When to Square Up a Quilt
#1
When to Square Up a Quilt
Hello all. I am currently working on a log cabin quilt and am almost finished with all the blocks. I have been quilting for some time, so not a newbie, but one thing I have never been certain of is when to square a quilt up. I have watched YouTube videos and most do square it up after quilting.
My issue is not being consistent with the blocks. I used jelly rolls for the strips. I do have a quarter inch presser foot and checked to make sure my seam allowances are correct, but I fear the blocks still won't be the same size or not square before sewing the rows.
My thoughts were to square it up when I sew each row as I go. I will also be putting a border so it will need to be as square as possible. Is this a good idea to square as I go? I have yet to make a perfectly square quilt. Any thoughts on that?
Thanks,
Shari
My issue is not being consistent with the blocks. I used jelly rolls for the strips. I do have a quarter inch presser foot and checked to make sure my seam allowances are correct, but I fear the blocks still won't be the same size or not square before sewing the rows.
My thoughts were to square it up when I sew each row as I go. I will also be putting a border so it will need to be as square as possible. Is this a good idea to square as I go? I have yet to make a perfectly square quilt. Any thoughts on that?
Thanks,
Shari
#3
Super Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Central NJ
Posts: 5,572
I, too, square up blocks as I go. I usually don't have to square up anything after adding borders but do have to re-do parts of seams sometimes then. I generally hand quilt so not too much distortion in the quilting process and don't square up after quilting.
#4
Super Member
Join Date: May 2017
Location: Sunny Florida
Posts: 4,431
Hi Shari,
Welcome to the boards. I like to square up blocks as I go. You can easily see if something is off and where to make a correction before you sew all of them.
I construct the quilt blocks into quadrants and then sew those to together. Then square up again if needed. Smaller quadrants are easier to handle for me. There are only a couple of long seams to sew together.
You can stay-stitch around the quilt and the borders to prevent stretching. Borders and binding are cut using the Length of Fabric instead of Width of Fabric if possible.
Welcome to the boards. I like to square up blocks as I go. You can easily see if something is off and where to make a correction before you sew all of them.
I construct the quilt blocks into quadrants and then sew those to together. Then square up again if needed. Smaller quadrants are easier to handle for me. There are only a couple of long seams to sew together.
You can stay-stitch around the quilt and the borders to prevent stretching. Borders and binding are cut using the Length of Fabric instead of Width of Fabric if possible.
#6
Power Poster
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 41,538
I square blocks before making rows, I pin the inspections when I sew the rows together. I press the whole quilt top and then square the top before adding borders. After quilting, I square again before adding binding.
#7
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 9,733
I learned the hard way to square up each block as I go. I have even been known to square up each elements of a large block before sewing together. It just makes things go together easier. Like Tartan, I square up the whole top and then again after quilting.
#8
I fix any problems as I go, so my blocks are all within a very small tolerance in size. Maybe that's considered squaring up? If all the blocks are the right size, and if I put them together carefully, there's no need to keep measuring and slicing, which can lead to more problems. Also, if I'm adding a border, I can ease in tiny discrepancies. Fabric has a bit of stretch to it, and measuring a long piece, especially with a lot of seams, can give me a different outcome each time.
#9
Super Member
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Va.
Posts: 5,753
For log cabin blocks- I square them up after each round.
For other blocks- sometimes I square them up as I go, particularly if there is precision piecing involved. Most times, not.
Like dunster- most of the time I fix problems as I go, and figure that if adding borders I can ease in small discrepancies.
For squaring up the whole quilt- that also depends on what kind of quilt it is. The quilt I'm working on now is called Around We Go and is built around a center portion. There are several rounds which are fitted along the tops and sides of the quilt and in between rounds are borders. This quilt requires that it measure a specific size after each round and after each border, so I check to make sure it's the right size as I go and fix things as I go.
But, for most quilts I wait until after I've quilted the quilt and then I square it up before I put on the binding.
Rob
For other blocks- sometimes I square them up as I go, particularly if there is precision piecing involved. Most times, not.
Like dunster- most of the time I fix problems as I go, and figure that if adding borders I can ease in small discrepancies.
For squaring up the whole quilt- that also depends on what kind of quilt it is. The quilt I'm working on now is called Around We Go and is built around a center portion. There are several rounds which are fitted along the tops and sides of the quilt and in between rounds are borders. This quilt requires that it measure a specific size after each round and after each border, so I check to make sure it's the right size as I go and fix things as I go.
But, for most quilts I wait until after I've quilted the quilt and then I square it up before I put on the binding.
Rob
#10
Hi All, thanks for the valuable input. I had thought about squaring all the blocks before sewing the rows. It will take a bit as there will be 42 of them. A lot of trimming, but hopefully will make it easier to add the borders in the end.
Shari
Shari