When it comes to making your quilt top perfectly square, this how to square a quilt block video tutorial is exactly what you need. Easy methods to square up quilt blocks that may be skewed or a bit too small. If pressing the block again doesnt work, or if the patches on the outer edges of the block are a bit skewed or uneven, use freezer paper to prep the block for sewing. How to square up a quilt block squaring quilt blocks seems easy but unless you are precise, you will find yourself with an uneven quilt, and no one wants that. Squaringup will make things nice and neat, not to mention the right size, in many cases.
Whether you need to learn how to square up large quilt blocks or. How to square up a quilt block with precision quilts by jen. This video demonstrates how to square up a quilt block. Dont toss those blocks until youve tried a few simple fixes. Squaring up quilt block easy, fast and no special rulers. How to square up blocks with precision quilts by jen. If the edges are within a 14 of each other and the center, youre pretty much good to go. Also, demonstrates how to use quilt sashing to increase quilt.
Find all the hold tight sew along videos on my sew along page. I was wondering, can i square them up once the block is finished or will it mess up the whole quilt. Your quilt blocks will be so much easier to put together if theyre all the exact same size. Learn how to do it with this easytofollow tutorial that will take you stepbystep. The secret to accurate piecing is marking your sewing lines on your cut fabric pieces. Squaring up your quilt blocks is one of the most important steps of making your quilt. Nov 30, 2016 the key to successful hsts is squaring your blocks. How to square up a quilt block quilt tutorials, quilts. To begin squaring up your quilt, its best to lay your project on a rotarycutting mat on a flat surface. Watch and learn how to do it with accuracy every time.
Watch our video tutorial and learn how to make square quilt blocks so that your finished quilt is even. How to sew a basic half square triangle block fabric406. Half square triangle quilt patterns diary of a quilter. I have been making a lot of halfsquaretriangle quilt blocks recently. Squaring up a block with no centers marked if you used an overlay or light box to position the applique shapes, you may not have marked the horizontal and vertical centers of your block. Learn how to square up a quilt block easily for your patchwork quilts too. Drawing that line and sewing before you cut, will help keep the diagonal edges from stretching but there will still be some misshapen edges on those blocks. Squaring up your blocks before you sew them together can help blocks fit together better, and it only takes an extra moment or two per block.
This final photo shows a before and after comparison of the squared on the right and unsquared on the left blocks. Squaring up a quilt block quilts, quilting techniques. How to square up your half square triangle quilt block. Precision sewing and cutting is the key to blocks being the correct size and squaring up is also very important to ensure that the quilt remains square throughout the piecing of the entire quilt top.
Squaring up is used for blocks that are slighter larger than the pattern finished size. As a quiltmaker myself, i had a little too much confidence in my piecing accuracy, and just didnt feel like it was necessary to spend the time to take that extra step of making sure my blocks were uniform in size, and square. But before you decide that quilt blocks wont work, try a few easy methods to square them up. The second step is to starch, press, then square the fabric so youre cutting accurately and on grain. Squaring up is the final step in completing a quilt block. When preparing fabric to make a quilt, the first step is to prewash your fabric to remove any chemicals and lose dyes. This howto video can keep you from having to feel this kind of frustration with its easy to follow steps and super helpful tips. An easy way to square up quilt blocks if pressing the block again doesnt work, or if the patches on the outer edges of the block are a bit skewed or uneven, use freezer paper to prep the block for sewing.
Easy ways to square up quilt blocks the spruce crafts. Deep waters quilt pattern size 75 x 75 made using banyan batiks color blocking collection. Squaring up quilt blocks with precision national quilters circle. Squaring up can help you straighten up so your diagonal seam goes exactly from corner to corner and it can help you to size up. Another way to see if your quilt is square is to fold the side edges into the center and compare. Heres a quick tip for how to square up a toobig quilt block from quilts from sweet jane author sue pfau. All stars block of the month with jenny doan of missouri star quilt co video tutorial duration. This is a totally important and actually crucial part of quilting. Whether you need to learn how to square up large quilt blocks or just want to try out a new method, this tutorial is a great read. Squaring up quilt blocks with precision quilts, quilt. If you did mark, its possible that washing the blocks removed the marks. Trim the right and top sides with a rotary cutter as shown below. Other patchwork quilters find this too which is why there is something that we do called squaring up our blocks. Squaring up a half square triangle quilt block thriftyfun.
If there is more than 14 disparity, check the seam allowances you used joining the rows or. Squaring up your quilt blocks, your quilt top and your quilt is a good habit to get into, and can save you a lot of headaches throughout the quilting. Halfsquaretriangles or hsts are one of the greatest basic building blocks of traditional quilting. Squaring up a block what follows are a few examples with different sized blocks and rulers but the principle is the same for all sized blocks whether the block is a pieced block, an hst, a quarter square triangle or one single piece of fabric.
Quick instructions for squaring up your blocks 1 lay your half square triangles on your cutting mat you will be using the lines on your ruler, not your mat. Im not a superduperprecise piecer, but i am a firm believer in squaringup blocks especially halfsquaretriangle blocks. This is easy, but can be time consuming with a lot of blocks, on say a. But, dont worry, because carolina walks you through it, making it simple, fast, and a surefire way to perfection.
