Why Are Some Quilt Blocks So Difficult?

I have quilted for a long time.  Over 30 years.  During this time I have pieced, appliqued, appliqued and pieced, stacked and whacked, paper pieced, and chenilled.    I have made large blocks, small blocks, super-small blocks, and medium sized blocks. While I haven’t made every type of quilt block known to quilt-kind, I have made a large number of them.  And you know what?

There are still some blocks I really dislike making. 

You would think that after so many years and so many stitches, I would have found my Zen with all the quilt blocks I’ve sewed.  However, this is not the case, and while I was mulling this thought over in my mind, I wondered if other long-term quilters felt this way.  Since you never know until you ask, I sent a text to a group of quilty friends asking them “What quilt block do you dislike making the most?”  In no particular order, the following are the blocks mentioned:

• Flying Geese
• Pinwheels
• Double Wedding Ring
• Anything with Y-seams
• Cathedral Window
• Drunkards Path

To begin, none of these blocks surprised me.  Yes, some of these – such as flying geese and pinwheels – are probably used a little more than Double Wedding Ring or Drunkard’s Path.  You would think that with frequent practice, the “ick” factor would be removed.  Evidently not.  While making these blocks more often may help increase skill and technique, that may not ever equate into enjoying the journey.  

I really wanted to understand why quilters thought these blocks were difficult – what did the blocks require from us that made us dislike them so much?   So I researched each block.  I asked Google what makes each block so difficult.  This is what I came up with:

1.  Flying Geese – Little margin for error.  Bias.  You must be accurate.
2. Pinwheels – You must be accurate.  Bias.  Bulky seams.
3. Double Wedding Ring – Curved piecing.  You must be accurate.  Bias.  Block takes time to make.
4. Y-Seams – If you’re not 100 percent accurate, the block looks awful.  You can’t make them quickly.  Often easier if done by hand.
5. Cathedral Window – The construction is completely different from any other quilt block.  It’s part origami and part hand sewing.  You must be accurate.
6. Drunkard’s Path – Curved piecing, sewing a concave to a convex curve.  Accuracy is needed.  Can’t be made quickly.  Bias.

The one skill which pops up with all the blocks is accuracy.  The second most listed is bias. I am not dealing with the construction of each of these blocks.  What I do want to discuss is accuracy and how to handle bias.

Accuracy is important with all quilt blocks.  It’s one of those techniques which become glaringly evident if it’s not present.  There are all sorts of tools and tricks to help you become a more accurate quilter, but I’m only hitting the main ones with this blog.  The first step is listed in many of the block descriptions – “Block takes time,” or “Can’t be made quickly.”  Slowing down is quite often the very first step in accuracy.  And with this, I mean slowing down in each step – cutting out the fabric, marking anything needed, and sewing the block together.  Let me remind you of something I’ve said probably at least a hundred times in my blogs – quilting is not a race.  There are no prizes for the fastest quilter.  Slowing down the process gives you time to check and double check for accuracy in cutting and piecing.  And while sewing below the “speed limit” may seem like a killjoy at times, it sure beats quality time spent with your seam ripper, which is what you do if the stitches aren’t where they need to be. 

Second, make sure your seam allowance is consistent.  Most quilt patterns call for a ¼-inch seam allowance, although some do use a scant ¼-inch allowance.  Be sure to read through your pattern to find out which seam allowance is used.   If the pattern doesn’t mention the scant ¼-inch, just assume it uses a full ¼-inch.  There are lots of tools available to help you keep a consistent seam allowance.  Most sewing machines designed specifically for quilters have a quarter-inch foot.  If your machine doesn’t have one of these little jewels, Google your machine’s brand and make to see if there’s a generic one available.  You can also measure over ¼-inch over from where the needle pierces the fabric and mark that spot on your throat plate with a marker or a piece of tape. 

Good pressing techniques and a good iron are also important.   I covered pressing techniques here: https://sherriquiltsalot.com/2018/10/10/a-pressing-issue/. Be sure to nest your seams when possible and press to the darker fabric if you can.  Steam can be helpful under certain conditions, and it’s up to you if you want to use the steam option on your iron or mist your fabric with water and then press it with a hot dry iron.  A good iron isn’t necessarily the most expensive one.  It’s one with enough heft to help you press those seams as flat as possible and hold up to the abuse some of us quilters give it.  My favorite iron is generally the cheapest one at Target because I am notoriously hard on irons.  And the old ones you can find (the ones which still work) at thrift or antique stores from the forties with no steam options are my favorites – a nice weight and none of those infuriating automatic cut-off safety features (I know, I know, those are obligatory for safety reasons, but I do wish you could time them instead of the factory). 

