Checker Cakes Quilt Along: Week 4

Week 4 of our quilt along starts today! It’s hard to believe we’re almost at the half way point. I’ve really enjoyed seeing everyone’s progress pictures. I am so thankful for everyone who’s joining me in my first quilt along! This week we will be making 10 more blocks.

Since all of the blocks in this pattern are the same, all of the tips I initially planned were posted in Week 1 and Week 2. So now that the information overload is out of the way, I can devote a little time to some of the questions I get.

For today, I’m going to talk some more about pressing. This is a pretty common question, and it’s also one of those things quilters tend to take sides on. Do you press to the sides and nest your seams or press the seams open? Maybe you nest the seams to line up the columns and the press the cross section seams open. Do you use heat or not? I laid out some of the pressing options here during Week 2 and went over some of the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Before I say what I’m about to say, I should probably duck to avoid any rocks people decide to throw at me and hide from the quilt police… So, I’m joking a little about the quilt police. I actually find the quilting community to be very supportive, and I’ve only ran across the quilt police a few times. Anyway, here goes… Pressing is really not that big of a deal. There I said it. Now let me explain. Pressing is definitely helpful and important, but I think it’s just another one of those things we worry about that the quilt recipients don’t care about or know about. I’ve sold a lot of quilts, and I’ve gifted a lot of quilts. Would you believe that none of the people who have one of my quilts ever asked me if I press my seams open or to the sides. They’ve also shown ZERO interest in whether I press with heat, use a seam roller, or just finger press the seams. Buyers and recipients don’t care about what method you use, they care about your results. There isn’t really a RIGHT method so much as a method that right for YOU.

So, pick whatever method gives you the results you want. It’s worth noting, that different people want different results. I was only 10 or 11 years old when I made my first quilt. To be honest, my grandmother did most of the work. She knew I wanted to make a quilt so she helped make it happen. All I did was pieced it, and some of my cousins who also stayed with her a lot during the summer helped me with that. It was all hand pieced, and none of us were consistent with out seam allowances. It was a hot mess, summer in Alabama hot. BUT, at the time I was pretty sure it was the greatest quilt EVER. Now, I know it isn’t the greatest quilt ever, but I still have it and always think of her when I see it. This one’s actually made it onto my instagram a few times here and here if you want to see it and read a little more about the story behind it.

The point is I DID NOT care about my seams matching up. There’s definitely something fun and freeing about just going for it and getting it done without stressing over accuracy. If this is where you are, that is perfectly OK! After all, quilting is supposed to be fun. If you aren’t selling your quilts, the only person who needs to be happy with is YOU. Even if you’re gifting it, the person you’re gifting it to should be thankful to have a quilt that you took the time to make for them with love in every stitch.

Speaking of accuracy, I feel like the point of pressing is for accuracy: more accurate cuts and more accuracy with lining up your seams. So, yes pressing is important, but whether you press open or to the sides, use the iron for every single press or not… is your call. I do use the iron a lot, but I rarely bust out the iron while I’m piecing. If my fabric is wrinked, I will definietly press it before I cut into it because I can’t get accurate cuts if I can’t get the fabric to lay flat. I’ve confessed before that I am absolutely one of THOSE people who just finger presses seams while I’m at the machine chain piecing. I am able to get my seams to line up nicely with finger pressing to the sides and nesting the seams. If another method gets you the results you want, then do that. There are also a lot of advantages to using a seam roller which is also heatless. You can see me doing this here.

I suppose the real point of this post is to choose the method that works best for you. If 99% of quilters use a different method than you because it’s the “best way” it doesn’t help you out if it’s not the way that works best for you.

A little bit of recap for the quilt along

Last week, I announced that my next quilt along is going to be Sound Waves Baby Quilt. It’s going to be from October 23 – November 20. It’s a quick and easy baby quilt. More details will be coming next month as the Checker Cakes Quilt Along winds down.

My little game is still open and is worth a coupon code for 30% off ALL patterns in my shop. The coupon code will be good through the duration of our quilt along (August 30). It’s a great opportunity to get a discount on the pattern for the next quilt along or any other pattern you like. Check out the picture below of my first Checker Cakes Quilt. See if you can find my “mistake” Hint: it’s not really a mistake. Look over my opposite matching pairs. One of the pairs has the prints in each block going in different directions. Once you find it, contact me to let me know which pair is a little directionally challenged. If you are correct, I will send you the coupon code. Some people have even found other things that I didn’t notice.

Prize for this Week

Our prize for this week is going to be a FREE PDF pattern. Some of you already have some of my patterns, the winner will be allowed to pick whichever pattern they want.

To be eligible for prizes:

– You must be following me @snugglebugstitching on Instagram and post progress pictures for the week on Instagram by Tuesday at 5:00 PM Central Time. You must tag me @snugglebugstitching in your posts and use the #checkercakesqal.

-I will announce the winner on Instagram and tag the lucky quilt alonger so that they know they’ve won. The winner will have one week to contact me to claim the prize. Any unclaimed prizes will be forfeited.

Each Week on the Blog

I’ll link to all of the other weeks near the end of each post. I will add each post here as I have them. You can also find this on the Quilt Alongs Page.

Week 1 – Gathering fabrics and making pairs
Week 2 – Make first 10 blocks; tips for cutting, chain piecing, pressing
Week 3 – Make 10 more blocks; announcement for my next quilt along; extra surprise prize
Week 4 – You are currently at the Week 4 post
Week 5 – Make 10 more blocks
Week 6 – Make 8 blocks; some progress pictures from my quilt alongers
Week 7 – Make 8 blocks: a discount on longarming services from Rainy Day Stitching
Week 8 – Finish your quilt top