Perfect Points Tutorial

One of the things that drove me absolutely crazy when I first started quilting was not being able to line up my seams perfectly.  I am a self-taught quilter and so I have no idea if this is something most beginners learn right away or not.  But, because it bugged me so much I wanted to help out my fellow beginners with a little tutorial on how to get perfect points every time.  This is my first tutorial so if it doesn't make sense just let me know!  Let's get started.

Materials:
~Pins
~Fabric Pieces

Here is a little sneak peek into my current project.  As you can see there are a ton of seams and they all need to be matched perfectly.  

The very important first step is to press your seams in opposite directions.  As you can see below, the top fabric is pressed to the left and the bottom fabric is pressed to the right.  This allows your seam to nest together.  Nesting makes the next step much easier.

Yes, we have to use pins here, they are a necessary evil.  Pinning takes time, but it is well worth the result.   The best pins to use are the thinnest you can find.  I found mine at my LQS and they are amazing.  They slide so easily through the fabric!  What you are going to do is slide your pin directly through your seams.

 

 It may take a little finagling to get it through both seams, but it should look like this when you catch both.

 

Then just push the needle back up through both seams to the top.  Stitch right over top of the pin (that's also why it helps to have thin pins).  I usually stitch up as close to the pin as I can and then manually go over the needle just to make sure I don't break a needle.

Press and flip over your finished product to see your perfectly matched points.

I hope that was helpful.  It does take practice to get the pin where you want it, but I promise it's worth the time!  If you have any questions, please ask.