Laura1557

Good point, and once the ruler is aligned, don't let it move as you cut. And use sharp rotary blades.

katesnanna

merrylouw gave you some good points. Each separate square must be as near as possible to the correct measurement. If you are out 1/8 inch over 8 squares your quilt will be out by 1 inch. While 1/8 inch doesn't seem much 1 inch certainly does.
I would encourage you to practice using your rotary cutter. Are you using a quilting ruler with your cutter? I would also suggest a 1/4 inch foot for your machine.
Measure after every line you sew and press. If your seams aren't pressed out properly this can effect your quilt.
You said you don't pin, another thing I would encourage you to do. I line up seams and place a pin on either side. Provided you have it lined up properly before you pin it won't move.
Try measuring your seam allowances. From your photo it seems you have some buckling.
This is a bit of a cliche but practice makes perfect.You said you have fun which is great. Just don't ever give up.

luckylindy333

My DF who taught me to quilt taught me to measure down the middle of the quilt for borders as the edges tend to spread with a lot of seams. My quilts always seem to come out pretty square because of doing it this way.

madequilter

I have ben going to thrift stores to find some new books. I have also got intutch with a friend that quilts to she has ben a big help but my quilt is stell a mistery the one that i posted on the main page.

lab fairy

Maybe you are trying to over "tech" things. My Mother-in-Law is an incredible quilter and many quilts were made by tracing around a cardboard template and cutting with a pair of scissors. Sometimes, we forget that rotary cutting isn't for everyone or every occasion.

You might be having a problem with your sewing machine feeding your fabric unevenly. Have you been starching the pieces before cutting and press after each seam? Squaring up blocks is very important as well. My really important tools are a good square and an iron. I can live without a rotory cutter (I'm sure someone just fell off their chair when they read that). A bamboo skewer, awl, stiletto (or something like that) can help a lot as you feed your fabric. You might not be sewing a consistent seam (1/4 inch is what most patterns call for).

I hope these ideas help.

madequilter

I have made smaller quilts and they turn out ok but I got this old sewing machine from a thrift store and it works great. It is a little tempermental thogh sorry about the spelling. the sewing machine is a 1971 sears kenmore and it's the best sewing machine that I have ever had.

ScrapQuilter

I do think your problem is coming from not having all your squares cut the same size and also make sure your seams are all 1/4" If both the cutting and sewing are not accurate this can make your quilt off quite a bit..... also when you sew your rows together remember sew one row from top to bottom and then sew the next row on starting from the bottom to the top..... if you don't do that your quilt can also become out of square and looking at your quilt I think that might be your problem........ good luck... keep us posted.

ScrapQuilter

lab fairy

My MIL had a Kenmore until a few months ago. I guess when you're a couple months shy of 90 and make 8-9 queen size quilts a year besides sewing for your 6 kids it might eventually wear out. Those old Kenmores were really solid machines.

luckylindy333

I wish I still had my old Singer that I gave away to someone. That was the best little stitcher! Sorry to get off topic, not highjacking!