Have you ever encountered the frustration of piecing your quilt back together, only to find that the seams have created an unsightly interruption in the fabric's print? Fear not! In this tutorial, I'll unveil a simple yet effective technique to merge multiple pieces of fabric into one cohesive piece without visible breaks in the print. Your friends will think you used a wide back!
All you need is a trusty bottle of plain old Elmer's glue - the white stuff that's washable (spoiler alert: it's not just any glue—it's STARCH in disguise!) and a hot, dry iron. Let me show you how easy it is...
Step 1 - Begin by laying out your two pieces of fabric side by side, ensuring that the prints are oriented in the same direction. It's helpful to use a prominent element of the print, such as the rainbow in this example to easily verify that both pieces have the print going the same direction.
Step 2 - Locate a recognizable element of the print that's near the edge of each fabric piece. For this print, I used this cute little necklace wearing bunny, finding her on both pieces of fabric.
Step 3 - Fold under the raw edge of one fabric piece by about 1/2" and press it. Don't stress over the exact measurement, instead focus on keeping the fold straight. I prefer to eyeball this step but you could use a long ruler to mark a straight line to use as a guide.
Step 4 - Match the prints by placing the folded edge over the other fabric using that distinguishing feature as a guide - my darling yellow bunny.
Step 5 - Apply a thin bead of Elmer's glue under the fold. Adjust the fabric pieces until the pattern aligns perfectly then set the glue with a dry iron for 3-5 seconds (more depending on how much glue is there, the glue needs to be dry). Proceed to work in sections along the fold, applying glue and drying it until the entire length of the seam is securely bonded. I like to use a fine tip applicator on my glue bottle to avoid getting big blobs. You can find the fine tip applicators here.
Step 6 - Open up the fold so that the fabrics are right sides together and stitch directly on the fold. If the fold is hard to see, mark it before stitching.
Step 7 - Check that it all looks good then trim the seam allowance as needed to reduce bulk.
Tip - If you want to press this seam open for a flatter finish, you still can! Simply pop the seam open with a gentle tug. If you find that you've been a bit heavy-handed with the Elmer's, don't worry! Simply loosen up the glue with a spritz of water then open the seam.
Beyond quilt backs, this technique is also great to use for striped bindings. You can make the stripes align seamlessly by simply folding the end of a binding strip at a 45° angle and matching the stripes on the fold to the stripes on the next strip, then simply glue and stitch! This technique is also perfect for piecing borders, guaranteeing a smooth and uninterrupted transition between fabric pieces.
What have you used this technique for? Let me know in the comments below!
Happy Quilting!
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