- Hi there, it's Karen Brown of Just Get It Done Quilts.
Do you have a problem
with your blocks being small when you sew them?
Or maybe they're just a little wonky or out of square.
Well, to get accurate piecing,
you need the trifecta
of accurate cutting, straight sewing
and a good ironing technique.
So today I'm going to be specifically talking
about good ironing technique.
And if you stay to the end, I've got a fabric giveaway.
So stick with me and I'll show you how to do it.
Putting my glove on, 'cause it's cold.
(upbeat music)
So today I'm going to show you a technique
that I learned when I was a beginner.
I had been sewing for about three years.
No matter what I tried, I never seemed to sew large enough.
My blocks were always small.
This ironing technique that I was taught
has made the single, biggest improvement in my quilting,
more than any technique I have learned before
or I have learned since.
So before we start, you need an iron.
A hot iron.
It doesn't need to be $300, I get mine from Costco.
They last me about 5 years
before my kids knock it on the floor too many times
and I have to get another one.
But they've moved out now, so I have high hopes
that this one might make it to 10.
Make sure that your ironing board is a the right hight.
If you bend your elbows at a right angle,
your ironing board should be four inches
lower than your arms.
If you're doing a lot of ironing,
grab a yoga block or a step or a shoe box
and just rest one foot on that while you're ironing
and that will be easier on your back.
(upbeat music)
So the first step is setting you seams.
Now don't roll your eyes,
I know you've heard it a 1000 times.
Set your seams.
Yes, but this is why it's important.
Cotton is mostly made up of cellulose molecules.
And they're in long chains
and they're held together by these weak bonds
called hydrogen bonds.
But I'm not wanting to get into a discussion
on organic chemistry here.
What it means is that when you heat up cotton,
it becomes soft and pliable.
So that same phenomena that makes jeans conform to your butt
is the same thing that allows us to flatten seams
and correct any issues in tension
when we've sewn on the bias.
The motion is simple.
Just place your iron directly down on top of your piece.
No wiggling, no swishing.
If you're not careful and you apply pressure
with the rotation on your iron, as in swishing,
it will distort your fabric.
Let me show you why.
So imagine this block here
is the block that you've just made.
It's secured on the far side by the seam.
They're not moving.
But let's say you apply an iron
and you're going to swish your iron across.
This is what happens to your fabric.
These fibres all get distorted,
'cause they're not secured by anything.
And once they distort, it's pretty well impossible
to get them go back to normal.
(upbeat music)
Okay, this next step, finger pressing.
This is important so pay attention.
So what is finger pressing and why are we bothering with it?
What we're doing is we're pushing the fabric over,
as far as it can go,
before we apply the heat.
So we don't loose any fabric in the crack.
Take the layer and we roll it over.
And then we take our fingers
and then we push it over as far as we can.
But we are going in this direction.
We are not spreading our fingers.
This isn't a massage,
this isn't a family pet to be stroked.
Let's watch that again in slow motion.
You are wanting all your pressure
in your fingertips,
to go straight across your fabric.
And this will prevent distortion thing
that we were talking about before.
I was told by my instructor,
it was like playing the piano.
So if you have a long strip,
you dance your fingers up the edge.
And if you're asking,
I prefer pressed to the dark side
but truly, I am much more interested
in all my seams in my block nesting properly.
So I will press whichever way makes sense.
(upbeat music)
After you have finger pressed,
we're going to apply the iron one more time.
We are going to press
and remember, no swishing.
(steam escaping)
There's nothing left in this seam.
It's as flat as it's going to get.
So the combination of all these three steps
is you're going to find your seams nest really nicely
and your points will begin to line up.
I'll tell you, flipping your fabric open
and finding your seams nesting properly never gets old.
And because some of you may be doubting me,
let me show you a comparison of several blocks
that I have ironed in a different way.
This block is nice and flat,
it's a good size, the blocks are square
and there's little distortion in the middle.
Immediately you can see that this block does not sit flat.
Without even a close up you can see some of the squares
are skewed and the middle is distorted.
This one's even worse.
Some of the squares aren't even the right size.
Terrible distortion in the middle
and you can see how much fabric is left in the crease.
Okay, so this wasn't truly a scientific experiment.
It gives you enough of an idea
of the change that happens
when you have a good ironing technique.
So I encourage you to give this method a try
and to experiment and see the changes that might happen
in your quilting.
(upbeat music)
I have had an amazing week.
Thank you so much for all you new subscribers.
It's been a wonderful feeling
with all the wonderful comments that you've left.
So to celebrate, I am having a contest.
I have this wonderful collection here from Violet Craft.
You all have a chance to win it.
All you have to do is leave a comment below
and subscribe to my channel,
which most of you have done already
and then go to my website justgetitdonequilts.com
and subscribe to my newsletter.
I will draw one person randomly from all of the entries
on February 15th.
And it doesn't matter where in the world you live,
I will ship it to you.
I'm also having a contest
over on my Instagram,
so head over to Instagram @justgetitdonequilts
and you can enter there too.
So if you liked this video,
please give it a thumbs up.
If you haven't yet, please subscribe below.
Take care and I'll see you next time.
Some of you might be looking for Holly.
There she is, in the background, having fun,
wondering why she's being ignored.
(upbeat music)