Re: Unsquare squares....

Hi there:

I know how you feel. I'm interested to see what some of the responses are, but I also suffer chronically from Unsquare Square Syndrome. A few licks from my French Bulldog puppy seems to help the pain.

Cynthia >Ok, frustration factor has just reached an all time high. I am working on

cut 3- 2" wide strips maybe 6" long. sew them together with a 1/4" seam. press and then measure. the total-from raw edge to raw edge should be 5". the center strip itself should measure 1-1/2" wide. I bet you find they won't. You are probably taking more than 1/4" Get yourself a good 1/4" foot or mark your machine with tape or a post it at an accurate spot. If you are not getting square you are not sewing right or you aren't cutting right. not much else can be wrong. Are you using a rotary cutter? HTH, Taria

Dannielle Beitzell wrote:

Ok, I am going to have to try cutting them just a tad larger, and I am currently tracking down a 1/4" foot for my machine. I know where the 1/4" line is, but I don't always keep it extremely straight due to glare on the metal foot.....*sigh*

I am doing rotary cutting, and thought I was doing fairly well at cutting straight. I was using the square off, turn 180 degrees and square off again trick stated by Julia...so I guess I just keep practicing and working.

I will probably go insane yet!

-- Dannielle from NY

If you have trouble keeping your seams even, try putting a "stop" of some sort at the 1/4" position. I use a strip of moleskinn, some use a stack of strapping tape, anything that will stick down pretty tight, and yet easily come up when you don't want it in the way. (Don't leave strapping tape for long periods of time or it will leave real icky gunk when you take it up) Depending on your machine, it may have some sort of an adjustable screw-on stop. You can use s strip of magnet if your cabinet is metal and your machine is NOT computerized. Anyway, you just lay the stop down at the

1/4th mark, and then guide your patches against it. Gives you wonderfully perfect, even, and identical seams every time, with almost no thought at all.

I finally got a 1/4" presser foot and it has really helped with accurate seam allowances. Also, in my experience, even if my 12" blocks come out at

11 3/4"--it doesn't matter as long as they're all the same! Sure, your quilt will be a bit smaller, but the sewing together of the blocks will work just fine. (Obviously, you may need to adjust connecting pieces accordingly, but if you're consistently sewing things slightly smaller--maybe not!) Consistency of size, not size itself, is what matters. BTW, are you sizing and trimming the triangles and squares that make up the 12" block? It's fussy but it pays off. And finally, the time spent on making one or two trial blocks before the real thing is time well spent. If you hate making "useless" blocks, buy some Christmas or other coordinating fabric that you like and as you make trial blocks for future quilts, use the same trial fabric and you'll wind up with a sampler! Maybe a slightly wonky sampler but hey!--Mozart no doubt played some lousy scales, too.

HTH

Hullo Danielle This has to be one of the most frustrating things, for someone learning, to encounter. You've taken all that care and attention, and *it doesn't work*. Taria has suggested marking the quarter inch line, until you get a quart inch foot. That is an excellent idea. If you put a couple of layers of tape, or two or three post-it notes, that will give you a little 'edge' to run your fabric up to. However, there is another word on that fables quarter inch seam. The thickness of your seam (the actual stitches - put a ruler on them and see) and the thickness of the fabric do make a difference. If you sew a seam with thicker fabrics, and press to the side and measure the resulting piece; then take finer fabrics of the same width, sew them with the same seam, press them and measure, you will find that there is a tiny difference. This is why people talk about a 'scant' quarter inch seam. This means a few threads short of a quarter of an inch. Over a block of 12", these tiny differences can add up. Think about it, only four seams, with a sixteenth" too much seam, would add up to the quarter you are losing. Once you get used to this 'scant' seam, you will have no trouble. . In article , Dannielle Beitzell writes

Danielle, another consideration for you is to check the accuracy of your rulers. Do the lines correspond to their supposed measurement? I have several rulers by different makers - one bias square-up is out by a good 1/8" on one side - there is a blank strip of lucite before the markings start which means that any square would end up 1/4" out using this ruler. Last week, I spent time cleaning and oiling my rulers and checking their measurements against my Omnigrids - all were slightly different, either because of the way that the lines had been drawn or because of a defect, during the manufacture or simply by wear and tear. The rulers that I use most often are also now affixed with static non-slip material so that they sit flat on the fabric and I have a clearer view of the cutting edge.

------ Wed, Jul 23, 2003, 8:55pm (EDT+4) From: snipped-for-privacy@XyahXooX.com (Dannielle=A0Beitzell) Ok, I am going to have to try cutting them just a tad larger, and I am currently tracking down a 1/4" foot for my machine. I know where the

1/4" line is, but I don't always keep it extremely straight due to glare on the metal foot.....*sigh* I am doing rotary cutting, and thought I was doing fairly well at cutting straight. I was using the square off, turn 180 degrees and square off again trick stated by Julia...so I guess I just keep practicing and working. I will probably go insane yet!

Why do you clean and oil your rulers? Please explain! Mine don't seem to get very dirty and they don't have any moving parts to oil!

Sandy >I spent time cleaning and oiling my rulers

My latest beginning class started last Friday and this is what I am doing with the ladies and it is working quite well.

Measure as you go.

