Originally Posted by
betharoo
This is very helpful to me too. I am going to check out the links. I just finished 20 blocks that were supposed to be 12 1/2 " finished. Mine are all 12 1/4" finished. I have checked all of my seams and they are all exactly 1/4". I have no idea where I went wrong. Would you ladies advise me to leave them all at 12 1/4" or trim them to 12"? I don't know what to do.
Since all your blocks are the same size, just go with it. Don't trim them down as you will lose the points if you do that. Your quilt will just be a bit smaller than the directions indicate, but that shouldn't matter too much. This is probably a good example of how a teensy bit too much in each seam (even a thread or two) can add up to a measureable amount over the width of a block or a quilt. Try sewing just shy of your 1/4 inch next time and see if it makes a difference.
You can test your 1/4 inch by cutting three pieces of fabric 1-1/2" by 3" and sewing them together along the 3" sides. The finished piece should measure 3-1/2" wide. If it isn't exact, try again, adjusting the width of your seam.