AboutConnie Hester Expertise Quilting and applique expert.Can advise on the following topics:quilting, art quilts, quilt design and construction, machine and hand quilting, paper foundation piecing, machine piecing, hand piecing, raw edge applique, turned-edge applique and fiber art.
Experience Winning awards in international fiber and art competitions since 1983; http://www.conniehester.com/
BS,MS
See my work and books at http://www.conniehester.com/
Expert: Connie Hester Date: 9/18/2007 Subject: Hand piecing and templates
Question I am making my first quilt and am not using a machine. I was wondering, the template I am using gives a 1/4" seam allowance. I read that I do not need this if I am sewing the quilt by hand. but I am not sure where to sew if I do not have the seam allowance. How do I sew the pieces together?
Answer I think what was meant is that there is not the imperative need for exactly 1/4" seam allowances when hand-piecing.
When machine-piecing, the seamlines are not marked on the fabric pieces. The pieces are simply sewn together with exact 1/4" seam allowances by cutting all of the pieces exactly 1/4" larger all around and using some indication on the sewing machine as to where the 1/4" seam/sewing line is.
When hand-piecing, the seamlines are marked by tracing around each pattern template on the wrong side of the fabric, cutting "about" 1/4 inch beyond each seamline, and sewing along the lined-up seamlines (with the 2 fabric pieces held right-sides-together). Most people "eye-ball" this cut quarter-inch because it is not as important as in machine-piecing where there is no indication on the fabric pieces as to where those seamlines are.
HOWEVER, it is still important to maintain consistent seam allowances because they are visible when a quilt is held up in the light. Cutting seam allowances much wider than 1/4" will produce too much bulk, but cutting seam allowances too narrow will allow the seams to unravel and/or pull out, especially if the stitches are not small enough or close enough together.
If you have templates which already include the seam allowance, these templates are for use with machine-piecing. Unless you want to draw the seamlines onto the backside of each piece of cut fabric, you will need to convert these templates to hand-piecing templates by removing the seam allowances so you can trace around them onto fabric with a pencil, cut them out about 1/4" beyond the drawn lines, and then sew on the marked seamlines.
I would not cut up the templates you have. I would make copies of them onto somewhat thin, stiff cardboard or plastic and then cut those seam allowances off.
