sandpat

I was happily piecing away and then it dawned on me....I should also be trimming this piece away and I haven't been doing it right. Am I crazy? Am I really supposed to trim this too? I'm afraid this is really one of those bang your head against the wall moments.. :cry: :cry: :cry: Oh no, I have 25 blocks already sewn together...not to my quilt blocks...I've just made 25 of the FG block .

Now, should I do the rest of the blocks correctly? Can I trim this piece out after I sew them to the other blocks and pull the paper out?

Izy

Sandpat, I waited until I had done my run of fg, then straightened the edges off in one go. Hope this helps... You are trimming up your seams after adding each piece aren't you, as once you attach the next, quilt often this piece is on the diagonal and you will struggle to trim the seams once you take the papers off :? Does that make sense???lol!!

quiltwoman

When I paper piece, I do a quick finger press to make sure my pieces are large enough. If everything checks out, I cut off the excess, save it and then press it open w/ the iron.

I don't remove the paper until I am ready to sew everything together. Unfortunately, I have many projects in process that are months old--it lets me see what I'm doing and keeps my edges neater.

HTH--looks like you are well on your way w/ the FG
Julie

zyxquilts

It's a bit hard to tell from your pic on my computer, but if that's the extra of the "goose", I generally do trim the excess of the seam allowances just after I make sure the area is covered correctly. You can trim the extra out later...speaking from experience here! LOL It's just more of a pain then as it may have been caught in the next seam. I wouldn't worry about it over much :mrgreen:

sandpat

Yup, its the extra of the "goose" and I'm glad to hear that I can trim it later. Sorry you had that learning experience...but looks like something we share :oops:

sandpat

Duh....no, I wasn't trimming the diagonal, but you can bet I will be now :oops: :oops:

amma

I don't think that there is any one of us that has not had a "duh" moment, it is all a part of the learning curve :D

patricej

it is NOT absolutely required to trim away the excess behind the sky. it is advisable - especially if you plan to hand quilt - because it leaves less bulk when you start sewing your patches and blocks together. however, if you've gone so far along and trimming away would be difficult, do not ... i REPEAT ... DO NOT feel badly. Many quilters deliberately leave it and don't trim at all. (if I remember correctly, Maryellen Hopkins - who gets piles of money to travel the country teaching - doesn't trim the hidden excess.)

sandpat

Oh thank you soooo much Patrice. I'll just say I'm Maryellen Jr. and I don't trim :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
Actually, I might need to trim, I'm afraid of the darker geese showing through on my beige background, otherwise I might not.