QUILTERS -- help -- this isn't coming out right!?

Question

I'm making a quilt for my niece's graduation. The pattern alternates large 7 1/2 inch batik squares with four-square patches of black and white. So far, so good. All the batiks are cut, and all of the four-patch squares are sewn with standard 1/4 inch seams.

The pattern called for 3 1/2 squares to make up the four-patches. So now I have all of these four-patches that are 1/2 in larger in both dimensions than the batik squares ... and the only way I can figure how to fix this so that they're the same size as the batiks is to carefully cut off 1/4 inch off each side of the four-patches. We're talking 50 of them. How best to do this? Time is of the essence; I don't have a lot of spare sewing time to begin with, and this is now putting me further behind -- with quilting and binding yet to be done! (Needless to say, I'll be machine quilting in-the-ditch if I ever get to that point!)

Answer 1

I don't know how it ended up like that, but at this point it doesn't matter. Time to punt! Use a quilter's ruler and a rotary cutter to shave off the bigger squares so they match the smaller ones. Good luck. It sounds like a very pretty quilt.

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Answer 2

Trim the 4-patches blocks to the same size as the batik blocks. Use a rotary cutter and mat, and a square ruler. Line it up so that you measure from the center out and trim the same amount off each side. If you lay them on top of each other carefully, you can probably cut 2 or 3 at a time.

Why this happend is a bit puzzling to me. If the batik squares are 7 1/2" (7" finished), the four-patches should be 3 1/2" finished (times 4). So, the black/white squares should have been 4" to start to make a 7" finished 4-patch. The batik squares ARE 7 1/2" ?

Your quilt may end up a bit smaller than first planned, but it should still be pretty. I'm sure your neice will love it and won't know you had a problem! Good luck!

Answer 3

Hello, your fix is easy, however that does not mean it's not time consuming! If you have the fabric, would be much faster to strip piece new 4 patches!!!

How it happened doesn't matter :D, but I'm confused...if your 4 patches started with 3 1/2 Inch squares, they should now be 6 1/2 inches unfinished. Which would make it easy to cut your 7 1/2 inch batiks down to 6 1/2 inches, by cutting an inch off two connecting sides. top and right for instance.

However, you are saying the 4 patch is LARGER than the batiks, somewhere is a typo I'm thinking, either way, here's how to fix it if it's the four patch that needs cut down.

Use a small square ruler if you have it, just needs to be larger than size the block needs to be cut down to. As an example I'll use 6 1/2 inches as size it needs to be cut to, adjust for whatever size it needs to be here.

For 6 1/2 inches, your center point is at 3 1/4 inches which is the line you need to match up both top to bottom and side to side on the center of your four patch where the center of the block is. (seam intersections) that will give you the excess fabric on two sides of the ruler. chop those off with the rotary cutter, turn your block around and do the same, lining up not only the 3 1/4 lines on ruler with seam lines, but also making sure the edges you just cut off are even with the 6 1/2 inch lines on ruler!!! That way your block will be square, even if your seam lines aren't perfect. If by chance you need 6 1/2 inch squares and you happen to have a 6 1/2 inch square ruler, it's easy as pie, center it on the square, and cut two sides, turn mat around and cut other two sides!

Hope this helped, tried to be detailed while not being too detailed as I don't know your experience level!

Sally

just read this answer, but i can't find a way to comment on it...the anwser is confusing as one block is counted as a finished size, the other as unfinished! This still won't fit together as stated here! :D


" If your 4 patch squares were cut 3 1/2" to begin with your finished 4 patch block should be 6 1/2" square and your batik squares should have been cut 7" this will give you a 6 1/2" finished square.

Cut block - all pieces in your 4 patch should be cut 3 1/2"
finished they would be 3"
Cut block in your batiks should be cut 7" this gives you a 6 1/2 " finished block "

a note here, if you cut your 4 patches at 3 1/2 inches, the finished BLOCK will measure 6 inches, UNfinished will be the 6 1/2 inches. Therefore the batiks would be cut to 6 1/2 inches not the 7 inches. They then will finish up to 6 inches as well. The finished size of the quilt will be different than what it states if blocks are cut wrong, but as long as both the batik square and your four patch block are the same sizes when you sew them together, that is all that matters if the finished quilt size doesn't matter as much!

Answer 4

If your 4 patch squares were cut 3 1/2" to begin with your finished 4 patch block should be 6 1/2" square and your batik squares should have been cut 7" this will give you a 6 1/2" finished square.

Cut block - all pieces in your 4 patch should be cut 3 1/2"
finished they would be 3"
Cut block in your batiks should be cut 7" this gives you a 6 1/2 " finished block

Answer 5

cutting them off will make the sizes of the squares not the same all the way across, but it might not be too bad, fold that much back on a couple and lay with the other patches and look at it before you leap. good luck

Answer 6

Cannot quite get my head round what you mean, but how about just making bigger seam allowance. Should the smaller squares not be 3 1/4 as bigger ones are 7 1/2. Doesn't seem [ha] quite right. Now I'm off to watch some tv bye.

Answer 7

umm kuz ur doing it wrong.o well this guy named brandon is throwing stuff vyeing