Then iron from the front to make sure there are no puckers or pleats along seams.

SIMPLE MACHINE PIECING
(for a single quilted strip)
You can make a quilted strip for quilt borders etc very quickly using this technique.

Step 1: Design, cut and lay out your quilt border/strip.Step 2: Starting at the top of the border/strip stack your pieces into a pile. Be careful to stack them in order!Step 3: Take the first two squares from the stack. Place them right sides together and sew a seam on the right hand edge. DO NOT REMOVE THE SEWN SQUARES FROM THE MACHINE. Then take the next two squares from the stack, place them right sides together and feed them into the machine following your first two squares. Continue this process until you have reached the end of your stack.
Sew squares together in a chain

Step 4: Cut the threads between the sewn pairs.
Cut threads between the pairs of squares

Step 5:
Stack your pairs - ensuring to keep them in order ... ... and take the first two pairs right sides together and sew a seam on the right hand edge. DO NOT REMOVE THE SEWN SQUARES FROM THE MACHINE. Then take the next two pairs from the stack, place them right sides together and feed them into the machine following your first two squares. Continue this process until you have reached the end of your stack.
Sew pairs together in a chain

Step 6: Snip the threads between the squares and continue as above until you have reached the desired length for your border.
Continue to sew chains of squares together

Remember to press your squares ensuring the seams are lying in the same direction.


CHAIN ASSEMBLY (for larger areas)
Using this method you will be able to assemble your quilt in a very neat and speedy manner.

Step 1: Design, cut and lay out your quilt.Step 2: Starting at the top of each row stack your pieces into piles. Be careful to stack them in order. Step 3: Take the first two squares from the top of stacks Row1 and Row2. Place them right sides together and sew a seam on the right hand edge. DO NOT REMOVE THE SEWN SQUARES FROM THE MACHINE. Then take the next two squares from Row1 and Row2. Place them right sides together and feed them into the machine following your first two squares.
Continue this process until you have reached the end of Row1 & Row2. Remove the chain from the machine but DO NOT CUT ANY CONNECTING THREADS between the pairs of squares.
Sew rows 1&2 together in a chain

Step 4: Go back to the top of your chain and begin to add the pieces from Row3 in the same manner. Remove from the machine but DO NOT CUT ANY CONNECTING THREADS.
Add Row 3 to the chain

Continue until you have all the squares for Rows 3 & 4 in place. Remove from the machine but DO NOT CUT ANY CONNECTING THREADS.

Step 5: Sew your vertical chains together.
Sew your vertical strips together

Once all your chains are sewn together press - ensuring your seams are lying in the same direction.

10 comments:

Bumpkin Hill said...

what a fantastic tutorial! I will have to give that a try in between the bears tugging for my attention! I hope you and little bunny are doing well. Hugs, Catherine x

Kitty said...

So THAT'S how it's done! Thanks for showing me how! x

Wanda said...

Exellent, what a time saver. I also think it would save a lot of thread. Thanks.

Esther said...

very interesting but I got completely lost - most likely as I have never sewn anything before LOL!

hetty said...

I know that putting a tutorial like that together is a lot of work. Thank you for doing it. I love this method of speed piecing and use it all the time. Many people ask me how it's done and now I will know where to send them for help!

Anonymous said...

This is SO helpful, Rachael! Thank you so much for sharing these tips with all of us. The chain-piecing in particular is going to save me a tremendous amount of thread and time! Thanks again!

Esther said...

I have nominated your blog - hope you don't mind!

Days and colors said...

You made a great tutorial, many people will find it easier now to chain-piece. Thanks for taking your time!

dottycookie said...

Brilliant tutorial - I find chain piecing a boon.

Lovely shirty bits !

Claudia/Ompompali said...

I have just found your blog and have been reading backwards - every entry! Love it! And now I have found this tutorial and for the first first time I have understood how this method is meant to be. Thank you so much for the good eyplanations.I am quite relieved because I never understood the how-to when I read about this method before! Phew! You made my day!