gellybean402

Can anyone tell me what I am doing wrong in sewing this block together? If I square it, I will end up cutting off the points on the center block. I found this pattern on quilters cache at this link:

http://www.quilterscache.com/A/ArtSquareBlock.html

Thanks in advance for any help!

QuiltnNan

is the finished size of the white block the correct size? i'm thinking it's a seam width issue.
on blocks like this, i oversize the outside red triangles. in this case, it's a little tricky because of the baseball blocks. you'd have to make the baseball block a smidge bigger, too. when sewing this unit to the white, you'd have to make the baseball point touch the center of the white side, as you have. then, when squaring up, make sure there is a 1/4 inch seam allowance where the two red triangles cross.. HTH

Tartan

Anytime a block calls for using a scant 1/4 inch seam allowance I over cut my pieces. How close to the 8 inch size is it? If it is too big then your seam allowance is too little, if it's undersize the seam allowance is too big. The bias edge on the triangles might be stretching but that should have helped with your problem. Measure the center block to see if the size at the seam line measures 5 and 7/8 across.

gellybean402

The size it is now is 8 3/4" . So does that mean I need to sew a bigger seam allowance? I used a scant 1/4"
The center block is 5 and 7/8" across at the seam line

gellybean402

I already cut out my pieces so I can't make them bigger unless I go and buy more fabric. Thanks for the suggestions though! I will keep them in mind for the next time.

Tartan

If the center square is correct then the problem is with your add ons. You will need to remove the pieces and I think the seam allowance where you sew the triangles to the little square are too big. If you make those seams scant, the whole unit will be larger letting you then sew a normal 1/4 inch seam allowance to the enter square and have enough over lap on the white square points for your seam allowance.

gellybean402

Okay, I will try this. Thank you for your help!

bearisgray

The finished size of the sides of the center square should be approximately 5-5/8 instead of 5-7/8.

Theoretically, the finished side length should be "the square root of 32" - which is approximately 5.657 - which is fairly close to 5-5/8 - which is 5.625.

I actually prefer to cut my triangles around a template instead of cutting squares diagonally. When I cut around a template, the triangles are actually a smidge larger than when I cut a square diagonally. I consider myself a fairly accurate sewer, but when I do the cut the square diagonally with only 7/8 extra method of making HST's - they are ALWAYS skimpy!- even when I move the needle over a couple of clicks to make a narrower seam.

So - if one chooses to do the cut the square diagonally method - ALWAYS add one whole inch to the finished size. I think part of the loss is in the actual cut (think of a saw going through wood) - and part is lost in the turns of the fabric when the unit is opened up.Some also say that the bulk of the thread also uses up some of the dimensions.

dunster

gellybean - don't feel bad about having a problem, because this is a difficult block. If I were doing it I would probably be paper piecing the 4 corners and keeping the paper on when I sewed them to the center. That way I wouldn't be fighting the bias edges and could be sure my units were properly sized. Even then, getting the 4 corners on perfectly straight would be a challenge.

bearisgray

It looks like 3 of the 4 sides are okay enough -

When sewing the side triangle units on to the center square - did you remember to have "dog ears" sticking out on the sides? (Scan attaches to illustrate)

For me - I have found cutting the center square with the grain line running from opposite corners gives a nicer finish - all the grain lines will be perpendicular to the edges when the unit is finished. (Also illustrated in scan.)