Sewing the "Strip Tease"
(named by Mary E. of San Francisco)

Before we do anything else listen up~
Half of your strips will be sewn in zigs and half will be sewn in zags.

This is so they will form a left/right zig-zag on the quilt.

You will need half the strips sewn in zigs, and half zags.
This is a "four strip set".
Sew four strips together for a "set".
You will divide your strips you are using into two equal amount stacks. 

Sew half of the strips into  "four strips sets" staggering down as above,

and half of the "four strip sets" staggering up as above.

That means that half the strips will stagger down to the right (zig) and half will stagger up to the right (zag). 
How to sew your strips into staggered sets.

First things first.
Getting an accurate 1/4" seam allowance. 

You must have  an accurate seam allowance! How to test? Cut three strips of fabric 2" wide.  Sew the three strips with what you think is your 1/4" mark on your sewing machine. 

Press the seams of the strips in one direction.

Now measure them.  They should measure 5" across with the center piece measuring 1 1/2".  If the set is smaller or larger, move your 1/4" mark and try again until it is right!

Remember that pressing in one direction  also takes up some fabric.

I put masking tape on my machine to guide me.  Just follow the steps below. 

Now,   you shouldn't worry way too much about what strips are sewn to what.  You can sew plaids to flowers and fish to bicycles.  Why? Because you never know what  the other side of the strip will  be against in the quilt anyway. 

The only thing I really try to do is keep a mix of lights, medium's and dark's in one set. Don't sew three very darks together, or all lights in one strip.  Keep contrast between the strips.  Otherwise, don't worry about it.  This is a mindless quilt, keep it that way!

The "brown bag" method works great here... put all the strips into a brown paper bag and just pull one out and sew it on.  The only time you are allowed to put it back is when you get two of the same value.
When I sew my strips, I hold the fabric on the bottom between my index and middle finger, and I use my thumb on top to align the fabrics.

I can put some pressure on the fabric on the bottom so the feed dogs don't eat it up and it ripples underneath. 

More fabric underneath than on top is a big problem when sewing strips together. 

. 
I put a piece of graph paper under my needle with a quarter inch grid extending to the right.  Make sure the paper is straight.  You can use one of the lines on the sewing machine as a guide.

You can also use a ruler.  Put the 1/4" mark from the ruler under the needle. 
 

I put "check needle" on the tape.  Why?  If I put my needle in the center position on my Bernina, the feed dogs stick out beyond the pressure foot and I can't put tape on there because the tape will cover the feed dogs. So, if I move my needle over on click to the right, I am clear of the feed dogs with my tape.		 Then I put a big glob of masking tape on my sewing machine at the 1/4" mark.

Okay, now if I turn off my sewing machine and come back later and turn it back on, my needle will be in the center again not one click to the right.  I will start to sew and forget about moving the needle... I will sew four strips before I realize that the needle is in the wrong place and my seams are way too big!  How do I know... been there, don't that!  I hate to rip  so I remind myself to check the needle!

Okay, now I can just place my fabric right up to the tape and sew my little heart out and I know I have a 1/4" seam because I tested it. 
To sew the ZIG'S

Sew 20 of your 40 strips for the zigs.
(or half of the number of your total strips if you are using more.)

I like to sew the zigs better then the zags!
The ZIG


To stagger your strips for the zig, or the diamond section that will be to the left of the peak, you stagger the strips down to the right.  You do this to save lots of fabric.

1) To start, you put one strip face up on the table and fold the top edge over to meet the left edge. 

2) Take you second piece of fabric, and place it face down on the first piece where it folds over. 

This will give you a 45 degree stagger in your strips.

Unfold the folded over strip and start to sew where the top fabric starts. 
See how nice the tape is to follow as a sewing guide? Just keep the fabric against the tape and sew...
When you come to the end, you will have more fabric on top than on the bottom.  You only need to sew to the edge of the bottom fabric. 
To start the second piece, you place the two strips on the table  right side up, and fold over the strip you just sewed on at the angle as before... top edge to left side.

Put the third strip on top, wrong side up, where the fold is as before.
Unfold and sew to the end using your accurate 1/4" seam allowance.
Do the same for the fourth piece!  Fold over under piece, align fourth strip on top, unfold...
...and sew to end.
These are zigs!  When they are all sewn, they will stagger as in the photo at left.  If they don't stagger that way, you didn't sew them right!

But it may work for a zag so don't panic yet!
To sew the **Zags**, you sew in the opposite order. 
You will sew half of your strips into zags.
To sew the ZAG'S
You place the first fabric face up on the table, then fold over the second strip and place face down on top of  the piece on the bottom.  (VERY IMPORTANT!) 

You will be putting the next strip to sew on UNDER the sewn ones. 

You won't be putting the next strip on top, it goes under in the zags.

Sew as before to the end using your accurate 1/4" seam allowance. 

 To make the zags, or the strips that will stagger up and to the right as in the photo below, you sew  the opposite as before.
 
To stagger your strips for the zag, or the diamond section that will be to the left of the peak, you stagger the strips down to the right.  You do this to save lots of fabric.
To start the second piece, you place the next strip to sew on down on the table right side up. (The light print at far right in the photo). 

Hold the first two sewn strips wrong side up over the one on the table. Fold over the  strip on the right at the angle as before (the red one here) ... top edge to left side.

For the fourth strip to sew on, put the fourth  strip on the table right side up, place sewn steps over it wrong side up  and fold strip as before to determine where to start sewing.  Sew to end and you area done.
The Zag sewn strips should  stagger up and to the left as in the photo on left.  If not, you didn't sew them right!
Next you will press the strips * properly *.

 
 Introduction and objective  1) Supplies and fabric needs 2) Basic quilt / quilt with "built-in borders"

2b) standard matress sizes

 3) Larger quilt chart 4) Sew your strips together
5) Press your strips 6) Sub-cut your strips 7) Sew your diamond rows together 8) Sew your diamond rows together,  page 2 9) Admire the work of these "frenz" and see their "stripper quilt" pic's!
Back to  Main Frenzy Page
Back to Mary Ann's Cyberspace Quilt Page (my personal web page)