Iceblossom

Or when is a foot a foot?

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/18/s...gy-dennis.html

I was actually aware of this, having worked with Civil Engineers and surveyors and large projects. Just like in quilts, little hair splitting errors make a big difference eventually.

I also dutifully learned how to go metric back in 7th grade. 50 years later I'm still waiting... but not in quilts! No offense to our metric quilters but I'm going to stick to a 1/4" seam allowance

Rhonda K

I'm with you on the 1/4 inch seam allowance.

I hated when DH would measure something and tell me it's 3/16 or 5/16. Come one!

At least the rotary blade is smaller than the width of a saw blade.

leonf

Rhonda would hate my 11/32 end wrench and it 's friends.

But Iceblossom, it is hard to dance without two feet.

juliasb

As many cutting errors as I have made over a life time you would think not 2-3 or sometimes 4. Measure 3-4 cut once. And always cut a bit larger you can always make it smaller. That's what a rotary cutter is best for trimming up. That or get an Accuquilt or other die cutting machine this way you have the exact cuts you need.

Lady Diana

Some folks are belt and suspenders people. Measure twice, cut once.
reminds me of my father in law....he put a fence two feet inside his property line, so he would not have any furture contentious issues with a psychotic neighbor.
well, the woman neighbor came on what is now our land and marked all the trees that belong to us as though they are hers, she told another neighbor who is our caretaker, that the fence was the property line.
I see trouble brewing because my father in law measured the fence line, placed the fence inside the line for good measure. Ha!

bearisgray

Which one was chosen?

Jingle

Some neighbors will take over if given 1/2 a chance. Just the way some people are geared. The more chaos they can create the happier they are.

Iceblossom

The new foot:
In 1959, the U.S. redefined the foot to align with international standards, making it exactly 0.3048 of a meter, a difference of two parts per million from the old foot. The new foot became known as the international foot.

The government allowed geodesists and surveyors to keep using the foot of 1893, which became known as the U.S. survey foot, in deference to the historical measurements they relied on, with the understanding that they would eventually embrace the new foot.

Whether they embrace the new one or not, the old foot will be obsolete as of Jan. 1, 2023, according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the agency within the Department of Commerce with the authority to fix weights and measures for the U.S.“At that point, we will discourage everyone from using the U.S. survey foot,” said Elizabeth Benham, the institute’s metric program coordinator.

ladyinpurple135

I always try to measure and cut correctly. BUT when I do make a cutting error, it seems like the cut is smaller than I need rather than larger. If larger it can be trimmed, but if it’s small - time for a new cut🤭🤭. Am I weird or does this happen to others???

Sandy in Mooresville, NC

sandy l

Yeah, that's how I seem to wind up with a lot more scraps than I should