While on the subject of pressing, pressing your fabric (if needed) before cutting anything out also helps you stay accurate.  If your material is fresh off the bolt from the LQS, it probably doesn’t need pressing.  However, if it’s been folded in your stash or it’s a pre-cut which has been folded several times before it was packaged, it may need a good pressing.  Getting rid of all those fold lines and wrinkles so the fabric is smooth just makes cutting easier and more accurate. 

Once your fabric is pressed smooth, the next step in accuracy is measuring and cutting.  The old adage, “Measure twice, cut once,” is certainly true in both carpentry and quilting.  Some quilters swear by using the cutting mat for measuring accuracy and others strictly use a ruler.  In all seriousness, most of these tools do use the same standard requirements when marking out inches in their products.  My caveat would be this:  Stay consistent.  If you use the inches on your rotary mat to measure your fabric and your ruler only for cutting, be sure to keep this method consistent as you cut out your fabric.  If you reverse this (use the ruler to measure the fabric, not the mat), be sure to stick with this method.  Good lighting over your cutting area is always helpful, and another thing I have discovered as I’ve gotten older – I am much more accurate in the mornings than I am at the end of a long day. 

These next four items I feel are especially important for all quilters, no matter how long you’ve quilted or how many quilts you’ve made.  In my opinion, they’re pretty much non-negotiable.

1.  Read the Pattern:  Preferably read it twice.  The first time you read through it, ask yourself if the pattern makes sense.  Can you follow the steps?  Does it leave you with questions the pattern doesn’t answer?  Then set the pattern aside for a while until you have more time to devote to reading it through the second time.  For the second read-through, pour yourself a beverage of choice, grab a highlighter or pencil, get comfortable, and have your laptop, phone, or iPad nearby.  This time when you read through the directions, mark the pattern up.  Make some construction decisions – such as do they make flying geese the way you like to, or will you use another technique?  Can you alter the steps?  For instance, will it mess anything up to do the hardest part of the quilt first and get that behind you or do you have to do the steps in order?  Make sure your questions can be answered.  Often the questions you may have at the beginning of the instructions are answered as you work through the pattern. 

Lastly, Google the pattern.  This may seem extreme, but hear me out.  Sometimes you’ll find additional information about the pattern and the designer if you Google the name of the pattern.  The designer may have issued some corrections to the pattern and a Google search will turn these up.  The search may also yield others who have made the pattern, and you can read their reviews.  And finally – this one is the kiss of death to me with a designer or a pattern – if you can’t find anyone who has made the quilt other than the designer, you may want to put the pattern down and slowly back away.  A no-yield-but-the-designer search tells me a couple of things.  First the pattern may be so new no one has had the time to make the quilt and post anything about it, or the directions are so poorly written that no one wants to invest the time, fabric, and costs to make the quilt.  With either one of these, I tend to set the pattern aside for a few months and return to a Google search then.  If I still get no search results, I stop and ask myself how badly do I want to make that quilt?

•  Always Make a Test Block:  Use your scraps (because I know you have scraps) to make a test block.  Follow the directions given with the pattern.  This test block will either give you great peace of mind (the pattern directions are clear and correct) or will show you what you want to change.  At this point, you may want to change a technique – such as the way the pattern says to make flying geese.  If the block has more Y-seams than you bargained for, you may want to re-draft the block using half-square triangles.  Once the block is complete, measure it to make sure it comes out at the correct unfinished  size.  If it’s smaller, then you will want to make another test block using a scant quarter-inch seam allowance.  If it’s too large, you may want to adjust your needle position or take a larger seam allowance.  Always remember the ¼-inch seam allowance is a guide.  It is not the Holy Grail of Quilting.  It’s okay to break that rule.  The most important thing is this:  all the blocks come out the same, consistent size.  This will make the rest of the construction process very, very easy. 

