EllieGirl

I have three blocks put together so far. These are all from the same charm pack. I noticed one block is larger than the other two, maybe about 1/8" or 1/16". I plan on setting them into a white background. Do I need to trim all the pinwhell blocks to the exact same size? The other question....what is the trick to exactly matching the points. The three I've completed are fine. But the one I was working on a little bit ago is giving me fits!

Joset

yes i make all mine the same size. and i still fight to match up my points.
but some one on here said something about basting them. well i tried it the
other day and man it was fantastic. it really worked good. another thing i
found i have to iron my seams open. that works better for me than to one side or the
other they say practice practice

PaperPrincess

Unfortunately, precuts are not always cut accurately. Make your pinwheels, find the smallest one, and cut them all down to that size. You will have to cut the background squares down to this size too.
As far as matching the points, I've found that when trimning the HST down make sure that the seams hit dead in the center of the corner really helps.

EllieGirl

Pressing the seams open is a good idea. At the points it's pretty thick!

ShirlinAZ

I have found that mine are the best when I make all my HSTs oversized - maybe 1/4" - then trim them down with the corners of my square up ruler exactly on the center seam, and trim all 4 sides.

Teeler

While I'm only a beginner, I found that matching my points was easiest when I stuck a pin straight through from the back of one point, and through the point of the matching one. I could then line up the rest of my block for sewing, and pin the rest of it and the points didn't move.

Here's a pic from some other gal's blogspot showing you exactly what I mean:
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-99e7mKVU19...0/DSC09667.JPG

NJ Quilter

[QUOTE=Teeler;5830088]While I'm only a beginner, I found that matching my points was easiest when I stuck a pin straight through from the back of one point, and through the point of the matching one. I could then line up the rest of my block for sewing, and pin the rest of it and the points didn't move.

This is the method I use as well as pressing open and making mine a tad oversize. Trimming HST's is the best reason in the world for owning a rotating cutting mat!

hopflower

Agreed, I pin mine in the center to make sure that the points line up, then also I square mine up very carefully to make sure that they are all the same size. It takes a bit of time but is worth it. Also, make sure you are sewing an actual 1/4 inch seam on everything.