World Wide Quilting Page
Question of the Week
Question for the week of June 1, 1998:
Our question this week comes from Betty
I will often have a peice block finish the correct measurement from side
to side. example 12 1/2" wide but that same block will only measure at
12 1/8" or 12 1/4" from top to bottom. Please suggest something that
might work to get both the width and length of that block to square up
at 12 1/2" square.
SoParkAve@aol.com :
Perhaps your fabric has shrunk a little when you've pressed your block during construction. I have avoided this problem by washing and pressing my fabric before cutting in order to deal with possible shrinkage. I press in the direction of the lengthwise grain because it is more stable than the crosswise grain which stretches more easily. If you want to use steam, use it now before cutting. If you don't use steam until after cutting, the steam could shrink your fabric a bit more and thereby affect your measurements. I hope this helps you.
Catknap :
Most likely the problem is inaccurate 1/4" seams. Test your sewing machine's ability to make an accurate 1/4" seam. One way to do this is to seam together 2 squares of known dimensions (say 3-1/2") and make what you believe is a 1/4" seam. Press the seam open and measure the resulting rectange; for this example if it is 6-1/2" long then you have an accurate seam. If it is smaller then your seam is too wide and if it is larger then your seam is too narraw. If you don't have a mark on your machine for 1/4" (or the mark results in something other than 1/4") then use a thin strip of mole skin (found in foot care department of drug stores) or tape to mark the appropriate location on your machine to give you 1/4". Once you get an accurate 1/4" be very careful when stitching pieces together. Even being 1-2 threads off over several pieces can make a big difference in the size of your blocks. Best of luck!
Happy Quilter :
Trying piecing it my hand and it will
pertect dear.
Sally Service
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