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Cindy's Tips


COOL SLEEPING...THE OLD-TIME WAY
How did our ancestors do it? With a "summer spread," an unlined (or lightly lined) quilt, often simply pieced and embroidered. (Redwork was a favorite technique.) Sometimes the quilt top was backed with a sheet, the edges turned and whipstitched together. Sometimes the top was left unbacked, and the raw seams turned over and handstitched, french seam-style. White, cool muslin was the main ingredient in these refreshing pieces.

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I am a beginning quilter and the blocks I made for a quilt didn't come out the same size. PDF Print E-mail
Dear Cindy,

I'm a 14 yrs old beginner and I've just completed 12 sampler blocks in order to finish the quilt. The problem is that some of the blocks are different size than they are supposed to be. For example: All the blocks are supposed to be 12- 1/2"by 12-1/2", but some are like 12"or 11-7/8".So I was wondering if maybe I should cut all the squares to the smallest finish size.
Confused, please help!
Francesca

Francesca,
I sure hope you don't feel bad about having this happen. I was in a quilting group when I started my first bed quilt -- people handed out their pattern and everyone made a block or two, then the designer put the top together and everyone quilted it. Well, when I proudly handed out the pattern for my Pine Tree blocks, I forgot to specify what the seam allowance should be! And they were too green to tell me to do it...you can guess what happened. The blocks ranged in size by TWO WHOLE INCHES. So your range seems a lot better to me!

I can't tell you whether to cut the blocks down because I don't know what pattern you're using. If it's a simple pieced pattern that won't be affected (like a Nine Patch), this is certainly a good option. Measure all the blocks and trim to the smallest-sized block...the easiest way is to cut a plastic template that size, then center it on the block and trim to fit, using a rotary cutter and clear ruler. You can just measure and use the clear ruler and rotary cutter alone, of course, but be SURE to center your block before trimming it down.

BUT -- since you're saying 'sampler blocks,' I'd bet that the blocks are all different patterns, right? Therefore, I would probably recommend that you just add an extra border of fabric around each square that is a little too small. The easiest way to do this...I'm assuming that your variances are less than 1 1/2"...cut 2 1/2"-wide strips of fabric from the width of the fabric. (If you want all the borders the same, which I also would recommend, you'll need about 1/2 yard.) Sew one to each side, then trim to fit. Iron, pressing seams away from central block. Now sew a strip to top and bottom; trim to fit again and iron the block, pressing seams away from the central block. Pile these up, then trim them all to your selected size when you're finished. The slight differences in border width, due to the slight differences in your block size, should not be that visually noticeable.

If you use this method, you may even want to trim your largest blocks down a bit, so you can add borders to them, too...that way, all the blocks would have a border, and therefore would blend in together. Add sashing when joining these blocks, so the borders of any block don't directly touch another block, and visually you should be just fine. Sharon Newman's TREASURES FROM YESTERYEAR (That Patchwork Place), Vol.I, has a quilt that she made from all different sizes of antique blocks. She did some trimming, but also used the border trick I just described. You might want to look her book up at the library...it's great! Remember: this is one of your early pieces. And it gets easier with every single quilt!


One more possibility for you to consider: Sort the blocks by size, then arrange them in rows and use sashing in between. Staggering them will be even easier and that way you don't have to struggle to match corners. Good luck, and write if I can help again. I'm glad to hear you're making quilts!
Cindy Brick
 
Home Ask Cindy I am a beginning quilter and the blocks I made for a quilt didn't come out the same size.