What I Did:
I continually amaze my instructor with my inability to do simple things like measuring my blocks or squares. No matter what I do some of my squares don't line up. I told her my rulers were demon possessed and I think she's coming to believe it.
How I Did It:
I made a quilt with hour glass squares alternating with a floral square. This was a very challenging pattern for me and I now admit that it was beyond my experience. I made several practice hour glasses and the points matched perfectly so I thought I was ready for the real thing. I changed the pattern to 12 rows -- with framing between each set of three. At the bottom, the last three rows were almost 2 inches longer than the top nine rows. Three of the top quilters and my teacher measured and measured and couldn't figure out how that worked out. My teacher's advice was to leave off the last three rows. A friend helped me when I ripped the bottom three rows and then called me into the room where we have a large table and showed me the quilt. All 12 rows matched perfectly -- no overhang of squares. She'd taken the last three rows and turned them upside down. We made some changes in the (new) last three rows. I sewed all together and it was perfectly square (well, not exactly perfectly but it looked pretty good). It has been quilted and actually looks like I did a fairly decent job. My teacher can't understand how turning the three rows upside down made it all fit together the way it should.
Tips and Tricks
- The first thing I've learned to do when making a quilt top that uses colors different than the pattern is to take a small piece of material and attach it over the pattern color so I'm picking up the measurements for the right material.
- My teacher suggested I purchase a 4-1/2 and a 6-1/2 square ruler which might help me achieve consistent size squares.
- The second thing I learned is to measure, measure, measure each block or square and to measure as I sew the pieces together. My teacher, who is the queen of patience, thinks I have potential as a quilter despite my measuring handicap.
