Advice needed on quilt piecing
 

Hi all,

I have made the 24 blocks that now need to be sewn together. Because of slight inaccuracies in cutting and sewing, the blocks are not perfect. Am I better off to trim them all to the same size (which will end up being between .25 and .5 inches smaller than the pattern calls for, or to piece them together and fudge it as necessary? The completed pattern has an inter-woven trellis with squares or squares surrounded by rectangles within the trellis.

Thanks for your wisdom.

Oh my goodness -no - do not trim them. (just my opinion lol!!)

the .25 (imho) is not a big issue - those can be sewn tog with out too much issue. The .5 may be a bit trickier - can you go back ans "let out" a few seams? or press them really well?

Another option is to stay stitch the edge of the larger blocks just outside the 1/4 " seam line. This will sometime make them a little smaller easing into the smaller blocks. (this is somewhat akin to the easing technique that seamstresses use for sleeves).

Can we see pictures of the blocks? Or the pattern?

It the blocks are larger - it is easier to fudge them smaller blocks.

One can do a bit of shrinking and stretching with steam pressing. Not my first choice, but it can help flatten the seams.

For me, having the top lay flat is importantvwnd to 3nd up fairly symmetrical.

also, how much of the design would be affected by trimming?

I agree with Bear, being able to see the blocks would helpful and also to know the size of the blocks. If the blocks are 12" finished it's much easier to fudge a 1/4" than if they are 6". It's also easier to fudge a bit, if there are no points to worry about. If the blocks are too small, I agree with re-pressing making sure all seams are flat.

more info
 

Hi
thanks for your responses. I cant figure out how to upload a photo of a square. (help here would also be appreciated) Here is the link to a website with the photo / pattern for the quilt
blocks are 15" square

April2023_Releases_Flourish_GardenTrellis (2).pdf

@quiltingforfun ...First of all, Welcome, to the Quilting Board!
I couldn't get your link to work.
... perhaps, this is the quilt you are working on??

https://www.blankquilting.net/flouri...trellis-quilt/

yes, that is the quilt I am working on.

When my blocks aren't all the same size, I remake the ones that are smaller by more than 1/4". Either make new ones or take apart the block and remake. You may have to use a smaller seam allowance. Or the other way around. If less blocks are bigger than I use a bigger seam allowance. I learned over time to measure each completed block and correct as I go. It's all a part of the learning process.

Better still were Eleanor Burns' early QIAD patterns ... she had you measure after every piece was added to the block, and not wait til the end.

Lucky for me when I got back to sewing/quilting, it was one of those earlier books that I started with ... and boy-oh-boy did I learn the importance of getting those seams accurate ... and avoiding time with the stitch ripper! :)

Maybe meauze all your blocks and group them by size.
then decide what the easiest fix would be

if only a few of the blocks are much larger than the others, i would take them apart and redo them

A 1/4 inch variation on a 15 inch block is noticeable, but more tolerable than a 1/2 inch variation.

Then when laying them out for assembly, I would try to eveny scatter the different sizes so that the easing would be spread out over the whole top.its a "challenge' to layer and quilt a wonky top.