Originally Posted by
Holice
you didn't mention "scant 1/4". How do you feel about that as a way to get a more accurate measurement after the blocks is pieced. Also a caution that the side/weight of thread and width of needle can alter the accuracy. I hanged bobbins in a project I was doing and the pieces didn't line up and finally discovered the bobbin thread was a bit larger size than I had started with.
If - after sewing the strips together - I ended up with a unit that was too narrow, then I would make my seams "scanter" - or change how I cut the strips -
I think the reason some designers say "scant 1/4 inch" is that some of us are used to using the 5/8 inch seam for clothing and that 1/4 inch does seem very narrow. You know that thinking - if some is good, more is better?
I was wondering - when one used the Shape cutter or the die cutters - are the pieces "exactly" the size expected? I do know that when I rotary cut, that my pieces are very slightly wider/larger than the stated size.
I have also learned - the hard way, of course - that if I choose to put a project away for a while, that I should leave notes to myself about what I was doing at the time - which ruler I was using, which machine I was using with which presser foot, etc. Just a small variation at any step can change the size of the finished block by quite a bit.
By the way - when I use "exact" or "exactly" - it isn't exactly exact - but it is as close as I can get it to be! One can only be as accurate as one's tools, rulers, and materials allow one to be.
Oh, a ruler that has been used a lot - can get worn down in the center, so the cuts are no longer "exactly" straight. It was hard for me to do, but I threw a couple of the worn down ones in the trash.
There is really nothing "new" in this post - just reminders -