Matching Fabrics to Create an Invisible Seam Tutorial

Can you find the seam in the picture above the headline? I made this quilt, top and back. for a client who wanted a fun quilted bed topper for the holidays. When I saw the fabric she chose I thought that it would look jarring to have a seam down the center with mismatched dots and deer. However, the method I use to match seams, i.e. lots of pins, would not work with this many dots or the tiny deer. Can you imagine two pins per dot? Ouch!! I brought out my trusty glue stick instead. I was in a rush so I used the glue stick which I had on hand, an off brand. I have since found that Elmer’s Washable School Glue works better, and washes out easily (it is a starch product). I do not have a relationship with Elmer, I love their product, and it is a great time of year to stock up with back-to-school sales.

Step one: Gather tools. I use washable glue, stick or liquid, pins, seam gauge, iron.

Step two: Press a seam line. I used a seam gauge to ensure that the seam would be straight. (I removed the selvage from the seam allowance after sewing).

Step three: Place the fabric which has not been pressed right side up on your ironing board then place the pressed fabric right side up on top. Move the pressed fabric so that the print motifs on the fold match the motifs on the unpressed fabric. I pinned the fabric using pins straight up and down into my ironing board to secure the fabric while I glued it in place. I found that the glue stick was more likely to distort the fabric than a liquid glue. Heat set the glue with a hot iron.

Step four: Once the seam is glued and heat set I am ready to sew. I unfold the fabric so that the right sides are together and sew along the fold where my iron created a crease.

Correct lighting is essential–with some fabrics I might have to adjust the light falling on my sewing area so that I can see the crease, I experiment until I can see.

Here are the finished seams, selvages removed and pressed, the red arrows point to the seams: