Gigi, hi & welcome! A little over two years ago, in a box of my mom's, I found several diamond shapes cut & pinned together. She also traced & cut with scissors. They weren't perfect or even, but I used them anyway to make a quilt & 2 pillows. Due to the uneven pieces, I lost some points when I sewed them together & the quilt wasn't flat, but I still love it. I made a lot of quilts that year, all because I started with her pieces. So I say, go ahead & use your mom's squares. You'll love having this memory of working with her pieces & it doesn't matter if it's perfect. I've read on the board "finished is better than perfect" & I agree!