Originally Posted by Up North
With 3 2 inch strips sew together you will get 5.5 until! you sew it to the next two pieces. It is 5 inch finished but will measure 5.5. Clearer? You start with 6 inches sew 2 1/4 inc seams so loose a half inch.
Each seam has 2 1/4" edges of fabric, so out of the first seam of the 1st and 2nd patches, you lose 1/4" off each square, making a total of 1/2" off the width with the 1st seam alone.
Sewing the first 2 sewn patches to a third patch takes another 2 1/4" edges, for another total of 1/2" lost off the width.
So after having sewn 3 patches together, you have lost 1" of overall width.
3 2" patches sewn in a row yield a 5" long strip.
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