Uh-oh, My Block Doesn't Lie Flat________


Oh no! You've finished the block, but it’s wavy and refuses to lie completely flat. Those are giggles coming up from beneath that uneven surface! Still...YOU can have the last laugh!
     Because there are a lot of triangles and polygons, and therefore a lot of stretchy bias edges, do take care when sewing the block together. To keep your block as flat as possible, be sure to:
     (1) Use a dry iron when pressing. Don't push, pull, or handle seam lines or the edges of the fabric any more than necessary.
     (2) Sew the sections together carefully and tightly along the paper edges.
     (3) Make sure that your sections lie flat after each seam is sewn.
     (4) Near the end of construction, check the seam lines that run across the entire block before sewing them: Lay a ruler on top of the paper to make sure each side of the seam is straight, and re-draw it if necessary. Try to make the minimum correction possible. (See illustration.)
     Make it a game to see how perfectly you can get the sections together. Usually, you will find that one side IS perfect and requires no change. IF there is a problem, it is usually with the side that has the most seams in it. Check, re-draw, sew ...and...
     No more laughing blocks!