Take a moment to read the seam allowance section on my perfect patchwork tutorial. Demonstrates how to use a square ruler to square quilt blocks to a specific size. The one with will be much easier to attach borders to, much easier to quilt and most important of. Squaring up aka trimming quilt blocks to the unfinished measurements listed in your pattern so they have straight edges and true 90degree corners is the final step in completing a quilt block. If pressing the block again doesnt work, or if the patches on the outer edges of the block are a bit. Place the diagonal line on a square up ruler along the seam line of the patch with a little bit of fabric showing around all 4 sides. If youre like me you forget this step more often than not. Squaring up a block is the best way to be sure that your blocks are all the same size. Position a large acrylic square ruler in one corner of the quilt, aligning adjacent edges of the ruler with adjacent edges of the quilt top. But this this video tutorial demonstrates a different technique that involves using fusible interfacing. It will take a little extra time but squaring up is totally worth it in the end. How to square up a quilt block by liz and elizabeth evans.
This is easy, but can be time consuming with a lot of blocks, on say a king size quilt. For example, i squared up these blocks to 3 inches the unfinished size. We are going to use half square triangle hst blocks for our squaring up practice, but a similar method will work on other square blocks. Use a piece of paper to make squaring up a quilt block.
Zj explains that one of the first steps in squaring up a quilt block is to accurately piece as best you can so that you wont have to trim the edges when you are done. Take your most uneven sided square and lay it down. Squaring up quilt blocks was a step that i used to skip altogether. A technique for squaring up quilt blocks using the tools you have. One of my favorite tools for squaring up hst blocks is a square ruler with a diagonal line.
Squaring up halfsquare triangles diary of a quilter a. This is the way we make the blocks square again so that the corners are proper right angles like on a square and trim them back to the required size before we join them all together into a quilt top or some other project. Usually i just follow the rows of patchwork when adding the binding, then i trim off the excess batting and backing afterward. Squaring up log cabin block i am making a log cabin quilt and am being meticulously careful honest and yet they are coming out a bit more here and a bit more there. Also, demonstrates how to use quilt sashing to increase quilt block size. Squaring up is easiest if you have a ruler the size that your finished block should be or larger than that. Squaring up a quilt block is another technique that can make a good quilt look great. It ensures that the surface of your work of art will be completely smooth and even, with no odd bulges or strangely long corners. Most quilt blocks are made up of at least a couple pieces, meaning that every time there is a seam there is the possibility of getting off square. For this lesson on squaring up quilt blocks you will need. Always press with a very firm pressing board the pressing surface you use is. This little tidbit of truth actually eluded me for quite a while. Squaring up my quilt top generations quilt patterns. There are a lot of fine tune details that go into making your own diy quilt, and sometimes the more obvious steps are skipped over.
Not every block needs squaring, but when is it safe to trim. Fortunately, when done right, squaring a quilting block is a simple process that will only take a few extra minutes. To cut with that kind of mat, i had to find the middle of the block, measure out from the middle in four directions to figure out where to cut because if it is 7. See more ideas about quilting tips, quilting tutorials and sewing projects. There is a big difference between a quilt top that has square corners and one that does not. Find out what you really need to look at on your ruler when squaring off a block. No matter if you are a master quilter or just starting the hobby, this quilting video will help you improve your quilting skills. So, you have sewn a bunch of half square trianglesand nows the fun part.
Squaring up quilt blocks is not as hard as you think. Even if youre an experienced quilter, it never hurts to brush up on your skills. Gridded freezer paper makes the job easier, but you can work with plain freezer paper if thats what you have on hand. Its rare for quilters to sew perfect blocks, and some patterns are designed so that you have extra fabric. We often skipped this step when we first started quilting, but taking those few extra minutes to square up straighten up your quilt blocks can make a. How to square up a quilt block beginner sewing series. If you end up not squaring up your quilt blocks, they will haunt you for ever more in the quilt. First, lets take a look at squaring up blocks with a square ruler. As with most things quilty, there are probably 3000 different ways to do this, but this is the way that works for me. One of the most frustrating parts of the quilting process is squaring up a quilt block.
Learning how to quilt is not the easiest task to take on. Repeat with the top and bottom edges folded into the center. Learn a quick and easy method of squaring up quilt blocks to ensure your blocks are all the same and your quilt remains square. Sewing block qults how to square up a quilt block squaring up a block is the best way to be sure that your blocks are all the same size. Marking sewing lines helps you maintain your scant quarter inch seam allowance, which leads to excellent quilt blocks. How to make a perfect pinwheel quilt block the seasoned. This howto video is going to help you really be able to master over one of those skipped.
Once youve measured the square determine how much should be cut from each side. Look for help with toosmall blocks in an upcoming post. If this occurs frequently with your quilt blocks, aiming for a scant 14. But then i just i drove myself crazy trying to stretch, pull and creatively iron my squares to make them work and ended up with some really wonky quilts. Zj humbach teaches you how squaring up a quilt block can ensure a nice, square finished project. To trim the first two sides do the check the following. Patchwork cat quilt block pattern how to sew easy mitered quilt. Once you have your quilt blocks made up you have to square them so that they are all even sided and the same size. How to square up a quilt block quilt tutorials, quilts, quilt blocks. Squaring up a quilt block quilts, quilt blocks, quilting. Its rare for quilters to sew perfect blocks, and some patterns are designed so that you have extra fabric to trim in this final step, which is. This origin point in a corner logic isnt great for squaring up blocks that are whatever size but have a definite middle. However, this learning how to square up a quilt block video tutorial can help make learning this that much easier.
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