Quilting questions I never thought about.

This last week a question was posted on Friends of Farmhouse Quilts about rulers and their accuracy among different brands. This jarred the memory to a mini workshop I attended last year at our quilt guild. Quilting 101. Now I will start out saying I am a self taught quilter.  I started out at the age of 8 or 9 learning to sew from my mother and grandmother.  I sewed clothes and craft items.

What I learned from this instructor surprised me.  Not that it takes a lot to surprise me, but here is what  I did learn…

1. No 2 rulers measure the same. They will measure a little different. This doesn’t matter if this is the same brand or not.  Try this little experiment…cut a piece of fabric with your favorite ruler and now take another off the wall and measure the fabric.  Just a little off.  Not much just a hair, but too many little bits can add up to a whole lot.  I know different brands will measure different.
2. Measuring with the same ruler would can make a difference. Where do you place the fabric to cut it.  By this I mean to cut a 5×5 inch square do you place your fabric under the 5 inch mark or to the left or right of the bold marking line?  This adds up on larger projects.
3. Sewing machines will differ some what also.  If you have to change machines in mid project them the seams will be a little different.
4. Needles.  Starting and ending with the same brand and size needle is important to exact size
5. Thread thickness through out makes a difference.

All this is mind boggling for me. So this is how I combat all these pitfalls.  I use the same rulers through out the whole project.  Make sure I have a new needle and enough thread.  As far as machines there isn’t a lot I can do about this.

Even though I try and follow all these things, I will still have some wonky blocks from time to time.  But who isn’t a little wonky from time to time?

Do you have any more bits of information to be added to this list?

With all this said I have some pinwheel blocks to make.  While it is snowing outside I will be watching it blow and snow, quilt and smell my beans for chili cooking.

Have fun.