LivelyLady

I try my best to trim my blocks as accurate as possible. It saves frustration in the end.

0tis

I should be more meticulous about this step but I don't really fret about it - if its real bad I will trim it up - also depends on the quilt block etc. Sometimes I am so excited about the quilt I just want to put it together.

jaciqltznok

I trim exact...AND if it is a star or something with points, I make sure to trim 1/4" past that point so it does not end up POINTLESS!

bearisgray

I totally agree!

Tartan

I trim as close as possible without loosing any points after the 1/4 inch seam allowance but I leave them untrimmed if I am not ready to assemble the quilt top. I find that when storing the blocks the edges can get ragged again and then you don't have any allowance to trim.

IAmCatOwned

I don't trim up blocks. You end up cutting off points, so what is the point? I would rather fudge a little. If my blocks are off more than 1/4 inch, I redo them or make another. There are a FEW techniques where trimming down is perfectly fine - say the background for applique which was made larger in the first place.

I also don't square up blocks for swaps. I prefer to leave it to the swapper to decide if they want to fudge or trim. If you cut off the point, the block may be unusable by that swapper.

Jim

I trim all blocks...better to spend a few minutes to trim then to spend hours aggrivated because I didn't

SandScraps

Oh, trim them. I don't want to spoil the final product by having odd sized or slightly off blocks. The better they are trimmed, the better they fit together and the easier the final construction.

quiltjoey

I try to keep the block as close to the measurement required. Squaring-up to me, makes a difference in the finished product. Can't wait to finish my very first, pieced quilt. Will post it when finished, hopefully, in the next few days. (Just the finished top). Am planning on have it professionally quilted. Could never do all that work by hand... I always knew I was a "square"...

Camping Angel

I had the same question about trimming blocks once. Out of all the replies on this topic so far, 94% trim their blocks. Sounds like it is the safe way to do it. Thanks for the advice.