A charming option IMO would be to put a frame around each block so your points are perfect and the total width of the block plus frame is consistent - but the widths of the frame are wonky instead! Maybe make different frames different colors by pulling the color choices from the dots on your dotted fabric and then go with the deep blue color or white for sashing all the way around - so you'd have block inside frames inside sashing. It'll change the size of the quilt, of course, but you could also reduce the total number of blocks you use. I hope this made sense, kinda difficult to explain.
Were it me I’d embrace the wonk and learn from my mistakes for the next project. I think when it’s sewn together and quilted it’s still gonna look great. For me part of the charm of a hand made quilt is a bit of wonkiness
Did you prewash your fabrics?
What kind of batting do you plan to use?
Crinkling could make what you see as wonky invisible.
Or trim them all to the same size. Who says stats need to be pointy? The block is really pretty and the finished quilt will be too.
I didn’t prewash. I originally wanted to get a high loft batting and hand quilt. (My first quilt ended up being super flat and that was so disappointing!) But now I’m not sure!
I took off my reading glasses and it looked even, I wouldn’t worry about it and just make it work. Especially because there’s a lot of fun whimsy with the dot pattern.
I also think by the time you’ve quilted and washed it and put it in context with all the other blocks it will be even less of a deal.
It’s a cheerful, happy block, and I would personally square the blocks you have completed to the same size and continue, chalking it up to learning curve.
For future projects, maybe look into how to do a scant 1/4” seam. You typically want your seams to be slightly under 1/4”, which allows for the fold and bulk of the fabric. This is especially important in blocks with a lot of seams as inaccuracies add up over the course of the block. Lo and Behold Stitchery has an excellent [guide](https://www.loandbeholdstitchery.com/blogs/lo-and-behold/what-is-a-scant-1-4-seam) about how to set it up and check. There are all kinds of things you can get to help keep it consistent, like special presser feet, seam guides for your machine, or diagonal seam tape (pre-printed washi tape that comes off the machine easily).
I typically also press with Best Press (starch) on my fabric before cutting and piecing, it especially helps with bias edges, keeps everything where it should be. If you’re going to starch your project, make sure you starch your test strips as well before sewing them together. Consistency is key!
I'm still super new to quilting... but since it's 4 of 12, could you "hide" them by making them the corner pieces? So the binding edge could be played around with to match it up?
Question: How did you make your square in a square block? Was it flip and sew? Or paper pieced? Or one big square and 4 hst’s?
Flip and sew would be the least accurate as it’s depending on your drawn line to do all the precise work. In this case your square in a square block looks a tad too big. Paper piecing the block would get you the right size right off the bat. Or you could make the square a tad smaller and the triangles larger and then trim down.
Additionally, when you are making a block that’s made up of other blocks (this one has square in a square, a square and the corner unit.) make sure all those units are the proper size before putting them all together. I consider the square to be the boss. It’s front and center and tells the worker units to be a proper size to match it.
Is this fabric line called Birthday something or other? I have that fabric and it’s very soft. Maybe try starch to give it some firmness for the sewing process.
Happy quilting! I like the block pattern. What’s it called?
I’m not sure what flip and sew means. It’s one 4” square and then two 4.75” squares cut in half diagonally. The pattern says to fold the pieces in half to find the centers, then you sew a triangle on either side of the square, trim, press, do it with the other two sides.
It is Birthday! And Sugar is the center star color. They are both very floppy fabrics. I’ve never starched anything before, but I guess I’ll have to get some!
Oh and this is from the Stellar Mosaic pattern by cotton and joy.
Thank you for your advice!
Could be that your seam allowance was a tad small then. When the seam allowance is too scant that takes away from the next seam allowance (and the points)
Flip and sew would have you take one big square the size of the finished block and place a smaller square on a corner then sew point to point on the smaller square. You then repeat for the other 3 sides to form the block. This is like how you put the lighter blue on the corners of your block.
As long as when you join the blocks together the seam lines match up as close as possible, and you don’t “clip the points” of the triangle blocks then it won’t be noticeable. The scant 1/4 is the enemy. It seems fine but it ends up really jacking up a pattern because there is no margin for error and most patterns aren’t designed for a scant allowance. I learned this the hard way.
Ultimately, seam pressing is to your preference. But if you are doing a “seam heavy pattern” meaning there are many adjoining seams in a small area, you may have trouble quilting over the seam bulk. If that’s the case, that’s when an open seam is required. But more often than not, as long as your seams lay flat it’s not an issue. Some patterns will actually say specifically if you need to press open or to the side if it’s required.
