Originally Posted by mimicrystal
Ok thank you all very much for the help. I need to buy a square ruler. That seems like a real helpful tool. I've gotten way better at my 1/4" seams. It is amazing though how much difference it makes if your blocks are a tiny bit off in size.
One of the things that is so worth becoming aware of!
For me -
washing fabrics before cutting - I have heard some people say that some of their unwashed fabrics shrank or changed shape when they were pressed
Doing a "practice run" with three strips of 2 x 5 inch fabric - to see if I end up with a 5 x 5 inch square - this is where I can see if my seam allowances are "right" - do I need to make them wider or narrower?
Accurate and consistent cutting
Accurate and consistent sewing of the seams
Using the same ruler for cutting and sewing machine (and settings) for sewing of all the blocks
Usually my blocks end up "close enough" - 12-1/2 x 12-5/8 for example for a 12.5 x 12.5 block