Originally Posted by Granny Coy
So do you put the corner of the square ruler on the corner of your block? What if you see your block is not square? Won't whacking off the block to make it square cause your block to end up too small? I too think I need a tutorial on this subject.
That's a really good question and the answer - as so often: It depends.
I usually measure my blocks to see what size range I am dealing with. Then I see if I can block the smaller ones to be the correct size. There is a little play allowed (if you listen to Eleanor Burns, I think she allows 1/8" which can be adjusted).
To block, I spray the block lightly with starch and/or steam press it into shape. I pin it to the ironing board and let it dry. That has never let me down, BUT I never try to "fix" large discrepancies.
When the block is too large, I see if any points will be lost if I cut it down. If I have no HSTs along the edge, I may just cut it to fit. Some blocks are easier to trim than others and a lot depends on how they would look next to the neighbor block.