Tips for Sewing with Quilt Strip Sets

Hello and happy Tuesday! Can you believe tomorrow we’ll turn the calendars to March? This year is flying by for sure! I know the last couple of weeks have been going quickly for me as I’ve been sewing quilts with our upcoming collection. I’ll be sharing next week, so make sure you are subscribed to my newsletter to get discount codes for the new patterns and kits! Today I’m sharing some of my best tips for sewing with quilt strip sets! Enjoy!

5 Tips for Sewing with Quilt Strip Sets:

Today I thought I’d share some tips for sewing with strips…jelly roll (or 2 ½″ wide strips), honey buns (1 ½″ wide strips), and even larger strips.  Sewing with pre-cut strips definitely saves time for quilters. But there are also some helpful tips that can help make your strip sewing more accurate!

1) Cut Accurately.

When cutting your own quilt strip sets, accuracy is a must. I’ve been using my Creative Grids Stripology Ruler Quilt Ruler for cutting strips of all sizes for my new market quilts recently. It‘s been a real time saver, and I can’t imagine cutting my own strips without the use of this great tool (see my instructional video about this ruler here). 

2) Check your Seam Allowance.

 A good time to double check your ¼″ seam allowance is at the beginning of a strip-pieced project. If each seam is off just a small amount the amounts can really add up.  If your quilt strip sets are measuring a little smaller than they should you may want to try pressing the seams open. My first YouTube video was actually a demonstration on how to check your ¼″ seam allowance using strips–you can watch it below.

 

3) Press your Quilt Strip Sets Carefully.

Whether you decide to press your seam allowances open or to one side, be especially careful when pressing strip sets. You can actually add “curves” into your quilt strip sets if you move your iron in an arc while pressing. Make straight movements with your iron that are perpendicular to your strip set.

4) Cut Longer Strips into Shorter Pieces for More Accuracy.

If your pattern allows, you might want to try cutting longer strips into shorter pieces for sewing and pressing. This can make it easier to be accurate and can also help minimize added waves or curves when ironing.

5) Sew Quilt Strips Sets Together in Alternate Directions.

This is another technique you can use to keep your quilt strip sets straight. When sewing more than two strips together, start at the opposite end from the one you started on when sewing the previous seam. Make a light pencil mark on the back of each strip added near the end where you began sewing to help you remember.

I hope these tips will help make your quilt strip sets sewing more enjoyable and more accurate! 

For some more ideas on using jelly roll strips, be sure to read this post with 10 Tips for Using Jelly Roll Strips!

Happy quilting, and thanks so much for stopping by!