Rookie quilter has trimming question
 

I have some pre-cut fabrics with pinked edges.While it is really much nicer than some other pre-cuts that I have used, do I need to trim the pinked edge off before cutting my pieces? Or is the pinked edge just included in the seam allowance?

Thanks:)

If the pre-cut is already cut to the size that you need (e.g. it's a charm pack and you need 5" squares) then you just use it as-is. If your pre-cut needs to be cut down anyway, and you won't be losing use of much of the fabric by cutting off the pinked edges, then I would cut them off. It's harder to get a good consistent seam allowance when you're dealing with those ragged edges.

(What I mean by not losing much of the fabric is - suppose your pre-cut is 5" squares, and you need 2 strips that are 2" x 4.5". You can cut off the pinked edges and still have your two strips. But if you need 2 strips that are 2.5" x 5", then you really need to just cut the pre-cut in half, because if you cut off the pinked edges you won't have enough left for your two strips.)

Hope that answers the question.

You might want to square up the blocks by cutting off the pinking areas.

Thanks, this is the information that I needed to know. I am finding that the quilting learning curve has a lot of ups and downs:-) As soon as I get what I think is a handle on it, something else comes up.

No! The outside point of the pinked edge is where the measurement is determined. You will be cutting your pieces short if you are wanting the full 5" or whatever. I find the little points helpful in lining things up.

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my thought exactly....measure from the tips of the pinked edge across..... Not the "valley". Those pinked edges will not be showing, they are , like any 1/4" seam allowance, in the back of the quilt!

I just measure to make sure I know if the 5" includes all of the pointy edge or not and act accordingly.

Always measure - for all of the precuts I have purchased with pinked edges (which is not a lot because I try to stay away from them just for this reason)- the advertised size was from the outside of the pinked edge (the points) - so if I were to trim off the pinked edge it would not have been (lets say) a strip that is 2.5" wide.

You also have to be careful when matching up a pinked edge with a cut edge. Make sure that the points of the pinked edge line up evenly with the cut edge. When I am using pinked precuts - I randomly measure the pieces after they are sewn to make sure that I have not messed up on the seam allowance and the pieces will assemble to the correct size. Good Luck - Can not wait to see what you are making!

And - if one wants to continue to learn - that will continue to happen! I think it is a good thing - that means that we are still learning.

I would measure the pieces first - as others have suggested - and go from there.