Learn how to sew Y seams - Geta's Quilting Studio

How to beat the dreaded "Y seam"

Learn how to avoid the

7 Mistakes that ruin the work and
kill the confidence of many quilters!

You probably heard this time and time again:

Stay away from Y-seams.

Avoid them at all costs.

Only experienced quilters have the courage to approach them.

Many years ago I made a few trials that ended up mediocre.
I was disappointed and I told myself:

You don't have enough patience.
You are not as good as other quilters.
You don't have enough experience.
Your sewing skills are mediocre.

And I continued to believe this for many years! And I said PASS to many wonderful experiences.

But things have changed!

I made a few wonderful 3D designs and I wanted to sew them.
And I HAD TO LEARN how to sew Y seams.

You know me well: I love an EASY sewing!
So that not only I learned the technique, but I learned what makes it easy and how to make it successful.

And I want to put your fear to rest.

You can do this, too!

I will show you how. All you need is COMPLETE and EASY TO FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS.

My goal is to help you understand the technique, polish the skills you already have so that you can approach any designs that involves Y seams with confidence.

But first, let me tell you a story...

These designs also have a beautiful 3D appearance.

How can you achieve a 3D design? With a proper fabric selection! Usually this means a big fabric stash in your closet or spending money buying even more fabric.

I don't have a big stash and I don't want to spend a lot buying new fabric.
There is an easy fix to this: the OMBRE (gradation) fabric.
And you need only two fat quarters to make a block.

A journey that becomes easier and easier....

Like any quilter with a lot of self doubt, I started on the easiest path: English paper piecing!
This is the first design.

Then I thought that there are quilters with limited time for sewing and I made a second design - with fewer pieces.

If you are a beginner in English paper piecing, I simplified the design even more for you.
Thinking of how will you meet so many seams in the center of the block?
Fear not! I replaced them all with a center hexagon!

See the design below :
I modified even the outside corners; it can't be easier than this!

For each design you need only a few strips of fabric in different shades of the same color.
You cut them all from half yard (even fat quarters) of an ombre fabric.
All my fabrics are from the GELATO OMBRE collection by Daiwabo for E.E. Schenck.

You can finish your blocks in any way you want -pillow, bag, wall hanging...
Aren't these placemat/mug rug wonderful in Christmas colors?

The power of practice

Do not underestimate the power of a little practice.
Sewing these little samples taught me so many lessons.
And I shared them all with you!

This was only half of the story...

The second journey strengthens skills and confidence even more!

This is the REGULAR piecing.
This is the seam that scares so many quilters!
I had to find out what makes this technique so awful!

I made a block and wasn't happy with the result. Then I made it again and again until I found out...

The 7 mistakes that ruin the work and
kill the confidence of most quilters!

All of them are little things that any quilter knows very well.
You just have to pay attention to them!

I made a second sample to show you how to add borders and finish your piece as hexagon.

Small projects - great for beginners and busy quilters!

More ombre fabric wonders!

What do you think about this quilt?

All done with 1.5 yards of fabric!
(Rainbow Gradation by Timeless Treasures)

NO FABRIC WASTE!

The pattern includes COMPLETE instructions on how to use the ENTIRE WIDTH of fabric for a quilt
+
templates to use with strips of different widths (from 2 1/2'' to 7'')
+
how much fabric you need for each width of strips
+
how to calculate the size of the final quilt!

My quilt measures 46'' x 52''.

The adventure continues...

Striped fabric. Rainbow. The sky is the limit!

Quilt size: 45'' x 55''
Block size: 7 1/2'' x 12 1/2''

Bye Bye Struggles!

Sewing simple blocks with Y seams is not hard. But how to combine them into a bigger quilt, in a quick and easy way, without struggling to match seams?

This is the reason I created this block: a diamond in a rectangle.

Not only sewing this block is easy, I made sure sewing the blocks together is easy as well!
Once you made the blocks, finishing the top is like sewing simple rectangles together!

I free motion quilted the entire quilt.
If you want to use the walking foot, you have options - suggestions are included in the pattern.

No striped fabric at hand?
You have lots of other options!

You still need three tones of the same color for a block,
but you can buy just one piece of fabric for that - an OMBRE fabrics!
I am working on such project these days...

This is the PERFECT project for OMBRE fabric!

Ready for this experience?

At the end of this experience, here is what I gained:

I am a more confident quilter!

Even if not all my EPP seams are invisible,

I understood the power of practice.

Even if not all my seams are perfectly aligned,

I know that next time I will do it better.

Even if not all my points are sharp,

I learned that FINISHED is better than PERFECT.

Even if not all my Y seams are perfect,

Y seam does not scare me anymore.

Do you want to enjoy the same TRANSFORMATION?

It's not about sewing perfect seams or blocks,
it's about TURNING FEAR INTO JOY!

INTRODUCING

1. ILLUSIONS I pattern

English Paper Piecing

The pattern includes:

4 Designs measuring 12'' x 14''
Full size templates; print at a reduced size if you need smaller designs
Tips for choosing the best fabrics/colors
Tips for accurate hand sewing
Suggestions for straight line quilting

NOTE
The pattern does not explain how to baste fabric to paper templates or hand sew the pieces together; it assumes you know the technique.

2. ILLUSIONS II pattern

Regular Piecing

The pattern includes:

1 Design 12'' x 14''
instructions to cut triangles in three different ways:
- paper template
- 60 degree triangle ruler
- long rectangular ruler any quilter has
lots of tips for accurate and easy piecing
how to turn the hexagonal design into a rectangle
how to add borders to the hexagonal design
how to finish the design as a pillow cover - in any size you need
how to make a pillow insert if your pillow cover does not have a standard size

+
BONUS:

COMPLETE instructions on how to use the ENTIRE WIDTH of fabric for a quilt
templates to use with strips of different widths
(from 2 1/2'' to 7'')
how much fabric you need for each width of strips
how to calculate the size of the final quilt!

3. ILLUSIONS III pattern

Regular Piecing

The baby quilt pattern includes:

detailed instructions on how to choose the fabric
instructions to cut triangles in three different ways:
- paper template
- 60 degree triangle ruler
- long rectangular ruler any quilter has
lots of tips for accurate and easy piecing
how to create the diamond blocks and turn them into rectangles
suggestions for free motion quilting and walking foot quilting

+
BONUS:

instructions on how to make this design using ombre fabric instead of striped fabric.

REAL RESULTS!

I always avoided sewing stars or using the Y seam. I found it very difficult and even boring. Geta's new pattern made me change my preconceived opinion. The pattern guided me through the whole process step by step, and showed me that sewing a star is not only easy and fun, but can also be done precisely and correctly.

I could not believe how quickly I sewed a wonderful star with such a 3D effect, without the bulk in the center, just following Geta's simple instructions.

And the pattern also contains extra information on how to turn this block into a pillow or a beautiful Christmas table quilt, exactly what I needed. I am so proud of my improved technique!

Thank you, Geta!
Silvia

Dear Geta, I have to begin by saying that I’m not fond of kaleidoscope quilting technique mainly because most of the time I get raised areas, especially the quilt center. Knowing that you are a very good teacher, I chose your pattern as a chance to find out why this is happening to me. And my expectations were confirmed: in your pattern I found those essential and valuable tips for the happy aha-moment when I finally saw the smooth and flat center of my block.

Your patterns are not simple sewing patterns, they are sewing lessons.

Thank you!
Mihaela