Quilters Dilemma!

Freaky Friday Question of the day - Why is 12.5" sometimes 12.75" or 12.25"???

Have you ever done a block exchange or round robin and been frustrated when all your blocks don't measure the correct size?  Did you have trouble making the math work trying to connect them?  Did you give your quilty friends a nasty judgmental glance wondering why the heck they don't know how to measure and cut correctly after all these years, and wonder why they were so sloppy making your block?

If you answered YES! to any of these questions, you’re not alone. No doubt we have much more critical things to worry about, nothing seems to get our quilting undies in a bunch quicker than inaccurate block sizes.  This summer I inadvertently stumbled across contributing reasons why.  Actually, if my theories are true and I think they are, then I have to ask why the quilting world, specifically all the 'how to' videos, books, TV programs and magazines don't address this from time to time since it's sure a bone of contention within most quilting circles I've been around. You hear it in bees, circles, and guilds all the time.  Every time a block exchange or round robin comes around you hear people buzzing about someone's blocks being "off". 

POINT ONE - This journey first started a few months ago when my quilty pal Sally bought a brand new Bernina 750, duly named "Nina".  She broke off a wonderful long relationship with a Viking (named Sven?) and was having a bit of a tussle getting used to the difference in "the quarter inch" presser foot, and how to get a perfect 1/4" seam.  We emailed back and forth a few times with machine set up "selfies" until she mastered the seam accuracy she wanted.  And let me say, Sally is the most accurate piercer I know.  Her seam work is positively perfection.  We quilters dream about her 1/4" seams. If quilts were shown inside out, she would take first place BEST OF SHOW each quilt.  I thought a lot about the variables involved in making the perfect 1/4" since we both use Bernina's and used the same feet.  Their quality control is top notch but we covered this to be sure.  But where we measure from can and DOES affect the accuracy.

POINT TWO - Fast forward to July.  I moved my studio to a new space, which I posted about.  As I settled in my new digs I did a lot of shuffling tools, cutting area and what not trying to organizing my work flow better, trying to LEAN the process for those QA/Engineering types (thank you Janet S.).  At one point I had 3 different cutting mats, 4 different rotary cutter rulers, and 6 different size rotary cutting templates, all various but well known bands.  Overlapping them one on top the other I quickly noticed something - they were off.  Yes, only a tiny bit, perhaps a 1/32 or even a 1/64, but when you are cutting teeny tiny pieces all those variations quickly can add up.  Multiply each tiny variance across the number of seams and you will never match.  It's like trying to dock with the lunar module.....it won't happen. 

POINT THREE - then there is cutting on the mat. Am I placing the blade on the left, right or center of the line?  If you shift in either direction it's going to throw you off.  Am I holding the ruler perfectly steady and still?  Any of these variances will add more variance exponentially.  Got that?  

POINT FOUR - by now you want to turn off your machine because it's hopeless right? If things aren't bad enough now factor in manufacturing variations for each brand of mat, cutter, template, machine/presser foot, varying thread size, plus manufacturing lot.  Now the QA people are running for the hinter lands to prove their process ran “in control"! Grab the calibration charts!!!

POINT FIVE - If I'm working a project I can reduce all these variables by having a more controlled process....i.e. better quality control, better accuracy, etc.  I can be careful to cut in the same mat line position, use the same ruler or template, etc. to ensure a better result. But add ten women’s variations of the above and we should be truly lucky to get anything that resembles matched blocks. 

Okay, so looking at these factors makes quilting sound a lot like heart surgery, or making a six sigma part for the next shuttle.  To us it is.  Seriously?  I can buy clothing spanning three sizes to fit me so maybe we should cut each of our quilty friends a bit more slack on a tiny quarter inch seam.  Perhaps we might want to consider extending the olive branch to our quilty friends on block accuracy.  One thing I'm absolutely sure of is they really do want to do a great job, and the last thing they'd want is for us to be unhappy about a block they put a lot of time, thought and investment in.  Next time we do a block exchange or round robin we might want to show a little more grace and be thankful they did something so nice for us.  I know I plan to.  Seriously....