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Making Quilting Rows Align

If you envision a handmade quilt draping over the back of your sofa or your baby̵7;s crib, no doubt the quilt in that vision is perfect, with no flaws. Since you plan to make that quilt, you should take the time to prepare the quilting fabric so you can create the quilt you have been dreaming about.

Square the Fabric
- Fabric is manufactured in widths of 44 to 45 inches. When you choose the fabric you want to use for making a quilt, you need to prepare it by squaring the edges. After folding the selvedges -- the woven edges -- together so they meet and line up, set a wide fabric ruler along the folded edge so it is parallel to and pressing down on the fold. Set another wide fabric ruler at a right angle to the fabric ruler on the fold. Have someone hold the ruler on the fold in place so it does not shift, and trim along the second ruler to cut any uneven edges off the fabric.
Consequences of Unsquared Fabric
- If you don̵7;t square up the fabric before you begin to cut strips for the quilt, the fabric may stretch in directions you do not want it stretching. No matter how carefully you measure and cut, you may also end up with oddly shaped squares or strips of fabric, which makes it difficult for you to align individual squares, let alone an entire row of quilted fabric. If you start with unsquared fabric, as you continue working on each strip, trying to get it to lie straight, the end result will be squares, strips and rows with fabric bunched up in some areas.
Precise Fabric Measurment
- Cut each square or fabric strip to precise measurements. Because you need to sew each strip or square to other strips or squares, making a quilted row, each piece of fabric has to be the same size. The next step in the quilt-making process involves sewing with the same seam allowance. If one or two pieces of fabric are too small or too large, this affects the final appearance of the quilt.
Factors Affecting Aligned Quilt Rows
- Two factors influence the alignment of the rows of fabric on the quilt you are making. The first, of course, is ensuring that you made the fabric as straight and square as possible before cutting uneven edges away with the rotary cutter.
  
  The next factor is creating a seam allowance that is consistent from row to row. If the pattern tells you to sew a 1/4-inch seam allowance, every row of quilting must have that seam allowance. If one of the quilted rows was stitched using a 5/8-inch seam allowance, this small difference affects the appearance of the quilt.

Sewing