Once you get the hang of chain piecing, there’s no going back. It’s one of those simple quilting techniques that saves time, thread, and brainpower—and once you’ve got a rhythm going, it’s pretty darn satisfying, too.
If you’re new to the idea, chain piecing is exactly what it sounds like: sewing a series of fabric pairs (or units) one after the other without cutting your thread in between. Your pieces form a little “chain” behind your presser foot, and the whole process becomes quick, efficient, and—dare I say—kind of addictive.
Before You Start: Check That Seam
The best idea? Test first, stitch second. Before you dive into a big ol’ stack of pieces, take a moment to check your 1/4″ seam. Seriously. If your seam is off, even by a hair, you could end up sewing a bunch of units that don’t finish to the right size.
Sew a quick test piece and measure it—or better yet, go ahead and make one full block before you start chain piecing the rest. That way, you’ll know your dimensions are coming out right, and you can adjust now instead of ripping out ten blocks later. (Ask me how I know.)
Prep Your Stack
Now that you know your block turns out just the way you want it, it’s time to prep. Take a moment to plan the sewing order of your pieces, and then make a stack of just the units you’ll sew first.
You can pin them, but honestly? I don’t bother for this part. I save time by laying my stacks side by side, grabbing the first two pieces for each block, placing them right sides together, and just feeding them straight through the machine.
Don’t get me wrong, I certainly grab my pins when I’m lining and matching up seams. That’s when I slow down and get fussy (in a good way).
Quick Note About Directional Prints
I don’t tend to use a lot of directional prints, but if you’re working with stripes, arrows, little animals that all face the same way—this is your heads-up. Lay them all out how you want them before you start sewing, so they’re pointing in the same direction. It’s easy to get into a flow and forget until you’ve sewn half the stack upside down.
Let the Chain Begin (With a Leader)
Before I start sewing through my block pieces, I like to warm up the machine by sewing across a little scrap of fabric called a leader first. Nothing fancy—just a quick pass to get the thread moving cleanly and avoid those first few stitches getting chewed or tangled. Once that’s through, I’m ready to start feeding in my pieces, one after the other.
No stopping, no snipping thread between blocks—just that rhythmic zzzzzt of progress humming right along.
P.S. If you’re not already chain piecing, this might be the sign you were waiting for. Try it once, and you’ll wonder how you ever stitched quilt blocks one-by-one. And if you’re already loving chain piecing, don’t miss my post on leaders and enders—the little add-on that makes chain piecing even better.
