Five Easy Ways to Improve Your Patchwork

Written by Diane Harris on March 29, 2017. Posted in Blog, How-tos and Ideas

Try these five easy fixes to improve your patchwork.

1. Shorten your stitch length to 2.0 mm, or about 13 stitches per inch. The default stitch length on computerized machines is usually too long for piecing. Learn more about stitch length.

Stitch length of 2.0 or 13 stitches per inch is preferable for piecing.

2. Instead of focusing on the width of your quarter-inch seam allowance, focus on the finished size of your patches, which is what really matters. Learn more about piecing accurately.

Look near the top: The strip section on the right doesn’t match the pinwheel section on the left. If I had measured the sections instead of the seam allowance, I’d have had better results.

3. Use a presser foot with visibility. Check with your sewing machine dealer to see all the options. If you sew on an older machine, there may be add-ons from other brands that will fit.

Use a presser foot that gives you plenty of visibility like these.

4. Keep your rotary cutter blade sharp. If you’re missing threads, it’s time to change. Keep the cost down by buying multi-packs. Some people report good luck with rotary carpet blades from places like Harbor Freight.