4 Ways To Perfectly Square Up Quilt Blocks

Find Out How To Recognize Different Types Of Quilt Blocks.

In a dream world of quilting you you would never have to square your quilt blocks. Typically so, every unit would have perfect points and sharp edges, and best of all all seams would be an exact 1/4″, and the block would be perfectly square. But sometimes cutting is a challenge and piecing isn’t as perfect.

 

 

Not every block needs squaring, but when is it safe to trim? Can a block be fixed with squaring. If the block has come out too small, it is too large a seam allowance. If this occurs frequently with your quilt blocks, aiming for a scant 1/4″ seam will result in the block being a little oversized, leaving room for a perfect square up.

The decision to square up depends on the design. If your patchwork has star points at the outer edges, like this striking nine patch, trimming away seam allowances will result in dull points. Depending on the design a 12 inch block could become an 11 1/2 inch. If every block losses a 1/2″ the overall quilt will be fine. So how to make decisions on which block is safe to square, and how to square up for best results. Practice your perfect squaring up on this nine patch with star points, a free pattern available here.

Toby Lischko – Piecing techniques InstructorRachel Hauser, Craftsy author has put together an article explaining how to decide if you are able to safely trim off, and explains four ways to square up quilt blocks, cutting all four sides, using a ruler to match your size of block, and what to do if you don’t have the right size ruler. As piecing and patchwork skills improve perfectly squaring up quilt blocks will become second nature, and in time will become less necessary.