boy oh boy am I getting so frustrated. Took my block apart and redid it. Still won't come out right. Am getting so so frustrated. I just don't know what to do. Any suggestions?

walk away. thats what I have to do. seriously you will only get more unhappy by the second. walk away. tomorrow you look at it and its like a light went on. tada!

if you are doing a specific block you can share which one and why its giving you trouble and so many here are glad to help you figure it out. honest swear to God there is NO dumb question here on the quilting board. i ask them all the time so they can not be dumb right everyone?

Are you using your ruler or your mat to measure? I use the ruler only and make sure my fabric is on the outside of the line. If you just barely measure you're going to be scant. I take the width of the line on the ruler and go to the outside. If this doesn't help cut all your pieces another 1/8" and I think you will be fine. Also sew on the outside of your 1/4" mark for seam allowance..

I am doing the Hunter Star and I measure with my ruler not the mat. My directions say cut 3 7/8" squares. I have done this, then it says cut from background 3 1/2" squares which I did. Still doesn't come out right. I am using a 1/4" quilting foot.

I think if it was me...I'd cut all the pieces 1/8" larger and then trim if I had to.

I'm in for 6 sets :) Good excuse to go shopping after the 1st!

My best suggestion is to move your needle a little bit to the right of where it is when you use the 1/4" foot. That gives you the "scant". I have a computerized machine and so my 1/4" measurement is 4.0 on the needle placement setting. I move it to 4.5 (I believe these numbers are millimeters but can't swear to it). That might help your accuracy a bit.

OH OH I cut anything that says say 3 7/8 inch blocks well I cut them 4" then I sew them together then trim the block down to that 3.5 inchs this is what your maybe not doing. also if you cut that only 3 7/8 and didnt go scant 1/4 inch seams you will have trouble ending up with 3.5 inchs when your down sewing that square together. I was given this tip by themamahauser early on and boy what a difference instantly to me. Jaba is right cut a tiny bit larger and also learn to love that scant quarter inch. just a smidge in front of your 1/4 measuring line in front on the machine. tape it! then you can see where a real quarter inch is and place the fabric right in front of it :)

Hey Brat, I know for a fact that your machine will let you do the manual needle adjustment. Instead of setting your position to "1", keep it at "0" and move the needle over using the bottom set of the vertical adjustment buttons. (I can send you a picture if you need it to make sense of that statement.)

I wish I had needle adjustment on my machine. I'll be making mine big & trimming it down. I also plan to pick up a square ruler this weekend.

For your rulers, check out Ebay if you aren't coupon shopping and/or in a rush. I have found several really good deals on multi-ruler packs that are brand new & name brand.

I have a computerized sewing machine I have the Brother NX-2000. I did move the needle to the right. I think I am just going to give up on that block and find something else to do. Thanks for all your help.

Joann is doing their "Daffodil Sale" and has all their notions 50% off, and they have a few different rulers on their site. I've about decided to make the drive to Montgomery, AL tomorrow for the several things I need from there. They also have their FQ's for $.99 through tomorrow, all their clearance fabric is 50% off, "stars & stripes" fabric collection 50% off....and their batiks are on sale for $7-9/yard.

I'm going to see what I can find there before I shop online for it. :)

I hope you just put it aside and go back to it later. I feel your frustation. Truly I do :) been there one that chock one up for the brat she hits that road block ALL the time.

Dustysmomma no no shopping for me. I have lots of good things. I would love to see what they have but then I think I need to use what I have more. Rulers and such are probably amongst the basic essentials when your quilting. I spoke to someone the other day who said hand cut with scissors their pieces. OMG I would never get a block that worked if I didnt have a rotary ruler. I would kill my fabrics! I think the early quilters were to be seriously admired if you think of the tools they had to work with. We are sooo lucky!

Batiks batiks.. I think I will make some pretty purple/blue blocks as my first set. I just have to finish two other projects and I am all in for getting my first set done. I might make a starter block to share so we can get the color party started :)

Wal-mart is also clearancing out a bunch of their rulers and sewing stuff, check your store...

I hope to be playing with batiks this weekend or will at least post a teaser for some fun color combos.

I am procrastinating on another project and did my first set of 6 today. I tried to come up with something that was in my stash. The block is from the current BOM project called "Sisters' Ten Modern BOM" that I found online.

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what a great pattern to showcase batiks! i want it!! love your block kelly. I love lots of blocks without hst's. they are truly fun to make. ok with hst. not too great with qst. it gets dicier the smaller that triangle gets :) so I can safely say you wont be receiving any qst blocks from the brat.

Kelly after you scared me about breaking the needle if I move it to the middle i have learned to use it to the left and its totally fine. I put that blue tape down on the front plate and it helps guide my fabric in perfectly. I am a hot mess without that tape. lol but it works for me so I am happy.

Started on my blocks today came out nice,now for the next 6.

When I told you that, I was talking about putting the needle in the middle WITH a 1/4" foot. The 1/4" foot for our machine doesn't have as big of an opening as the "J" foot (the one with a little black knobby thing & a spring on the side). If you aren't using the special foot, you shouldn't really have an issue with your needle breaking.

