Hello,
I have quilted, on and off, for about 30 years. You would think at this point I'd have certain basic things down, but no.
This weekend I started a quilt for my grandson who will be here in June.
I picked a simple cornerstone and sashing pattern since it had been awhile since I've done any quilting. I bought a stack of 5" squares online, and proceeded to cut 5" by 1.5" strips, and 1.5" squares for the sashiing and cornerstones.
Here's the problem: No matter how I cut and sew the pieces, I can't get the pieces to come out the right size. The cornerstones, which should be exactly one inch after sewing 1/4 inch seam, always come out just shy of an inch, same thing with the sashings. I have tried my 1/4 inch foot, regular foot, and no matter what I do, I can't get the pieces to line up! It's very frustrating and I think I know now why I go so long without quilting. The squares are exactly 1.5", the seams are exactly 1/4", yet the squares are smaller than an inch!! The math should add up but yet it doesn't.
Short of hand piecing everything, which I don't have the time to do, any suggestions on what I'm doing wrong?
Thanks,
Karen