I am hoping to seek some advice on a quilt top that I am working on.
Unfortunately, I am unable to post a picture of the top.
This pattern is pieced in a grid of squares and then using a template
that matches the squares set on an angle after they are pieced together,
it is used to recut the template shapes again, this time into a twisted
pieced four patch and then repieced together to create the final quilt
pattern.
My quilt has been up on my design wall for sometime now, and well
frankly being that it has 120 squares in it that I have to go back and
recut with this template, on an angle, in order to cut it out, it is almost
like cutting a square out of the middle of a piece of fabric. And with
all that fun ahead of me, Yikes!! It seams awkward to have the quilt
top lying on a table and trying to walk around it to cut them out as to
try to not disturb the top while cutting.
Would any of you be familiar with this quilt pattern, and was hoping
to rotary cut the squares out with out tracing around the template first
and then cutting them with scissors?
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

What size is the square you have to cut out? There are some standard-sized acrylic squares available at JoAnn's. If it's not a standard size, you should be able to take it to a hardware store and have a piece of acrylic cut to the correct size (bring the template with you). I haven't done that, but I know there are some quilters who do. I'd probably put some sandpaper or clear grips on the bottom of the template so it wouldn't slide around. With that many pieces to cut out, I might also consider getting one of those little cutting turntables. I'd also layer the pieces to be cut, maybe 2 to 4 at a time.

HTH!

A cutting mat, a ruler and a rotary cutter. There's no way I would make a template, trace around and cut with scissors. But to each his own, but with these, it would certainly be a whole lot quicker, and Prism has a good suggestion in a mat that rotates. I hope this helps. Good luck. Love to see it, when done or even before then.

Prism:
Thanks for the suggestion. I am cutting the squares from a top that
is already pieced together, and the interlocking squares are recut with
the template that is in relation the the original square, which were 7"
and with the piecing and cutting them with the template at an angle
the re cut pieces are approximately 5 7/8 inches when they are twisted
it leaves a small square that results from the tilted template. And as a
frugal quilter, I would like to make a matching straight doll quilt with the
31/2 inch leftover squares after you cut them out. I had tried to do
the twist thing with the mat on a turntable but as the quilt top is laid
out I was having distortion when I got the template lined up on the
seam lines so they are cut out all at the same angle.
Appreciate your reply. Thanks much.

Pocoellie: I will have to put some type of gripper on the template to see
if it would be enough to keep the top from moving as I rotate it around
to recut the squares. Thanks much!

Sewlady...Is this the pattern, wow I LOVE the look of that... :D

http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_mK4vBT259aw/R-ZeiYskzeI/AAAAAAAAAFE/nYZMueemhvc/s400/Square%2BDance,%2Bunsewn.JPG&imgrefurl=http://angiequilts.blogspot.com/2008...cAulkEkkcmfv2M:&tbnh=93&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsquare%2Bdance%2Bquilt%2Bpattern%26um %3D1%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4SUNA_enES268ES269%26sa%3 DN

Izy:
That is exactly it. Mine is pieced and partially cut apart at the beginning
stages of getting the recut blocks as in the second picture. I might be
letting the size that I intended to make be a bit mind boggling, so I will
just have to force myself to find away to conquer the feat.
I used reproduction 30's fabrics that my quilt guild exchange the inital
precut squares so we could come up with a great variety of prints to
make the top. I have the outside row of squares as the border in muslin
and may border it in a thirties red print. It was interesting to see the
blue around the outside and interesting variation.

I was reading thru the blog I found, as she that if she was to do this pattern again she would heavily starch it as all the outside edges of the 'new' blocks are on the bias, this would lessen distortion for you :D

Izy:
Thanks for the info.

not familiar but sounds interesting.