What is "square?" A square is a polygon with 4 sides equal in length and the corners are 90 degrees.
Something (like a quilt) is considered "square" if it is a four sided polygon and has four 90 degree corners. If your quilt is "square" it has four 90 degree corners and it will lie flat.
Another interesting fact: if your quilt is "square" the measurement from diagonal corners will be the same.
To use a fabric panel like this first it has to be trimmed until it is "square," which is no small feat.
Your quilt being "square" is a very big deal. As I have said before, if a quilt is square it will lie flat as a pancake and there will be no wobbles or ripples and your long arm quilter will love you.
Your quilt will be "square" if each of your blocks is square. Many people think my quilts are paper pieced. I really couldn't figure out why for a long time, but now I know it is because my work looks perfect and lies nice and flat. How do I do it? I trim every edge straight and make sure every panel, block or whatever, is "square before I sew components together. And even after I do THAT, I make sure the result is "square."
Very. Big. Deal.
Worth. The. Fuss.
2 comments:
Working 'square' has always been a big deal with me, too! Your results always show that and it's worth making every single part square and even and accurate!
Agree with your approach. I remember a very long time ago in home economics we were taught how to square a piece of fabric, starting with pulling a thread and then cutting along that (crosswise grain) line to get true grain. When checking the diagonals, we would pull the fabric along the shorter diagonal till the fabric became square. That is not possible today, I think, because of the finishes that are laid over fabric (I think of that as a varnish) and permanently distort the grain.
Now we just cut what's given to us.
Then there's the phenomenon of cutting the width-of-fabric strip. Since there's more give in the crossgrain than the lengthwise grain, we get distortion again if we're not careful in sewing two crossgrain pieces together. I don't use many jelly rolls, but I see the attraction.
Perfection is a noble goal; not always attainable.
Post a Comment