Seam Allowance for Quilting: All About ¼” Seams
Heather ThomasDescription
When it comes to quilting, almost all patterns are written using a ¼” seam allowance. If you come from a garment sewing background and are used to a ⅝” seam allowance this can seem small, but Heather Thomas explains why the ¼” seam allowance is used.
Quarter Inch
When piecing a quilt there is no need for a larger seam allowance because the seams are not going to be subject to wear and tear like a garment. Also, if quilted properly, the seams will be reinforced when the quilt top is quilted. Because of this it is also less important if all of your seams are perfect. Heather Thomas explains that while you want to alway try and sew using and accurate ¼” seam allowance, there are times when a scant or chunky seam allowance can be used. A scant seam allowance means that you are stitching just under ¼” whereas a chunky seam allowance means you are stitching just over a ¼”. Heather shows the backside of a quilt she has pieced and explains how she used one of those seam allowances to help better fit several units together.
Stretching and Easing
While you may be striving to stitch a perfect ¼” seam allowance all of the time, sometimes it doesn’t always happen. Rather than have to tear out a seam with seam rippers and re-stitch it, Heather explains how you can using a stretching or easing technique to ‘fix’ the seam. This works great if you need to fix one or two seams in a project, however if you are finding that you are needing to do this often you may want to reevaluate your stitching technique. Measure your ¼” foot to ensure you are lining up at the right spot or make a mark on your machine throat plate that you can line your fabric up on every time.
The instructions for most quilt designs are based on a 1/4 inch seam, just like the instructions for most garment designs are based on a 5/8 inch seam. This is done for a reason, we have a wider seam on garments so that they last longer under wear and tear. We have a narrower one for quilts so that we don't have such bulky seam allowances. We want our seam allowances to be quote unquote, perfect, so that these designs that have been designed by somebody else, their math will work and we can put the units together the way they're supposed to go together. And so what we do is we rely on that 1/4 inch as a standard, it is part of the system of creating a quilt and it's sort of a universal quilting language. However, let's talk about the importance of that 1/4 inch. Well, the more pieces you have in your blocks, so if your block has 32 pieces in it, every time you're off on that 1/4 inch, it's going to matter a whole bunch. Whereas if the block you're making only has four pieces in it, if you're off a little bit each time, it's not going to matter so much. You're the boss applesauce. When you're piecing things together, don't let your fabric boss you around. So if you've pieced together different units that have to be brought together to complete a block and you see that they're slightly different in size because of the way you pieced, some have a chunky 1/4 inch some have a slight 1/4 inch before you go to sew those units together find the one of the unit that's the closest to the way it's supposed to be and try to make the others look like it by pressing it a little bit, little bit of pushing about, this is called easing. You're going to ease that out, stretching and easing is something that you need to get used to doing in quilt-making. Don't accept a badly pieced block, manipulate it so that you can make it look as though it's pieced very, very well. And then it will act as though it's pieced very, very well. I am not a perfectionist, I tend to not choose designs that require lots of persnickety-ness. However, I do insist that my quilts lay flat, that they look professional when they're finished. And so I've learned lots of tricks along the way to make sure that happens. Now, this is the backside of a very simply pieced quilt, but I want to show you how, kind of lax I am, when it comes to that 1/4 inch seam. What I care about is the fact that things fit together. So if I have to take a scant seam someplace to make things fit well, I'm going to do it. If I have to take a chunky seam somewhere to make things fit well, I'm going to do it. But I strive for that 1/4 inch. Here we have two seams, seams that don't really matter all that much, they're just holding two blocks together, they're not holding together 14 different small pieces, but I want you to see how this seam is pretty much close to a perfect 1/4 inch. If I put the 1/4 inch line on my ruler on the seam itself, the edge is pretty much on the edge of the fabric, great seam. But if I move over here to this seam, it's a scant 1/4 inch, when I put my 1/4 inch line on that seam, I actually have some fabric from the background showing here. See how scant that seam is? It is not a complete 1/4 inch. Do I care? No. What I care about is that these units are laying in this quilt top flat and nicely with no puckers. So clearly at some point I needed to either ease or stretch something so that it would fit in well and look good. And I'm going to do that if I have to. You need to do that if you have to, your other option is to take things apart and resew them with a more accurate seam allowance. If you're going to use an exact 1/4 inch seam, try to use it throughout your piece. If you're going to use a scant 1/4 inch seam, try to use it throughout your piece. If you're going to use a chunky 1/4 inch seam try to use it throughout your piece so that you're consistent. If you're consistent, things will continue to fit. Most machines these days, either come with or can have purchased for them a 1/4 inch piecing foot. This particular little brother has this foot here, and when the needle is in the down position, you can measure across to this nook right here in the foot and that is your 1/4 inch, or so they say. Does that mean that I lined the fabric up so I can see the fabric hanging out just outside this edge and get a quarter inch? No, that would be too chunky. It means I should not see the edge of that fabric, it should be riding just inside this nook and then I'm going to have a 1/4 inch. So you need to know how to use the foot that you purchase, that's a 1/4 inch foot, and then use it consistently. So yes, that's the standard, the standard is a 1/4 inch. Does it have to be perfect? No. What you have to do is pay attention to see if you need to make any adjustments along the way, strive for consistency, with whatever you consider to be your 1/4 inch and things will fit.
great info to learn, or, great to refresh your approach to piecing. I've found using the same ruler throughput the project also helps consistency.
Why does my email say "How to Sew Y Seams" but the video is about 1/4" seams? Very disappointed.
Thank you . I cnjoted the n learned that can manipulate the fabric a little if it is scant 1/4.
Wonderful calm guidance for understanding 1/4 in seams. I really appreciate hearing from a pro that we are in charge, not the fabric. I frequently find myself "fudging" slightly to make a block fit together nicely. Very reassuring to hear that this really is OK.
Understood every point she made about this qtr inch seam & also the sewing machine foot which has the q tr inch size but she said fabric should not show when sewing as qtr inch seams. And consistency in seam size is important for neat, flat quilting -- -- as a beginner who made one jelly roll item, she mentioned everything I wondered about RE seams -- -- thought this was excellent presentation.
I am by no means an advanced quilter. When I quilt, I sometimes have fabrics that ravel. If I use a 1/4" seam, the fabric may ravel through the seam, especially if washed. I prefer to use a little larger seam more towards to a 1/3". I understand what you are saying about using the 1/4" so that the pieces fit together as designed. Is it wrong to use a little larger seam to prevent the raveling?