Reduce Bulk in Quilt Seams with This Simple Trick
This one Step Will Produce Flatter, Smoother Quilts.
Bulkiness can be an issue where several seams converge in one spot when piecing a quilt top. Those areas can be a challenge for both hand quilters and machine quilters.
Anyone who has ever hand quilted knows how difficult it can be to get a needle through bulky spots. Hand quilters often plan their stitching lines in order to avoid those spots, but that limits design choices.
Machine quilters can power through bulky spots, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you should. You’ll produce a smoother finished quilt if the thickness is more standardized across the quilt top.
Fanning your seams is a process of spreading out the fabric in those spots where several seams come together. It can make a big difference, not only in the ease of quilting but also in how good the quilt looks once it’s finished.
It’s is a simple technique that allows a top to lay as smooth as possible without bumps where several seams come together. Both machine and hand quilters will produce a better looking finished quilt by adopting this technique.
Fanning seams may take a little longer, but it’s well worth the effort. This video from allpeoplequilt.com shows you how.
