Flip, Stack, Stitch

flip your squares upside down onto the next rows squares

This is a strange photo.  But I am going to spend sometime sharing my favourite method of sewing squares or even blocks together.  Now this may be old news but a few years ago, an experienced quilter shared the method with me and it was one of those mind blowing, ah ha moments.  I am mostly a self taught quilter.  I took a quilting class way back in 1989 before our daughter was born but it was before rotary cutters and cutting mats.  Yep.  For real.  So when Carolyn showed this method to me, I was hooked and I do this all.the.time. 

I am going to call it flip, stack and stitch. 
1.  Layout your quilt blocks or squares on the design wall.
2.  Flip the squares or blocks upside down onto the block next to them.  Be careful, you don't want to mess up your layout but the blocks or squares do tend to stick to each other.

3.  Stack the squares or blocks on top of each other in the order of layout. Top squares are the top squares in the row.

squares are stacked and ready to chain piece, stitching will be on the right hand side

4.  Stitch by chain piecing squares or blocks on the right hand side.  These will now be in pairs.

chain pieced in pairs, ready to press

 5.  Lay out ready for pressing. See how I have alternated the pairs of squares.  That way the seams will be pressed to the side in opposite directions, perfect for nesting the seams. Stack them up and take them to the sewing machine.

 6.  Sew the pairs of blocks or squares together so that you have 2 rows all sewn together.  Press, alternating seams down, then up so that the final rows can be sewn together with seams nesting.  Place the sewn together squares back on the design wall in the order of your layout.

7.  Repeat the flip, stack, stitch with the next 2 rows of squares until all the squares are sewn together in 2 square columns.  Stitch the columns together and press.  Wow!  You have a flimsy!!