Originally Posted by
sewmary
Bah! Any pattern that mentions a scant 1/4 is banished from my life. Since that measurement can't be defined it is worthless.
I also don't fret if I can't exactly meet the given dimensions of a pattern. For the most part (I said MOST not all) it just doesn't matter.
I can't imagine my grandmother sitting at her treadle worrying if she is sewing a scant 1/4" - or a precise 1/4" either and she produced some amazing quilts!
This is a hobby to be enjoyed, not to get tangled up in stuff that gives people stress.
I agree. The difference between the 1/4th and the scant 1/4th was probably someone elses mistake ages ago. Is it pertinent to the project? only you can say. If you are making adjustments to the overall size anyway, it matters that the blocks you make join up nicely. I learned that consistancy of the seam is more important than the size of the seam, as long as you realize that if you take a bigger seam, and yes, even one thread difference will be noticeable in the overall project.
Do your best to be consistant and you will happy with your work regardless of the size of seam. IMHO