QAYG problem
 

Help!!!!!..
I'm not sure how to solve the problem, and I'm sure there are a couple of talented, and brainy quilters that might be able to help me..
I am making four of the same quilts for my staff. I decided to do QAYG, as I have never FMQ a big quilt, and thought it would be easier to handle.. Now I have 28 23(?) X 23(?) squares that have to be attached into four quilts.. I thought I followed the directions on my quilt, and the sashing down was very wonky.. I also didn't like the instability in the lines. I didn't square up the squares. I think that might help the problem. Then of course I came up with a problem with that.. Each of the squares is made up of 16 6" squares. I'm thinking if I square it up, I have to go around the quilt, and take off a little from each side, or the squares will look uneven? After I do that, I'm thinking I should sew the squares together with a whip stitch, and then put the sashing on top, and back, and sew it down.
If anyone has any ideas, I would greatly appreciate whatever help you can give me.
I know this is long winded, but I didn't think I would get into this much trouble..
Thanks,
Barri

If I understand this, you did 4x4 of the 6" which should give you 23.25" if you used .25" seams, right? I think I would have squared up after each set of 2x2, but I'm sure it's too much work to take that apart. If you square up the ones you've got now, will they look right? If so, then yes, you can put them together and sew a sashing on top front and back. Another idea might be to try to make them wonky - if you have a lot of sashing material. You might need to add a few pieces if you do it this way. Hope this helps. Also, try sewing sashing on one direction and then the other.

The squares were 6.5" sewn 4 across x 4 down. Which would be 24 X24. Then they were sandwiched, and FMQ. I now measured the squares after FMQ, and they are about 23.5" but not accurate. I am trying to figure out how to trim them so they look even, and not that I took too much from any one side..
Thanks..

Haha, every time I see this picture of your dog I think he's smoking too! As for your quilt question, I don't have a clue, sorry.

Socrates is a 7yo cockapoo. He has been walking around the house for close to seven years with a chewy in his mouth. He takes them to bed and sleeps with one.. He doesn't chew them. Sort of like a pacifier. I could change pictures to him in his leather biker vest, or Halloween when I wrapped him in bandages.. I could see the animal lovers calling the animal protection on me.. I was using a figure of speech when I mentioned that he would get dropped kicked if he didn't cut out what he was doing.. Too many on the board took it seriously, and were ready to come after me.. He is an extremely pampered, and loved little fellow.. We are talking about having his own dog house under my desk so his little tush wouldn't get cold.. and he can hang out with his mom..

I am sorry you are having trouble with QAYG. It is a technique that I use a lot. Trimming is very important, because there isn't much slack with a block that has been quilted. The edges need to be the same length, since only limited easing is possible. Equally important is that the edges be straight, because you are butting two blocks together. After quilting the block, I trim it to the desired size and then run a machine stitch around the edge. Sometimes a little bit of micro-trimming is needed at the corners after that. Then things should fit together nicely. I would recommend that you do any squaring that you can at this point.

Your idea of whipstitching the blocks together at this point and then applying the sashing might work for you and allow you to cover a crooked seam with the sashing, but I would never be able to get the top and bottom sashing to match up without basting the layers together. That is easier said than done, because your squares are quite large (hard to reach in that far to the seam while managing all of the bulk).

Good luck with the projects and let us know how it works out.

Dayle

Thanks Dayle..
I was really getting down in the dumps over it.. I think I will spend today evening out all of my squares for my quilt, and put it together. If it works, I will go on to the rest of them.
Barri

I think that you will be pleased will how things fit once your blocks are trimmed. With 6" squares used in the blocks, even if you have to trim off a little bit here and there, it won't be so noticeable within the block. If the original squares used to make the block had been small, then trimming might have left the edge rows looking too narrow.

I have used Elmer's school glue on bindings before, and maybe it would work to use it to baste the sashings down if you do the whipstitch method for attaching the blocks.

Dayle

I don't understand how you put sashing on after you whip stitch the pieces together. I thought the sashing was to attach the pieces together. How do you attach the sashing without the seams showing? Just wondering. I would like to do a QAYG and would like to find out how to do this before I attempt it.