Five Keys to SITP Success ...

Right from Steve at Judy Martin Books! Thanks for the tips, Steve and Judy!

Let me share just a little about Judy's perspective on making quilts. She believes there are 5 keys to making a quilt go together perfectly.

The first is to start with an accurate pattern. If the math behind the pattern is solid, then when you accurately cut and sew the pattern, it will fall together easily. Shakespeare in the Park is an accurate pattern.

Second, you have to cut accurately. That means carefully lining up the ruler and carefully cutting along the edge of the ruler without having the ruler slip. For most of you I doubt if it's an issue, but I mention it because nothing else matters if you're cutting your 3-inch squares 2-7/8 inches.

Third is trimming points so you can accurately align neighboring patches. The trims at the points should be even with the ends of the neighboring patch when you place them face to face for stitching. The templates in the book have the trim lines marked on all the pointy patches.

Fourth is pinning joints. Judy always pins borders, bindings, and block rows at every joint. It doesn't matter how well you align things if those things get out of whack as you sew them. If you sew a triangle (with points trimmed) onto your Virginia Reel block, and it extends beyond the block, you may be stretching the bias. If you pin the triangle to the block so the trims align with the block, you will see your results improve.

Fifth is getting the seam allowance perfect. This is probably the hardest of all that I've mentioned, but it is the most important.

If you start with an accurate pattern and have mastered the four keys that follow above, it's not an exaggeration to say that you can make ANY quilt you desire.

Good luck to you all.
(Reprinted with permission.)