True - Up Sub Units?
 

Do you true up sub units for quilt blocks? Kidding---right?

I am working on the sashing strips for the butterfly quilt. I checked the white piece in the center after the 1/4 inch seam line. Yes, in some places there was a smidgen to trim off. The green strip was checked also to be sure it measured 6.75 inches out from the white piece.

I cut the butterfly sashing fabric and white strips at 15 inches. Pressed and then cut down to the 14 1/2 size. I find the blocks go together better for me if I take the time to True-Up the sub-units first.

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Butterfly Sashing

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How about you?

yes, squaring up at as many steps as you can makes the quilt come out better. your butterflies are cute

Accurate/Precision cutting always makes for better results from beginning to end.
As does precision seam allowances.

When I started back quilting, one of the first patterns I followed was an Eleanor Burns.
She had you stitch a seam, and told you the size of the unit.
Add another piece, and measure again.
It seemed like a bug-bear at the time, but it sure taught me good habits.

I was lucky to land upon that book .... as not all her books/patterns were written with such intensity!
I have kept those skills in my repertoire.

I'll look forward to seeing what your butterflies become!

I do a lot of trimming, my seams tend to be a bit scant plus many things like triangles I deliberately piece big and trim down for accuracy.

But yeah, my friends tease me about the amount of pinning, pressing, and trimming I do. Every step. Every time. Every piece. LOL but I feel the results show.

Even though I've trimmed the subunits, I still have trims to do on the full blocks or at least I check to see if what I have is within my tolerance level. And once the blocks are done, there is truing up the corner, especially after the border.

It all depends on the sub unit. In some cases you can't trim down without chopping a point or messing up where seams are supposed to meet. In these cases I will ease in the excess or make a scanter 1/4" seam. But I will often trim a sub unit if I can. This is also why I probably like Deb Tucker's rulers so much. You make them oversize and trim them and the markings on them are such that you won't chop a point and also leave yourself a full 1/4" for the seam allowance. Whenever I make HST I always make them a wee bit oversized and trim.

I hate trimming. I begrudge the time it takes. I will check a few units to see how they are measuring up, and if they are accurate, I will eye them when complete and trim the ones that look uneven. The one trimming I don't mind is Deb Tucker's V-block, because I simply cannot get the Tri-Recs ones to come out right.

Amen, Rhonda K. I find it a bother but the end results are so much better. As I begin to be better and better at accuracy in cutting and those 1/4 " seams, I have to make fewer adjustments along the way. I always make half square triangles just a little big and then trim up to the required size. Much better results and in the end, faster than having to return to make extra squares because some are not "just right."

I'm expected to have points that match and quilts that are true to square so, yes, I trim at every step. Why am I expected to be perfect? I teach quilting. Enough said.

I check a lot of my seams with a ruler to make sure I’m on track. Sometimes I redo them, sometimes I trim, sometimes I can make it all work out by slightly altering the allowance of another seam or easing two seams together, depending on the situation. I also cut some things oversize and plan to trim.

It takes time to do all this (and is one of the reasons I’m not a prolific quilter), but I’m happier with the results and it saves me from discovering later that one of my blocks is too small or off in some other way and has to be completely redone.

I have been quilting for almost 40 years and know that the following is true.
We all hate trimming. We are in a hurry to see the finished product. You can save yourself a lot aggravation and 'fudging' if you take a 'little' time to square up.

I am continuing to work on my precision. I measure everything. I am still not where I want to be. I am doing something I can't identify. One of my friends watched me and I was good with her eyeballs on me. I have a Sally Collins book I keep open to remind me. But, I am better than I was. I am not going for perfection, just precision, which makes things easier to do and looks good.

I measure most sub units. I have a small ruler at my sewing machine (6.5 x 2.5) and as I am sewing, I do a lot of measuring as I go and if something is off more than a smidge - it gets to either meet "Jack" or trimmed up. The final block always looks better if you don't have to finagle the pieces to fit

Thank you for your confirmation that true-up is a good thing. It seems like if it is off a little bit, it's going to be off at the final block.

I'd rather take those fit minutes and save later frustrations.

Yes, I try to cut accurate pieces and stitch accurate seam allowances. We all know how that goes!

Thanks All!

I am part of the club too. I trim as I go with the sub units. I don't enjoy that step, but my quilts are square when I am ready to set the top. You can't argue with squaring up if it works, right?

I am a trimmer-true-upper too. And I enjoy it. :D After many years of piecing, I know I am much happier with the finished quilt than with those I skip the TTU step. Fudging just always seems to lead to more fudging for me, and I'm almost always sorry I didn't TTU.

I have been quilting many years and I still trim and true up as I go. It makes everything go together much better. Squaring up at the end is not necessary for me.

Yes its best to trim as you go. Also checking the seam width. Saved me undue heartache.

I love accuracy and don’t mind trimming. The look of those perfect units and anticipation of how easy the final blocks will fit together. I use Deb Tucker’s tools and instructions, over sizing units then trimming for accuracy to create all the elements that make up a block, even for something as basic as half square triangles.