While piecing blocks for the latest C&T baby quilt, I thought I’d document a few tips that made the sewing go faster.

1. For even, accurate 1/4″ seams, use a wider foot and adjust the needle position to 1/4″. With a wider foot you get better traction with the feed dogs.

2. Chain piecing is quick and efficient. Simply feed units under the presser foot leaving about 1/4” between them–don’t cut the threads between them. For these blocks, I stitched the strips on both sides of the center block, pressed the seams, then clipped the threads.

3. When adding a strip to a unit that already has seams, I place the unit with the seams on top, and the new strip underneath. This way I can make sure that the seam allowances don’t get  pushed the wrong way while sewing.

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For more piecing tips and tricks, check out the Piecing Tips & Tricks Tool by Alex Anderson, Sharyn Craig, Carol Doak, Nancy Johnson-Srebro, and Ruth B. McDowell.

Related posts:

1. Quilting Tips: Setting Triangles
2. Quilting Tips: Backstitching seams
3. “Quilting Tips from the Technical Editors” Takes a Hiatus
4. Quiltmaking Tips: Quilting Shapes on Quilts
5. Quilting Tips: C&T’s Technical Editors Want to Hear From You!