Pull out your ruler and take a look at the lines. For the yellow ruler with the black lines, the yellow part is quite a bit thicker than that thin black line. You want to put the black line on the exact edge of your fabric, not a smidge over or a smidge under. Does this make sense? If not I can post some pictures.
~Tiffany

Thanks! I get what you are saying now. I will have to rethink how I cut as I have always used the measurements on the mat. Maybe that explains my struggles with accuracy.

Tiffany, you did a great job. I can not wait to see the larger version. This one looks great.

Kyia

Thank you Kia! I can't wait to finish what I am working on now and start making it. I started the center and it will be a bit different from the one that is above. Each quilt comes out different because it is being designed as you go. I really love this Challenge. I got it from Fons and Porter and they got it from a gal who does it on ship cruises so it's pretty popular. Part of the fun is starting out with five fabrics and not knowing how they're going to turn out. The key really is fabric choices and getting one really dark and one really light fabric for good contrast and to have a fabric that 'pops' out.

Lucky Patsy's Mom - What did you find when you measured your mat? Were you one of the lucky ones who got a good one or is your mat off?
~Tiffany

Well! I measured my mat and at first inspection everything seemed okay, if I looked at the distance between any two parallel lines, it appeared to be an inch. But it must have been off a teeny, tiny fraction because when I checked at the end of my ruler the lines no longer matched up! The tiny bit eventually added up to something discernible! I see I will have to change everything about how I cut stuff out, including the direction that I place the yet-to-be-cut fabric and will need to invest in a ruler larger than the 3 x 18 that I currently have. Thanks for the heads-up, Tiffany!!

Isn't that just amazing! I remember wanting to roll my eyes when I was first told that my teeny little thread would add up to a substantial amount across the width of my quilt. :roll: "Oh yeah, right," I thought. Turns out I'm the dork because it really does make a difference. Still, amazing how such a small amount can make such a great difference in the end product. Somewhere in there is a valuable life lesson. :wink:
~Tiffany

Can we rely on the outside lines of our cutting mats to let us know if we got our material straight?

Celeste - Yes, that is what I do. I simply use one of the lines to line up my fabric but I don't measure with that line. Does that make sense?
~Tiffany

nice quilt......

I applaud you for this lesson. So many new quilters just dont understand the importance of getting everything done correctly. A very valuable lesson even for us old piecers.