Most quilters will cut out the block. Sew it all up. Then measure and if there is a problem will not know where that problem is. It could be in any seam or in several seams.

Your friendship star is a nine patch.

Sew your half square triangle blocks. They should finish to the exact measurement as your plain squares. Do they? If they are smaller or larger fix the problem before you go on.

Now, lay out your block into its three rows of three squares. Sew the first two square of row one together. Press and measure. Let's say you are making a 6" finished block. The two squares should measure

4 1/2 inches and the seam line should fall on 2 1/4". Does it? If not, now is the time to fix it. Now. Add the third square for the block. Press and measure...6 1/2" ?

Do the other two rows checking as you go.

Now, I do not do this with every piece every time. But, I have learned to spot check as I go string piecing along. It's a good way to see where your troubles are - cutting...sewing accurate 1/4" seams all the way down...pressing and then you will learn where you need to be cautious.

Hang > Ok, frustration factor has just reached an all time high. I am working on

Hi Sandy, the oil cleans the plastic surface of all accumulated grime and also hides any scratches which appear over time. It only takes one drop of sewing machine oil on each side to do the job and an ordinary kleenex to rub in a circular motion - kleenex has proven better than a soft cloth. They got the once-over this time because I was removing old sandpaper disks and the oil cleaned up the gum too. Basically the oil works because the plastic rulers are a petroleum based product. Jennifer in Ottawa

------- Group: rec.crafts.textiles.quilting Date: Thu, Jul 24, 2003, 12:26am (EDT+4) From: snipped-for-privacy@aol.computer (SandySmth) Why do you clean and oil your rulers? Please explain! Mine don't seem to get very dirty and they don't have any moving parts to oil! Sandy in Chapel Hill, NC snipped-for-privacy@interactive.rogers.com (Jennifer Hepworth) wrote: I spent time cleaning and oiling my rulers

Taffy? I remember that as being the name of a horse in some old movie way back in the 80s. I will however, swap you some koala fabric for some taffy at Houston next year.

In article , Dannielle Beitzell writes

The exact same thing happens to me - I don't know why. No matter how much care I take, I lose 1/8" - 1/4" on every block. Some tips I have learned the hard way:

1) With some blocks and some settings it doesn't matter if everything is undersize as long as it is consistently undersize. 2) With some blocks you can deliberately cut too-big pieces then trim them down afterwards. 3) With some techniques, your accuracy of cutting and seam width doesn't matter - try English paper piecing, paper or fabric foundation piecing, or Jan Mullen's whacky blockz technique.

That's a very good point Jennifer. So, Danielle, use one ruler consistently throughout one project. . In article , Jennifer Hepworth writes

Have you checked the quarter inch mark on your machine against the ruler you are using? I have found that not only do different rulers have slightly different measurements, the machines do too. I use mostly Omnigrid rulers, and use a 1"by

6" ruler to check the correct seam allowance width on my machine. Put the needle down, insert the ruler behind the needle, lining the needle up with one of the marks, and see where it measures a quarter inch to. Then remember to sew a *scant* quarter inch seam. If you take up just a sixteenth of an inch with the turn of the fabric, and have 4 seams, that is a quarter of an inch.

Hope this makes sense and helps.

Pati, in Phx

Dannielle Beitzell wrote:

For me, a big part of the problem turned out not to be the cutting or sewing, but the ironing. I didn't think I was moving the iron, but I was distorting the pieces at that point. I find that I do better with just finger pressing or using a small iron just to iron the seams. (That's contrary to standard advice, but it does work for me.)

My other tip has to do with ignoring the problem. 1/4" off isn't too bad on a

12" block. Just match up the seams, pin, pull and fudge. Once it is all put together, it will look fine. This is coming from someone who isn't a prize-winning perfectionist but whose quilts don't look half bad. I would correct a bigger error, but that one isn't that big.

--Lia

Dannielle Beitzell wrote:

Along with all the other good advice you're getting on this, Dannielle, see if you are sewing the seam straight ALL the way to the end. I find it's easier to veer off a little bit than to keep it straight and that will goof it up in a big hurry. I bought an Angler to put on the bed of the machine and that has extended seam guides that help a lot. HTH

Dee in LeRoy, NY

Ok, frustration factor has just reached an all time high. I am working on these little friendship stars and, just like my ribbon blocks, no matter how straight I think I am cutting or how straight I think I am sewing, I still come out with squares that just aren't...well, square. And not only that, but if I want a 12" block, I end up at least 1/4" smaller....

How many times have newbies quit because they get so frustrated at this point? And how long does it take to get past this part of the learning curve....

I think I'll go have some taffy and do some other needlework....

*sigh*

-- Dannielle from NY

Wow! I am getting so many tips and tricks that I had never heard of before that my eyeballs are swimming!

Thanks! I am taking it all in and am going to practice as soon as I can! I think I might even make a list and post it by my machine....so, I'll be hanging that on the refrigerator! ;-)

I do appreciate all of the tips and the hugs! It feels good to know that I am not alone and it is something that will go away with practice!

You all are wonderful!

-- Dannielle from NY

they get smaller cuz of the thread you sew into them and the pressing to the side also uses some 'space' up. scant means 'a weeeeeeeeeee tiny bit less than'. try it both ways and measure...see if Ruth 'n' i got it right, lol. then do let us know how it works, eh. jeanne*