Well, I dove off the fabric moratorium head first today. I went to Joann and stocked up for a while. I spent over $200 & most of what I bought was fabric. I got about 30 FQ's, most of which were batiks, for $.99 each, and I also picked up 3 different batiks on the clearance table for $3/yard. I was shocked to find any there.

I also got a 4 piece Omnigrid square ruler pack with my 50% off coupon!

Now to see how many sets I can whip up!

I hit the LQS too... I've got pretty much all the fabrics I need to do my last 4 sets. And, true to form, it is in the 60's today with snow for the next 2 days. Exactly the same as the last 2 weekends. I think this weekend I'm finally in the right mood to make use of the snow days.

Well I gave up on my blocks. Did 5 of them and couldn't get any of them to come out to 12 1/2 so I just decided to find another design. Where does everyone get their quilt blocks from?

verna, try www.quilterscache.com They have lots of block ideas for you. :)

Try http://mywebquilter.com too. That's a very useful site for free patterns. You can do a design board on it, upload photos to be converted into quilts, and there are useful calculators too.

I also use http://www.mccallsquilting.com/Block_Reference.html, http://www.quiltinaday.com/freepattern/, and http://www.compuquilt.com/CQFreeBlocks.htm

Thank you Mariposa and DustysMomma, I will check all three of them out.

I usually hit Pinterest first and if nothing jumps out at me, I go into Google and search "quilt blocks" in the images tab. I've really gotten good at making my own directions based off the pictures - I almost never use the designer's instructions unless I can't figure something out... and I'm happy to help if you find something that needs to get interpreted into instructions ;)

I would have never thought to look on Pinterest for quilt blocks. thanks for the tip to check them out.

you know I am about ready to give up. Decided to do Aunt Ruth Fancy quilt block, real simple, yeah right for some reason not me. I cut my material to where it came out to 13 1/2" still no good. I just can't figure out what the heck I am doing wrong. Now if I wasn't in this swap and doing the blocks they would come out great. GRRRRRRR!

Check out Jinny Beyers site also, found a lot of neat blocks on there.

dont give up. do a few blocks simple like contrary wife or maybe the monkey wrench? go to quilters cache. also when your sewing put your ruler under the needle slowly putyour needle down are you truly sewing 12.5 inchs? also go for only three row quilt blocks til you get it down. each row the squares are 4.5 inches before you sew them to the next one three in a row.. so as you sew a to b measure did it come out 8.5 inches when sewn? if its a bit larger trim it down or check that seam. you should get 12.5 if not say help! skip points stars that stuff til you get the 12.5 down. use your ugliest fabrics to play with it. you can ONLY get better girl. dont ever give up. just keep trying honest it works everyone here can tell you that I surely know this .. oodles of trial and errors.

I agree with elisabrat......dont give up. Keep trying. When I was working on blocks for another swap they kept coming up 12 1/4, went back and looked at my seams and they were about 3/8 instead of 1/4, so I adjusted my needle position to get scant 1/4, and today the blocks I was making have come out exactly 12 1/2. I am so excited.
The other thing is what how you could be pressing your seams. I would start with some simpler blocks and again use your ugly fabric for practice. Keep trying it will happen, and come out right.

Thanks everyone for your encouragement. I am going to try it again today. If it doesn't come out that will be it for this swap and I will just have to work on it.

block size
 

I have a great idea! go to quilters cache. in patterns check out the 10 inch blocks. make one of those then put a border on it so you end up with a 12.5 inch block. this way if your 10 inch is say 1/8th an inch or a 1/4 inch too big too small you can adjust that border to make it work to be a 12.5 inch block! tada! just a thought but a good one. I have done this myself :)

Looking through my stash of batiks I have discovered that I have very little light colored batiks. I have lots that are multicolored. I haven't paid much attention to see if there are any batiks that are in the lighter color schemes.

Yeah an excuse to go shopping and I will go to the new batik only shop here in the Dallas area, called Fabric Fanatics. Here is their link http://www.fabricfanatics.com/

I first saw them at the Dallas Quilt show last month.

Keep trying, Verna... and using elisabrat's idea with the border is entirely acceptable too!

The colors everyone used last time ranged from darks to brights to lights to earth tones so whatever you work with will fit in nicely!!

I might sign up later on. The 12 1/2 inch size will be perfect. I will be folllowing this thread.

I was wondering what more people prefer blues/greens or oranges yellows ? I would like to send the blocks that will match up the best with the other ones. nothing like being the only YELLOW sunshine block amist a bunch of teal blocks how to have a block no one can use so everyone what say you? what would you prefer to receive most of?

I went shopping today at Fabric Fanatics..........all they sell is batiks.........all the same price.. They also have wide backs. I was in heaven. I bought about 12 different lighter colored batiks to go with what I already have. went into their sale room and had lots of fun.

I am almost ready to start making my blocks. Need to finish up a few others swaps before I start theses.

I dont do muc with the orange yellows but not opposed to them.

Well here is pictures of the fabric I bought today to go with my darker colored batiks.

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And with all the fabric I bought I got this great bag too.

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