Getting seams to line up when quilting is all about being obsessively precise. Sounds like you're well on your way with your cutting. When cutting squares from strips I stop frequently to make double-sure the cuts are still all 90 degrees. Usually after 4 or 5 cuts one edge is no longer perfectly perpendicular.
Also make sure your seams are all exactly 1/4 inch. (That's usually to the presser-foot edge.) This is where I run into problems most, not with the cutting aspect. If you're off even 1/16 of an inch, it can add up really fast. My mother and I once made a quilt on two different machines, and even though we were both being super-careful, the blocks ended up different sizes. It was mildly stressful.
As for slip stitching... ummm... this is going to be hard to explain in words. It sounds like you might be leaving too much room between your stitches. This looks like a pretty good tutorial on slipstitching. (Though the first few steps aren't applicable to quilt binding.) Notice in particular that the points where the needle leaves one side of the fabric and enters the other are directly above each other.
Good luck with your next quilt! It's addictive and fun. ^_^
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Date: 2010-09-22 11:59 pm (UTC)Getting seams to line up when quilting is all about being obsessively precise. Sounds like you're well on your way with your cutting. When cutting squares from strips I stop frequently to make double-sure the cuts are still all 90 degrees. Usually after 4 or 5 cuts one edge is no longer perfectly perpendicular.
Also make sure your seams are all exactly 1/4 inch. (That's usually to the presser-foot edge.) This is where I run into problems most, not with the cutting aspect. If you're off even 1/16 of an inch, it can add up really fast. My mother and I once made a quilt on two different machines, and even though we were both being super-careful, the blocks ended up different sizes. It was mildly stressful.
As for slip stitching... ummm... this is going to be hard to explain in words. It sounds like you might be leaving too much room between your stitches. This looks like a pretty good tutorial on slipstitching. (Though the first few steps aren't applicable to quilt binding.) Notice in particular that the points where the needle leaves one side of the fabric and enters the other are directly above each other.
Good luck with your next quilt! It's addictive and fun. ^_^