What is chain piecing, and why should you use it?

Chain piecing is a piecing technique that can save you a lot of time. Not only is it quicker, it also helps you keep all your pieces together the way you need them for your final block. You’ll sew your pieces together one after the other without cutting the threads in between. If you sew them in the order that your blocks need to be, you can keep those threads intact and just flip it around and sew each row together. This makes a lot more sense if I show you than if I just tell you. So, here’s a video of me chain piecing a pair of blocks for this quilt. I do have a cliff notes version on my Instagram if you’d rather check that out.

Tips

1) We’ll piece two blocks at a time, making two opposite matching blocks from each stack we cut. If you follow how the pattern instructs you to cut a few blocks then piece them, you will already have stacks of high volume/low volume 3.25″ pieces ready to go and perfectly stacked and aligned. Sew the first six stacks together, chain piecing them and alternating between a low volume piece on top and a high volume piece on top. It does not matter if you start with low volume or high volume as long as you alternate between the two.

2) If you have directional prints, be careful to keep them all going in the same direction. Also be careful that none of them are upside down if this applies.

3) After you chain piece the first (6) 3.25″ stacks, you will have (3) 3.25″ stacks left. Go ahead and separate these 3 stacks into 6 individual pieces. Sew them to the pieces in the chain you just made, sewing a high volume to a low volume and a low volume to a high volume.

4) Go ahead and press your seams as desired. I do have a post for tips on pressing with this. I like to press to the dark sides. This will allow your seams to nest nicely when you sew your rows together.

5) Now you have a chain with 6 rows, 3 pieces in each row. Cut the thread in the middle leaving your two opposite matching blocks. You can now sew your rows together.

Go to the cutting section
Go to the pressing section
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