Tips for Piecing Small Quilt Blocks

Learn tips and techniques to improve accuracy in piecing and sewing small quilt blocks.

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Sherri McConnell

Instagram: @aquiltinglife

Music:

[leonawilliams]

Thank you Sherri good tips, I like having the stitch length small for small blocks, really made sense . I am sure I will use all of these tips when sewing my next small project.

[quiltendeb]

Discovered A Quilting Life blog and YouTube videos a few months ago, and am enjoying both.

[happyoneable]

Thank you very, very much for all these wonderful tips! I am learning quilting and prefer right now to try and do all hand sewing. Starting small works for me!! I will try to make coasters for Christmas gifts. 😊

[SewFun]

Great video! One of my biggest tips for piecing smaller blocks is patience. Take a bit more time and you will be less frustrated by mistakes.

[categ]

I'm a recent convert to heavy pre-starch. My piecing and cutting has improved exponentially, especially the hst. Thank you so much for sharing.

[mindym.]

You must have read my mind, I’m making some doll quilts today! I’m sitting down with my cup of tea to enjoy this video!

[C]

Thank you, Sherri!! Your 3 inch blocks looked perfect to me!! Two of them looked like they were for experienced quilters. 😃When I first started sewing around 4 years ago, I thought it would be a good idea to to make the smaller quilts which also had small blocks.😩 I wasn’t quite ready for that. I love all of your tips for small and larger blocks! 😍

[paml]

These are really good tips! Thank you for this video you are a good teacher.

[ccreel]

Thank you for these tips. I struggle greatly with smaller components of larger blocks! I’ll give your tips a try the next block with smaller components.🤗

[susanvoth]

Sherri, your hair looks really nice in this video. You have so many tools for quilting. I often hesitate to purchase new rulers, especially the smaller ones, because I can use a bigger one to do the job, and rulers are so expensive. Perhaps this is not the best way to think about it, perhaps accuracy should trump frugality.

[jeanbeinemann]

Great tips! Thank you as these will certainly help me to be successful in American Patchwork and Quilting 2024 QAL!

[SewWhittle]

I know this is 3 years old but, I am currently sewing 2 inch blocks together and I even use a leader on my machine. It just will not go into the feed dogs. HELP!!!

[jamiewillhite]

Great tips. I may try this smaller block just for the experience.

[julxie-quitting]

Thanks for these ideas - I had given up on a particular block because the small pieces were not cooperating, but I’m going to give it another try!

[Jorgie]

These are excellent tips. I recently finished a ~45 x 45 pixel quilt with 1/2 in finished squares...and it was my first quilt. I wish I had starched my fabric to assist with the accuracy of cutting 1" squares. The quality of the rulers matters so much and I started using a wooden school ruler 🤦‍♀️. I didn't back stitch and the blocks did start unraveling at the end of rows until I too serendipitously learned that a shorter stitch length prevents that. The other tip regarding the accuracy of 1/4 seam allowance is important too. I plan on doing another portrait pixel quilt next year and I will watch this video again before I start. I wish I watched it before I started my first quilt. Thanks again.

[lindakendall]

I hope you enjoyed your time off! Looking at those blocks both way, I like the X pattern best - it is not as common, plus your swimming suits are upright. If it is too small for you, you can do what you've done before & add a narrow aqua sashing. You are amazing! Thank you for all you share and teach us!

[SharonCarbine]

Thank you, Sherri. Great tips. In a future video chat with Chelsea, please expand upon the difference between spray starch and finishing spray. I have never used Flatter or any similar product. Plus, I do not understand why I would want to use a finishing spray instead of more Best Press. Thanks again!

[beverleybrowning]

All these tips are great. I am doing the Sewcialites in the 6" version. I make my own starch (triple the recipe and use the professional sprayers from the dollar store - search homemade starch on YouTube). As another viewer mentioned, I use leaders and enders (2 1/2" squares right now to make a quilt or other projects). Also a one hole sewing plate on the machine really helps to prevent the fabric from going down into the machine! Cheers from 🇨🇦🍁

[joyscranfield]

Thank you! Very useful info & wasn't aware there were such templates! Definitely be looking for them.

[kathyaschenbach]

Thank you so very much for the video! I love the tips and I am trying to soak everything up like a sponge. I will say it is paying off I am having success!!! Thank you so very much from the bottom of my heart.