Quilters...how do you cut your squares?
By coffeebreak
@coffeebreak (17798)
United States
December 29, 2011 11:03pm CST
Any of you that quilt by cutting your own squares...do you have any tips on how to do that so that all the squares come out right? I have the self healing matte, the rotary cutter and the templates with the right measurements. However, no matter how hard I try to be precise...when I go to sew the squares together...they never met right! I watch the quilting shows and they just cut those squares out like crazy, sew them right up and all is perfectly fine! I just don't get it!
Any quilters have any tips for doing it? I have thought about buying the squares cut, but that limits my choice of design unless I buy the quilt kit that includes the precut squares, and again...my choices are limited.
2 responses
@jillhill (37354)
• United States
31 Dec 11
I use the mat like you are doing....I didn't have any problems so I don't know why your squares aren't meeting....are you holding the material down when you cut? I would think they would come out okay! I know my sister used to cut several squares at a time.....and her's looked wonderful.
1 person likes this
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
1 Jan 12
Well, I'm one of those people where things happen to me that dont' happen to many others! Okay, jinxed! I don't know why it is doing it. I made the cuts exactly and it should have come out a 9x9 block...but it is 8,1/2x8,1/2 and I used the guide for 1/4" seam allowance! The block I did is also a litle "bubbly" in the corner squares...can't figure that out either! It is better fabric than what I used to practice on. I am working on one more and if it doesn't do any better, I am going to use a very light weight iron on interfacing to the fabric before I cut it and see if that helps.
I am working on a hard wood table..with a self healing matte and holding the template down hard so it don't move...I am doing all the right "moves"...just don't understand it!
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
31 Dec 11
I used to do it that way, but this time I thought I'd do it with the templates since I figure doing it the old fashioned way was why I always had so much trouble cutting them! I did some cuts today and sewed up a block. I guess it is okay, it was just odd that after carefully cutting the square exactly to measurement, and then sewing them together the entire block was off, and I evened up some corners and it fixed it to a 9x9 block with 1/4 in allowance, but it was supposed to be a 9,1/2x9,1/2 for a 9in square block, not an 8,1/2 inch square! Oh well. I do think it is my cheap fabric tho..cheap thin cotton poly.
