Square UP!

That isn't a square dancing commend--or maybe it is! But I'm talking about quilting. As much as I tried to avoid squaring my blocks while piecing, I finally learned that it is SOOO important! And to get that perfectly made block--where the points to any stars don't get chopped off, and the block is actually the size it's intended, it is often important to "square" the parts or units while making the square. This is especially true when you've used something that has some diagonal/bias cuts, such as "half square triangles".

But it's also important to square up the whole quilt--and the best place to start is with the pieced top before putting on borders. There are several ways to do this, but I usually start with the top spread on a bed (or if you have better knees, on the floor where you might be able to pin to carpet or tape to flooring). You do not want to pull and stretch the top while doing this. I usually will measure top, middle, bottom and then the 2 sides and middle vertically. I want those numbers to be only about 1/4" difference at most. If you plan to add borders you want to cut them to the average of the 3 measurements(another way is to measure to the middles and then deal with shortage/excess on the ends). Remember the adage--baggy on the bottom! So if a border is longer than the top or vice-versa, put the longer on the bottom of the seam as you stitch and you'll be amazed how much is drawn up.

Another way to check the top for squareness is to fold it twice, once each way. It should lay flat and the four corners should come together within 1/4" or less. If you can only get this match with the top NOT folding flat, your top is out of square!

What to do? 1) you can try to "block" the top, dampen with water spray, lay flat and tape or pin to the floor, easing it to the measurements for which you are aiming. 2) go back and figure out where you got "off"--this is where squaring all blocks can make a big difference to start. If you have sashing, you might be able to adjust it if your blocks are too big/small and you risk cutting off points by trimming or sewing closer.