Wow, lots of good responses/questions.
On her site, she shows doing this w/one block, and also with a lap (?) sized quilt. She uses 2 lasers and tape to make exact lines and then pins the quilt top as she does the smaller block.
The explanation of why she squares up this way makes sense to me - but then, I'm new to this whole quilting thing! :roll:
She does this, instead of cutting off the outside edges to square up, because it's not the outside edges that are "off." Even tho you cut evenly, and you sew perfect 1/4" seams, when the quilt top is finished, it becomes distorted from the sewing, ironing and pulling. So your blocks in the quilt are correct, just distorted. Therefore, cutting off the outside edge isn't really the answer to the quilt being square.
I find it difficult to square a quilt by cutting off the border that I worked so hard to get right. And really, if you look at the squares within the quilt top, once you're finished sewing, they really are what's off. And tearing out and starting over would not fix it. Its just distorted.
Anyway, I find it totally interesting, but am driving myself crazy to find a large enough work surface to do this on for a quilt top I just finished. It is about 50" x 65" and need a larger surface than my table. I cannot work on the floor - my knees and back won't allow it, not to mention the 2 dogs and 1 cat that feel the quilt top is on the floor for them! :lol:
Thanks for all the responses. It is an interesting concept I think....and may give it a try if I can find the right tables to cover and do this with. If not, I'll have to resort to the old fashioned way of doing it............chop chop.
Have a GREAT day!
Martha