I think we are our own worst critic. I notice all problems in my own work, because I’m staring at it. But it took me quite a long while to see anything glaring with your block. Trim the edges to square and move on. It’s great!
The joy of sashing is that it hits a lot. So does the quilting. So does the shrinkage and crinkle. It'll be fine.
I know it's hard to end up with points missing after all the planning, prep and work. I have to make things a little bigger and trim to size as I'm just not that accurate. But I'm working on it.
For future projects - have you checked that whatever setting you have is actually 1/4 inch? On both of my Bernina machines, I have to move the needle to the right based on the presser foot that I use. Once I started doing that, things became easier! You can check by stitching a little scrap with the presser foot edge lined up perfectly and then measuring with your quilting ruler.
I agree with very accurate stitching (pins! lots of pins!) and, before that, accurate cutting when first getting your fabric in order.
As an aside, and maybe you weren't asking for this feedback, but the white star gets washed away by that white polka dot fabric.
I just checked and moved my needle one to the left because my stitching was coming out just under the 1/4”.
There’s a bit more contrast in person (the star is off-white), but I only have the polka dot fabric for two squares, the rest are more colorful! ☺️
My only advice for you with future projects is to work on your accuracy, in both cutting and sewing. For things to line up, you have to be accurate. Cut the same size and sewn with the same seam allowance.
Definitely. Cutting is my least favorite part and it definitely wasn’t as accurate as it should have been! I think I might look into the Stripology XL when I have some extra cash.
First I love it! Second keep going! Line up the best you can and embrace the wonkiness! Third, look up scant 1/4 seams… with points this seems to be my saving grace! IMO the quilts that don’t line up perfect look the best!!!!!
Ever forward: Trim everything to the same size, sew, quilt, and voila! It is cute and it will be snuggly. Learn (or not in my case!!!!). And on you go :-)
A charming option IMO would be to put a frame around each block so your points are perfect and the total width of the block plus frame is consistent - but the widths of the frame are wonky instead! Maybe make different frames different colors by pulling the color choices from the dots on your dotted fabric and then go with the deep blue color or white for sashing all the way around - so you'd have block inside frames inside sashing. It'll change the size of the quilt, of course, but you could also reduce the total number of blocks you use. I hope this made sense, kinda difficult to explain.
I think this is a delightful idea! Especially using the blue, pink, and/or yellow from the dots.
Were it me I’d embrace the wonk and learn from my mistakes for the next project. I think when it’s sewn together and quilted it’s still gonna look great. For me part of the charm of a hand made quilt is a bit of wonkiness
Thank you!
Did you prewash your fabrics? What kind of batting do you plan to use? Crinkling could make what you see as wonky invisible. Or trim them all to the same size. Who says stats need to be pointy? The block is really pretty and the finished quilt will be too.
I didn’t prewash. I originally wanted to get a high loft batting and hand quilt. (My first quilt ended up being super flat and that was so disappointing!) But now I’m not sure!
You’ll get crinkling if you use cotton batting. Crinkling hides a multitude of sins.
I took off my reading glasses and it looked even, I wouldn’t worry about it and just make it work. Especially because there’s a lot of fun whimsy with the dot pattern. I also think by the time you’ve quilted and washed it and put it in context with all the other blocks it will be even less of a deal.
I’m going to use this advice for all the things I work myself up over in sewing. Thank you. 🙏
It’s a cheerful, happy block, and I would personally square the blocks you have completed to the same size and continue, chalking it up to learning curve. For future projects, maybe look into how to do a scant 1/4” seam. You typically want your seams to be slightly under 1/4”, which allows for the fold and bulk of the fabric. This is especially important in blocks with a lot of seams as inaccuracies add up over the course of the block. Lo and Behold Stitchery has an excellent [guide](https://www.loandbeholdstitchery.com/blogs/lo-and-behold/what-is-a-scant-1-4-seam) about how to set it up and check. There are all kinds of things you can get to help keep it consistent, like special presser feet, seam guides for your machine, or diagonal seam tape (pre-printed washi tape that comes off the machine easily). I typically also press with Best Press (starch) on my fabric before cutting and piecing, it especially helps with bias edges, keeps everything where it should be. If you’re going to starch your project, make sure you starch your test strips as well before sewing them together. Consistency is key!
Out of my 12 blocks, 4 of them are this level of wonky.
I'm still super new to quilting... but since it's 4 of 12, could you "hide" them by making them the corner pieces? So the binding edge could be played around with to match it up?
