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Note: Machine piecing always appears to use an endless supply of thread, so before starting a project, fill several bobbins so that you are prepared.

Chain piecing is a method that speeds up the whole process: stitch two pieces together, leave them under the presser foot, and then butt up the next pair. Continue stitching and butting up the following pairs until you have stitched all of the pieces (shown above, left). You can add a third piece to these two in the same way (shown above, right), and you can repeat the process as often as you like. Snip the pieces apart when you are finished.

When machine piecing, the meeting of seams can, if not approached carefully, become too bulky. Pressing instructions are given with individual projects; following these will ensure that the seams nest neatly together.

Taming seam crossings is necessary where seams meet in the middle of a pinwheel; otherwise, they will form a nasty lump. If the seams all lie in the same direction, the lump goes away. To enable the last seam stitched to lie the same way, undo a few stitches within the seam allowance of the two seams at right angles to the last seam. Do this carefully, making sure not to undo closer to the seam allowance than one stitch. Trim off any projecting triangle points and press.

Pressing is an important part of machine piecing. It must be done as you go along, not left to the end, as is often the case with hand piecing.

You can finger-press seams first; this is when you push a seam over and squeeze it between your thumb and finger. You can then press the work with an iron, on both the wrong and the right sides, to ensure that no pleats are pressed in. Always press in the direction of the grain, not across the bias, which will stretch the pieces.