•  Note the Correct Unfinished Size of Each Block Unit:  It’s no secret I love a quilt pattern that tells me the size of each unfinished block unit.  If I have to make two dozen four-patches, I would seriously like to know their correct unfinished size.  The best quilt patterns supply you with this information.  However, if your pattern doesn’t supply this detail, make note of the units’ sizes as you make your test block.  If you can trim each unit to the needed unfinished size, you just increased the chances of all your blocks turning out the correct unfinished size without a lot of trimming. And speaking of trimming….

• See What Units You Can Make a Bit Larger and Trim Them Down for Complete Accuracy:  I have found this especially helpful for block units with a lot of bias, such as half-square triangles.  Any time you’re dealing with bias, a block unit can come out a little wonky.  Making them a tad larger and then trimming them to fit just makes construction so much easier.

Now let’s talk about bias.  Incase you’ve forgotten, this where the bias is located on a piece of fabric.  True bias is found at a 45-degree angle to the straight of grain.  Just thinking about dealing with bias can have some quilters running for the hills, vowing only to make non-bias blocks for the rest of their quilting careers. 

However, this is only wishful thinking.  Blocks as simple as this:

Have bias.  And any blocks such as these:

With curves, have bias. 

If you applique (especially if you hand applique by needle turn or back basting), you know all those curvy stems, leaves, and petals work much better if they’re cut on the bias.

In addition, if you construct a quilt with a scalloped border, the binding should be cut on the bias to make it easier to sew around all those curved edges.

Quilters must find their Zen with bias.  It’s there.  Eventually we will use it.

First of all, banish from you mind working with bias is difficult, tricky, and will drive you to drink.  It won’t.  Quilting with bias is different from working with cuts along the straight or length of grain, but it’s certainly no harder. 

Second, learn to love spray starch, sizing, or Best Press Starch Alternative (which is different from regular Best Press).  Personally, I’m team #spraystarch.  I know there are all kinds of debates about starch vs. Best Press.  However, if you plan on immediately working with your fabric as soon as you starch it, there should be no buggy issues to deal with. 

The starch – or starch substitute – stiffens your fabric.  It stabilizes the bias, thus reducing the chances of stretching it while you work with the fabric.  How you starch the fabric is just as important as the fact you use starch.  Spray the wrong side of the fabric, but don’t saturate it.  Lightly apply the starch and then press the starch into the material. Don’t use a back-and-forth ironing motion – this can stretch the bias.  In my opinion, it’s best to starch the fabric until it almost feels like paper.  Yes, this takes some time as well as several applications of starch.  However, once this is accomplished, the bias is truly stabilized, and it will be difficult to stretch out of shape.  Let me add this is for fabric which will be pieced.  If you’re using the fabric for applique or binding, you don’t want to starch it to the point it won’t curve. 

Third, make sure your rotary cutter blade and/or your scissors are sharp.  A dull blade can chew bias like nobody’s business, making it fray and become difficult to deal with.

Fourth, handle the bias edges as little as possible.  If you’re making half-square triangles by sewing two squares together and then cutting them apart, wait to slice them in two until you need them.  If triangles are on your rotary mat, cut them out and set them aside until needed.  Avoid handling the bias until you’re ready to sew.  When you are ready to feed them through your machine, a leader is a great thing to use before running a bias edge over the feed dogs.  The dogs will already be in motion, and you’ll avoid any “chewed” points or edges (actually a leader is always a good thing to use).  The same applies to applique if you’ve cut anything on the bias.  Handle them only as necessary and as gently as possible. 

Fifth, if you’re joining long bias edges, use pins.  The weight of long seams on bias edges can cause them to stretch.  Pins help keep the edges in place so the bias stahys where it needs to be.

Finally, let me add something about quilts such as this:

This quilt has blocks with bias edges.  In my opinion (or at least what I would do myself) to keep those bias edges stabilized is to use borders on the quilt.  More specifically, I would cut the borders along the length of fabric grain instead of on the width of fabric.  The LOG has the least stretch and would stabilize the bias edges really well. 

I hope this blog helps you with both your accuracy and any bias-phobia you pmay have.  Accuracy does take time and practice, so allow yourself some quilting grace, especially if you’re a beginner quilter.  The longer you quilt, the more you will learn.  You’ll decide which techniques work best for you and even what time of day is best for you to quilt.  Bias is something all quilters deal with, no matter how much we may want to avoid it.  If you have any tips or tricks for accuracy or bias that I didn’t mention, please leave a comment below.  I’d love to hear them.

Until Next Week, Remember the Details Make the Difference!

Love and Stitches,

Sherri