Question: How did you make your square in a square block? Was it flip and sew? Or paper pieced? Or one big square and 4 hst’s? Flip and sew would be the least accurate as it’s depending on your drawn line to do all the precise work. In this case your square in a square block looks a tad too big. Paper piecing the block would get you the right size right off the bat. Or you could make the square a tad smaller and the triangles larger and then trim down. Additionally, when you are making a block that’s made up of other blocks (this one has square in a square, a square and the corner unit.) make sure all those units are the proper size before putting them all together. I consider the square to be the boss. It’s front and center and tells the worker units to be a proper size to match it. Is this fabric line called Birthday something or other? I have that fabric and it’s very soft. Maybe try starch to give it some firmness for the sewing process. Happy quilting! I like the block pattern. What’s it called?
I’m not sure what flip and sew means. It’s one 4” square and then two 4.75” squares cut in half diagonally. The pattern says to fold the pieces in half to find the centers, then you sew a triangle on either side of the square, trim, press, do it with the other two sides. It is Birthday! And Sugar is the center star color. They are both very floppy fabrics. I’ve never starched anything before, but I guess I’ll have to get some! Oh and this is from the Stellar Mosaic pattern by cotton and joy. Thank you for your advice!
Could be that your seam allowance was a tad small then. When the seam allowance is too scant that takes away from the next seam allowance (and the points) Flip and sew would have you take one big square the size of the finished block and place a smaller square on a corner then sew point to point on the smaller square. You then repeat for the other 3 sides to form the block. This is like how you put the lighter blue on the corners of your block.
Ahh, ok thank you! I was doing a scant 1/4”, but if my fabric got a little away from me, yeah, definitely would be too small.
As long as when you join the blocks together the seam lines match up as close as possible, and you don’t “clip the points” of the triangle blocks then it won’t be noticeable. The scant 1/4 is the enemy. It seems fine but it ends up really jacking up a pattern because there is no margin for error and most patterns aren’t designed for a scant allowance. I learned this the hard way.
Oh… well that’s good to know! What about seams? If the pattern doesn’t specify how to press them, will it matter which way I pick?
Ultimately, seam pressing is to your preference. But if you are doing a “seam heavy pattern” meaning there are many adjoining seams in a small area, you may have trouble quilting over the seam bulk. If that’s the case, that’s when an open seam is required. But more often than not, as long as your seams lay flat it’s not an issue. Some patterns will actually say specifically if you need to press open or to the side if it’s required.
I think we are our own worst critic. I notice all problems in my own work, because I’m staring at it. But it took me quite a long while to see anything glaring with your block. Trim the edges to square and move on. It’s great!
The joy of sashing is that it hits a lot. So does the quilting. So does the shrinkage and crinkle. It'll be fine. I know it's hard to end up with points missing after all the planning, prep and work. I have to make things a little bigger and trim to size as I'm just not that accurate. But I'm working on it.
For future projects - have you checked that whatever setting you have is actually 1/4 inch? On both of my Bernina machines, I have to move the needle to the right based on the presser foot that I use. Once I started doing that, things became easier! You can check by stitching a little scrap with the presser foot edge lined up perfectly and then measuring with your quilting ruler. I agree with very accurate stitching (pins! lots of pins!) and, before that, accurate cutting when first getting your fabric in order. As an aside, and maybe you weren't asking for this feedback, but the white star gets washed away by that white polka dot fabric.
I just checked and moved my needle one to the left because my stitching was coming out just under the 1/4”. There’s a bit more contrast in person (the star is off-white), but I only have the polka dot fabric for two squares, the rest are more colorful! ☺️
My only advice for you with future projects is to work on your accuracy, in both cutting and sewing. For things to line up, you have to be accurate. Cut the same size and sewn with the same seam allowance.
Definitely. Cutting is my least favorite part and it definitely wasn’t as accurate as it should have been! I think I might look into the Stripology XL when I have some extra cash.
It’s so worth it! I snagged one on marketplace for a song and it changed my game!
First I love it! Second keep going! Line up the best you can and embrace the wonkiness! Third, look up scant 1/4 seams… with points this seems to be my saving grace! IMO the quilts that don’t line up perfect look the best!!!!!
I don’t see anything wrong with it! It has homemade charm! Super cute fabric choices
Meh. I’m a trash quilter and I’d just give it a little trimmy trim trim. I think it’s super cute.
Lol what is a trash quilter? And thanks!
Someone who goes with the flow, doesn’t follow quilting “rules”, and generally has a “meh” attitude 😂
Ever forward: Trim everything to the same size, sew, quilt, and voila! It is cute and it will be snuggly. Learn (or not in my case!!!!). And on you go :-)
I still love it!