Originally Posted by JoanPD
I just finished my first quilt block, and instead of 12.5 inches square, it is approx a bit over 12 by a bit under 12.
Looking over it I noticed that it is a mixture of slightly miscut strips (That I didn't notice when cutting) by some slightly uneven, not exact seams.
When I started the block I was not sure what I was going to do with it, and now I'm debating on doing a bunch of random blocks and putting them together in a lap quilt, or make a pillow out of the one block.
Is there a way of getting the blocks more even. On the sewing machine I have a stack of masking tape at the 1.4 inch mark, but still tend to go bigger and smaller then that.
With cutting, even if I move the hand up the ruler while cutting, I still get either the ruler or the fabric shifting.
There are a lot of ways to help with a ruler slipping. I would encourage you NOT to use one that raises the ruler off the fabric in little spots (can you tell I tried this?).
You should also check to make sure you have an accurate 1/4 inch. If there was one thing that I had the most problem with at the beginning this is it. You should cut two 2 1/4 x 3 inch pieces and sew down the 2 1/4 side. Press seam first to set stitches and then to one side. Measure block. You should have a 4 x 3 inch block. If not, start adjusting you needle position or mark it on your machine. There are a lot of Topics on how to do this better than I explained it.
If you are having trouble with wobbling seams (mine are especially prone to have trouble at the beginning and end) try a stilleto (bamboo skewer will work) and something some people call a spider (leader and enders?). They help keep the fabric feeding evenly at the beginning and ending of a seam.