I started out with the plan for 12 in blocks, so they were 12.5in. I lost 1/2 in on the first squaring. I plan to lose more as I square again. I think I'll be lucky to end up with 10.5 in blocks. :lol:

Obviously, since this is my first quilt, I'm not all that worried about it. I don't expect it to be perfect. But I was wondering if this happens to others, and what, if anything, you do to alleviate that.

Are you doing alot of piecing? I always measure after I piece and make corrections before adding more. Those little 1/8 inch mishaps usually compound over time. There is nothing more frustrating after spending alot of time on something that doesn't turn out like you want.

Does it sound like I have had this happen?? :lol:
Julie

I made the mistake of cutting down my blocks for a particular size and lost my points.
So it is better to use a larger block than called for than to cut them down.
If the block is out of square,now thats a problem.
I have found that when new at quilting, use an Eleanor Burns pattern.
Her patterns just seem to fall togather correctly.
Be sure to watch lots of videos on Quilters TV for instructions.
Good luck and have fun even if it dosnt turn out perfect, think of it as a learning experience.

Are you sure your blocks weren't supposed to be 12 1/2"?? That would be a 12" finished block plus the seam allowance.

Yes, that's how they were supposed to be. But when I squared them off, they ended up at 12" with the seam allowance, so it would be 11.5in finished...if no more squaring was necessary...which it is. :lol:

I'm not so worried about it now as I plan to do simple blocks for a while that will allow for mishaps such as these. But one day, I'd like to try a more complicated pattern that may not allow for this.

Check your seam allowances where you have joined pieces of the block together. If they are more than ¼" and/or not straight, your block will be the wrong size and/or not square. The more seams within a block, the worse it gets. What block did you make that lost the ½" on squaring?

Such good timing with this one! I did a sample bears paw yesterday and found that I really had to watch my trimming. I think one of the four is slightly smaller than the others and I see a wave on one side. No one else seems to see it, but it bothers me. I think this is one for me to remember that I'm not perfect & if I can get away with it, put in the reject pile. I'll be much more careful next go round. Best of luck with your project.

I have a couple of the square rulers...12.5", 6.5" and 4.5". I use those when I am squaring a wonky block. I find I don't lose near as much that way. Just shave a little here and there to even it up. I tend to make the blocks/pieces a little bigger and trim as I go. For example, if I'm using 4.5" half square triangles, the directions usually say to start with 4 7/8" squares, but I start with 5" squares and then trim the hst to 4.5" when I'm finished with it. Like Rose Marie says, I think that is what Eleanor Burns does. When I first started quilting I was always "losing" my points until I started doing this.

An attic quilt block. :o

This is my first ever quilt and there was a lot to attribute to it. I was using the teeniest stitches at first, so there was distortion at the end of the lines. I was also using the wrong needle, which might have attributed to it. Plus, being the first time, just basic inexperience. :lol:

I bought a 12.5" square ruler, but not until I had already started squaring them off, so too late.

I'm not upset with the results. No one is going to take a ruler to it and measure the blocks. :lol: At least I hope not! LOL Just trying to find ideas for improving in the future.

I have begun allowing extra on my measurements as well as I add more pieces to try and reduce the loss.

[quote=bj] For example, if I'm using 4.5" half square triangles, the directions usually say to start with 4 7/8" squares, but I start with 5" squares and then trim the hst to 4.5" when I'm finished with it. quote]

Me too - it is just so much easier!