bearisgray

Let them eat cake!

sewvic

Go to your local hardware store and ask them to make you an 1/8 inch thick acrylic or Plexiglas template that is exactly 5 1/4 inches square. My hardware would charge between 3 and 5 dollars for this.

Onebyone

I eat my cake with buttercream frosting and a scoop of Talenti vanilla bean gelato on top.

fruitloop

MSQC has a 10" square acrylic template that is very nice. I buy the ten inch squares pre cut. I have layer cakes in solids, batiks, and prints. I don't see the point of cutting them my self when I can buy the pre cuts. I have the Go Big and I use it for the Block on Board dies. I love those. And the pre cuts fit the dies perfectly.

Hope K

After looking at the pattern, the 5 1/4 square is for a QST block. The square is further cut diagonally and sewn into 4 1/2 hourglass blocks.

busy fingers

I always use two rulers when cutting my fabrics. They are not special rulers just regular ones.

I will try and explain without pictures. I am righthanded so I have my fabric to the left of me and I line up the first ruler the length of the fabric at the width that I want then I get my second ruler and run it down the whole length to check that the first ruler is in place. Sometimes I need to adjust the first ruler a bit to the right or the left to make sure that I have the accurate measurement. When happy I remove the second ruler and then cut.

I hope this helps.

P.S. I just found a photo that my help explain a bit better. You can see how I have placed the rulers on the fabric. When looking at the photo it is the bottom ruler that I remove.

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gmcsewer

Two ways I can think of. If you have graph paper make a square the size you need and then pin it on the fabric. Another way you could do is draw the squares on freezer paper, cut them out and press them on to the paper. If you cut a little larger than 5 1/4 and then sew them and square up the sewn pieces to the size need for the piece that goes on the quilt. They even have freezer paper with the square printed on them if you can find it.

GeeGee

You can use any size square ruler. If the edges of your fabric is straight, place the verical and horizonal 5 1/4 inch marks of your ruler on the left side edge and bottom edge of your piece of fabric, then cut along the right side edge and top edge of your ruler. Easy peasy.

maviskw

I can't believe no one came up with the answer that was asked for by the poster. She said she does not want to cut a strip first. I have done this numerous times.

I lay a corner of the desired fabric on my cutting mat. Place a ruler over the corner so that the desired size block is under the ruler (check all sides several times, watch your selvedge, cut just a wee bit larger). Cut up one side just to the corner. It works best to turn the cutting blade for the last bit instead of pushing it here.

Fold the excess fabric to the top of the cut line and a little more so that the fold is going up from the corner.

Cut the other side.

Now you have a square (or whatever piece you wanted). Flip that around and cut the other two sides exactly.

This way you do not have large cuts in your remaining fabric for the next time you want to use it.

I have lots of pieces of fabric in my stash that have a corner cut out. LOL But the cuts don't extend into the fabric any more than necessary.

sewbizgirl

What I do to cut an accurate square that I don't have an exact ruler for is this:

I use the closest, but larger ruler... so in the case of your 5 1/4 block I'd use my 6.5" ruler. Then I take two strips of narrow duct tape and mark off the 5 1/4" square by using the original corner of the ruler, but taping the other two sides at the 5 1/4" lines. So I have a 5 1/4" square inside my tape lines.

To cut, I cut the two sides that are the original corner of the ruler. Then I flip the ruler and line up my cuts with the taped sides, and cut the other two sides along the ruler.

Works great.