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Start each quilt with a new needle. If you will be subcutting stitched strips, the stitch length needs to be shorter than that for normal stitching. A guide is to stitch at twelve stitches to the inch/five stitches to the centimeter.

For an accurate quilt top, the seam allowance that you stitch must also be accurate; you cannot just trust the width of your presser foot. To ensure an accurate width, work as follows:

1 | Take a piece of graph paper, marked in either quarter-inches or millimeters, and cut the right-hand edge of the paper so that you have a line exactly ¼ inch (0.75 cm) from the edge.

2 | Place this paper under the presser foot and stitch along the line.

3 | Stick a piece of masking tape on the bed of your machine along the edge of the paper. (Alternatively, there are magnetic stitching guides that you can place on the machine up against the edge of the paper.)

4 | Remove the paper, and you are ready to stitch. It is always advisable to stitch a test piece first. Cut three short pieces of fabric 1 ½ inches (4.5 cm) wide. Stitch the three strips together along the long sides into a block, butting the fabric against your stitching guide. Press the seams away from the center strip and then measure between the seam lines on the right side. If you are accurate, this measurement will be 1 inch (3 cm). If it is in any way off, set up your guide again and retest.