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How To Do Strip Piecing
With strip piecing, you will sew a certain number of fabric strips together and then cut across the big unit you just created. In some instructions, you will see they call this sub-cutting. Strip piecing is handy in making Irish Chain blocks or double 9-patch.
If you haven’t had the best sewing machine for beginners yet, here I have a collection that might come in handy, visit
List of Best Sewing Products CraftsSelection.com for more useful guides.
The Technique
Strip piecing
To demonstrate this technique, let’s assume that you are making a Double 9-patch and decide to use strip piecing.
The equipment is simple; all you need is scissors, fabrics of different colors, and a sewing machine. Even the best cheap sewing machine for beginners will do.
The first thing you do is to cut out six 1 ½” fabric strips of two different colors. Divine evenly so that you have an equal number of strips for each color. If you are confused about which color, a classic choice would be a combination of black and white.
This technique does not restrict the length of the fabric. Some quilters even make strips that are as long as the table. The instructions should state this specifically if you are following one.
Now you lay down the strips you just cut in two sections, each is made up of three. Alternate the colors you use, which means putting a white strip next to a black one and so on.
Remember the ¼” seam allowance? Use it to sew the strips together. Now let’s press the seams. On one unit, press to the center strip, on the other, press toward the other direction. This will allow you to match the seams later.
Trim off any uneven ends you see and sub-cut the two units into smaller ones with the width of 1 ½”.
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Now you have a 3 ½” nine-patch square to make the Double 9-patch block. Now put what you just sub cut in alternated colors. When you are done, sew them together with the ¼” seam allowance.
Press the seams as shown above. When you have enough units, you can sew them together using a regular piecing technique. Remember to match the intersecting seams.
Useful Tips
-Always press the seams as instructed to avoid ending up with strip sets that are too small.
-Before you press to a side, press to set the seams first. This is an extra step but it can improve your patchwork.
-To be extra careful, measure as you sew to make sure everything goes as you plan it.
-Don’t cut all the strips at once, make a sample first, and if things go fine, sub cut the rest.
-Set your machine to the precise ¼” seam allowance so that the blocks look even later. I have the best computerized sewing machine for beginners and it is good at keeping this allowance correctly.
Since you are here, I just came across a well-written article on how to buy a sewing machine for beginners to introduce top-rated sewing machines. If you are on the lookout for one like that, this guide at
CraftsSelection website can provide some useful suggestions.
Hope you will find useful tips in this article. Enjoy sewing!
With strip piecing, you will sew a certain number of fabric strips together and then cut across the big unit you just created. In some instructions, you will see they call this sub-cutting. Strip piecing is handy in making Irish Chain blocks or double 9-patch.
If you haven’t had the best sewing machine for beginners yet, here I have a collection that might come in handy, visit
The Technique
Strip piecing
To demonstrate this technique, let’s assume that you are making a Double 9-patch and decide to use strip piecing.
The equipment is simple; all you need is scissors, fabrics of different colors, and a sewing machine. Even the best cheap sewing machine for beginners will do.
The first thing you do is to cut out six 1 ½” fabric strips of two different colors. Divine evenly so that you have an equal number of strips for each color. If you are confused about which color, a classic choice would be a combination of black and white.
This technique does not restrict the length of the fabric. Some quilters even make strips that are as long as the table. The instructions should state this specifically if you are following one.
Now you lay down the strips you just cut in two sections, each is made up of three. Alternate the colors you use, which means putting a white strip next to a black one and so on.
Remember the ¼” seam allowance? Use it to sew the strips together. Now let’s press the seams. On one unit, press to the center strip, on the other, press toward the other direction. This will allow you to match the seams later.
Trim off any uneven ends you see and sub-cut the two units into smaller ones with the width of 1 ½”.
➽➽➽ Find More Info:
Now you have a 3 ½” nine-patch square to make the Double 9-patch block. Now put what you just sub cut in alternated colors. When you are done, sew them together with the ¼” seam allowance.
Press the seams as shown above. When you have enough units, you can sew them together using a regular piecing technique. Remember to match the intersecting seams.
Useful Tips
-Always press the seams as instructed to avoid ending up with strip sets that are too small.
-Before you press to a side, press to set the seams first. This is an extra step but it can improve your patchwork.
-To be extra careful, measure as you sew to make sure everything goes as you plan it.
-Don’t cut all the strips at once, make a sample first, and if things go fine, sub cut the rest.
-Set your machine to the precise ¼” seam allowance so that the blocks look even later. I have the best computerized sewing machine for beginners and it is good at keeping this allowance correctly.
Since you are here, I just came across a well-written article on how to buy a sewing machine for beginners to introduce top-rated sewing machines. If you are on the lookout for one like that, this guide at
Hope you will find useful tips in this article. Enjoy sewing!