How to square up Quilt Blocks

If you are following my Video Quilt Along then you know we are already done with the 12 blocks! woo-hoo!  Now we really get to work.  Although you may think you can just grab your quilt blocks and start sewing them together I don’t recommend it unless your piecing is perfect and hey, that might be you!  But it’s definitely not me.  So, what I like to do at this point is plan a little.  We check our blocks to see how off they are from the 12.5″ x 12.5″ size they were designed to be and then go from there.

In this video I will walk you through how to sort your blocks based on size, how I figure out what size they need to be trimmed down to, which ones can’t be saved and need to be redone, etc.  I also show you a handy rotating cutting mat that is perfect for trimming down blocks because it allows you to safely get the rotary cutter around all four sides without using it in awkward directions.

Hope you’ll check it out! Do you have any block squaring tips you absolutely love? Leave me  a comment below. I’d love to hear them.

Wanna join in on the fun? Click HERE and start from the beginning!

7 replies on “How to square up Quilt Blocks

  • write-on-target.com

    What an excellent tutorial. And what an excellent teacher! Thanks for sharing this one. I’m a beginning quilter and learned more in this one 5 minute lesson than I have from any other source. Will be subscribing and will be watching more.

    Reply
  • Steph Jacobson

    Great tutorial and very timely! I just finished making some half square triangle pinwheel blocks and they definitely need squared up–I just wasn’t quite sure how to go about it!

    Reply
  • Linzee

    I’ve been quilting for quite awhile, but trimming blocks has always seemed a bit mysterious to me. Loved your idea of measuring and comparing your finished blocks to one another and sorting by size. Makes perfect sense. Thanks for this very clear tutorial!

    Reply
  • Anonymous

    I love the aqua and red quilt on your wall. Do you have any posts about it. Also, I love that Mr. Bingle is in a diaper bag in your gallery. Cute.
    marilyn2222 @ hotmail.com

    Reply
  • Helen L

    I read your post on the Accu quilt site about the tumbler blocks and have a question for you: can you use the smaller Accuquilt cutter for the 6″ tumbler block, or do you have to use the larger cutter? I’ve only looked at the Accuquilt products online, so I’m just trying to learn what would fit me and my cutting desires. Thanks so much if you have the time to reply!!
    I also looked at some of your other posts, and I love the colors you painted your studio, and you BUILT your cutting table? Great job!!! I’ve watched the Kreg ads on TV, so it’s good to get feedback from someone who’s not on the commercial about how the tool works!
    Thanks so much!! Helen LeBrett (hlebrett at live dot com)

    Reply
  • Anonymous

    I absolutely love your tutorials !!! I don’t know why I haven’t used them before . I also loved the black and white quilt you showed in describing your sashing … Thanks for all of the help !

    Reply

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