Hi Sunni, I too am a beginner (again) as I had taken a class and did a little quilting some thirty years ago, then just started quilting again just over a year ago. So as a beginner, let me tell you what has worked for me. First do you use a template, or do you just measure and cut your fabric on your cutting mat? Do you use a rotary cutter or scissors to cut out your fabric pieces? Although cutting using a mat and rotary thru 3 to 4 layers of fabric is a great time saver for some, particularly for those more experienced than us, I still do it as I was instructed 30 years ago: 1) I use a template. I use my template to trace on my fabric…it is okay to abut the lines as to have less cutting lines and less fabric waste. With that said, it is important to trace your template using a fine line pencil or pen slanted in toward the edge of your template. If you trace with your pencil/pen facing away from your template as you trace around it, or if you leave a wide mark for cutting you can be off with your measurement and just that little extra will multiply throughout your quilt. 2) I then use scissors and carefully cut along my thin drawn line. I tried the rotary cutter and stacking and cutting three to fours at a time but found that I was not accurate….so I have gone back to tracing a template and cutting my pieces out with scissors. 3) I do not use the ¼” foot or marking on my sewing machine bed as the fabric can easily move, I mark my ¼ inch seam allowance. Thirty years ago we would have measured and marked the ¼” with a ruler along our fabric piece, then draw a line connecting the dots of our measurments. Today I use the Omnigrid ¼” ruler; they come in a package of 3 (different sizes/lengths) and are available at Joann’s. It is just so easy to use! I simply place the ¼” mark along the edge of my fabric and draw a line. I can do a stack of fabric pieces in just minutes. Then I sew along my drawn line. The more you use these procedures the faster you will accomplish them. Taking the extra time in the beginning insures accurate measurements and is a time saver down the road of trying to fudge pieces that do not easily match up or have a quilt that needs a lot of squaring up when you finish. In time as you become more proficient, you will find shortcuts that work for you. Remember measure three times, cut once. Good luck and have fun. You did a good job for your first quilt! Stay turned to this Board, I have learned so much over the last year…and don’t forget the internet.
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