Layer Cakes and Charms... use them as is, or re-cut them?
 

There have been several threads lately about the (usually small) inaccuracies in the pre-cut fabric bundles that the fabric companies put out.

Which made me wonder... if you have a layer cake or charm pack, do you *count* on them being precision cut?

Or do you generally re-cut and trim them yourself, anyway?

I'm one of those blind faith people. If it says it is supposed to be 5" X 5" or 2 1/2" wide, I believe 'em! Hasn't come back to bite me in the keester yet!

ETA - I forgot to mention that I made a quilt recently using a Robert Kaufman Jelly roll and a I was going to use a Moda Bella Solid Jelly roll. There was a significant difference in the width of the strips so I just I just cut my own strips. I don't think I would mix different manufacturers

I haven't had a problem and I have used charm packs to make a quilt (around the time they first came out), but I know there have been issues with the Bali rolls being narrower than stated. Someone actually wrote an article on how to compensate for that.

I just don't worry about precision. I'm not exactly precise to start with so I know how to fudge things and make them look perfect on the right side. If you put the crooked part on the inside nobody can see it.

I've only used charm packs and they have been perfect. All were Moda or RJR.

I use them straight out of the package - usually only purchase moda pre cuts and love them.

I'm just a trusting soul. I kind of "eye ball" them & if they looked too wonky, I might measure them & take appropriate measures. So far mine have all been OK & I've ordered all kinds of precuts. Maybe one of these days I'll get a rude awakening but until then, I guess ignorance or trust is bliss!

if they are not precisely the measurements advertised, then there should be a disclaimer that they are 'approximate'
if the point of precuts is to save time, then i don't want to spend more time 'fixing' them
MHO

Amen. If you pay money for someone else to cut them,then you should not have redo their work.

I usually measure them first. Like the charms...5" might mean from valley on one side to peak on the other. I learned that the hard way. I made a quilt that used 5" charms and I did it in sections with a middle section. Well, the sides didn't match up and I found out it was because the 5" charms needed to be measured from valley to peak. So that's how I know and why I measure now. I never did fix that quilt. I used 3 charm packs on it and would have had to rip the whole thing out and I was so upset when I realized what I did, that I just folded it all up and put it away and figured someday I might feel like ripping it apart and starting over. That day hasn't come yet and it's been about 4 years now.