Go Go Kim’s Summertime Nested Churn Dash and Tips/Hints 2

I met the vivacious Kim through the blogging world and finally met at Quilt market. I wish I had 1/100 th of the energy and talent Kim has. Affectionately named by me as the Queen of the Go Go quilt world, Kim Niedzwiecki has pulled the sunshine out of the sky to make this summery pillow / cushion. Visit Kim’s blog to discover Kim’s process in making the block. I love the centre piece. I am sure it was designed especially for Kim. Thank you so much for quilting along with me.

Tip 2 – To open seams, or not to open seams. That is the question


Opening or pressing to one side your seams is a personal choice. Both techniques will produce an accurately and robust finished piece.

I open seams. Why? They lay nice and flat and I can control which way the seams lie to avoid shadowing. I only press my seams in one direction if I want to stitch in the ditch when quilting. In the block pattern I gave instructions for pressing the seams to one side for certain piecing and open for others. The combination worked well in assembling the block and there were no bulky seams.

To successfully piece a block using open seams here are some helpful tips:

• Shorten your stitch length to about 2.0. 
• Use matching or blending threads. Use a good quality thread.
• Tie on and off (locking stitched at either end) if possible.
• Press, not iron open the seam.