Do your quilt points never seem to match? Whether it is an actual point or a block coming together, nesting your seams will help make unmatched points a thing of the past.

Learn the Art of Nesting and Never Struggle with Bulky Seams Again

Let’s face it, even though the Quilt Police are one of my least favourite subjects, we are often our own Quilt Police. When a seam doesn’t join together quite right it is often quite visible. I know for me, this can be very frustrating.

However, one thing you can do to greatly reduce seam problems is nesting your seams. Particularly, if you use pins or clips to join the seams together prior to running them through your machine.

What is Nesting Exactly?

Four patch block with light blue and medium blue blocks. On the top row on the left is the medium blue the light blue next to it. On the bottom row is the light blue on the left and the medium blue on the right.

Nesting means bringing seams that have been pressed in opposite directions together and closely fitting them together. This way, the seam fits close together resulting in your point being brought together correctly.

A word of caution… if you have not constructed your block correctly, nesting will not fix that.

Pressing your Rows

An image of a piece of paper with a black arrow pointed left and a quilt block with two triangles, one medium blue and one light bluee

This is a really simple thing to do and once you get the hang of it, it will become second nature.

When you are constructing your quilt blocks, every second row needs to be pressed opposite of the one above it. When I was a new quilter, when I was constructing a quilt top I would have a piece of paper with an arrow drawn on it nearby so I would remember which way to press the seams in that block. This helped me not have to think about it so much. If that works for you, do it.

This also applies to rows. By pressing your rows in opposite directions, when you bring the seams together, they will fit together. This way you will greatly reduce the bulk in your seams.

Pins or Clips

A quilt block with four squares pinned together with 5 pins before it goes through the sewing machine

I know there are many quilters who never pin, however, pinning or using clips will greatly increase the positive result you achieve. Take the time to lay the rows on top of each other, push the nested seams together, pin there and pin the spaces between the nested seams. You will achieve a far superior result if you take the time to pin (or clip).

Final Thoughts

Nesting is a fundamental quilting skill. Once you get the hang of it, your seams will be so much better and your points and blocks will match. I have been quilting for 21 years and occasionally my seams don’t rock, but that’s ok. Perfection is overrated!

A Freebie for You

Before I end for today, I have a Free Guide that will help you as you get started quilting, or even if you have been quilting for a while.

Click here to grab The Top 5 Tools Every Beginner Quilter Needs. You don’t need a lot to get started quilting and you definitely don’t need a $2,000+ sewing machine. So grab your freebie and let’s get quilting.

I hope you have found this helpful. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to email me here.

For more helpful quilting tips and tricks, make sure you follow me on YouTube, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Until Next Time,