Help... sewing diamonds

Hi, I think I asked once before, but the stupid cells are taking over my brain and I can't remember or find instructions. How do I piece diamonds together? I'm going nuts trying to figure out a technique that's something other than sew them together, take them apart and try another smidge to one side or the other, sew together again, take apart and try another tiny adjustment, sew together again......

I just can't figure out the exact measure or whatever I need to pin them together and then sew. Any help?

Sunny

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Sunny
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Barely, Sunny. I haven't 'done' diamonds but I enjoy studying piecing instructions. Just, very vaguely, some of them must be stitched Up To the seam allowance and not one thread further. Sort of like the 'card trick' procedure. You need to know when you can go all the way to the cut edge and when you have to 'whoa'. Polly

"Sunny" Hi, I think I asked once before, but the stupid cells are taking over

Reply to
Polly Esther

You have to get really friendly with the 1/4" marks that are on a lot of the quilting feet, from the various machine mfgrs. It is really all about precision. "There ain't no faking it" when it comes to diamonds. If you start and stop the needle position at exactly the 1/4" mark, it should go fine. Pretty soon, you will become good enough at it that you won't have to mark each piece with a marking of some kind. Or as is sometimes said, Practice makes perfect. Sorry, there is no easy, trick answer, to this one.

John

Reply to
John

Perfect timing, I just went through this. Take each diamond one at a time, lay it face down, and using a ruler mark your quarter inch seam line. When you are ready to sew them together, stick a pin straight down through the corner where the lines meet, and straight down through the one you are sewing it to, making sure they line up properly. While they are lined up, pin as usual. Mine turned out great thanks to whoever it was on this group that told me to do that. : )

Karen, Queen of Squishies

Reply to
Karen, Queen of Squishies

I hate pins. They're dangerous.

I actually have a lucite template I bought somewhere (here's a similar one from Judy Martin

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this is for a 45degree angle but they also make one for 60 degrees) When I'm piecing diamonds (if I've speed cut them from a strip of fabric), I always stack them up - around 8 - and line the template up and chop off the offending point. It's those dog ears that make it difficult. This way, the pieces not fit together perfectly, there is no need for pinning, and the sewing them together is a breeze. And you're not handling those sneaky bias edges for too long because there is not need to adjust a little here, and pull a little there.

See how the corners of the template are shaped? That allows you to match EXACTLY without having to adjust for the extra material in the dog ears (because it ain't there). If you have EQ, you can print out the rotary templates for any star or block (again, diamond size doesn't matter) that has the degree angle you're working on, and it will have those blunt edges.

This extra step takes WAY less time than pinning.

Hope that helps.

-Michele in NYC

Reply to
Michele in NYC

not = now ....the pieces NOW fit together perfectly not = no ....NO need to adjust a little here

Sorry about that.

Reply to
Michele in NYC

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