Rulers vs Pre-Cuts

I would not use a square ruler to cut squares, etc. I use them for squaring up. A 6-1/2" square ruler will give you a 6-1/2" block which will be 6" finished. To cut strips, squares, etc I use the June Taylor shape cut plus. To make squares you would cut a strip the width you want and then subcut that into squares. I also use a long ruler for squaring up the top of the quilt. Having more than one ruler makes things simpler but not always necessary.
Sounds like you have lots of rulers. Any size square ruler can be used to square to a smaller size. You can mark the size on the back with some kind of tape to keep track of your goal. I know there are videos that probably explain it better.

>beats head on wall<
Just ordered one, more expensive, from another company
THAT is EXACTLY what I need!
Do they come in larger sizes to square up larger blocks?

"Jenny's Way": if I alternated my/her 5 1/2" pinwheels with store-bought 5" charms .... will it balance out?
>this is turning into rocket science, but I THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!<

Are you wanting to start with charm packs? That will come out to 5 1/2. Maybe watch this if you haven't already and there is a little chart too.

Update on the Easy Pinwheels

Can you cancel that order? If you are wanting to alternate blocks with squares they need to be the same unfinished size. So if you have charm packs and want to alternate with pinwheels you would need to square them to 5".

You do not need to buy any more rulers. You can square up any size block with a ruler that is the size you want - OR - is a larger size. Example, you can square up a 4" block with any size ruler that is 4" or larger. You just need to know how to square it up. When squaring, it is important to know where the center of the block is, and also to work off the diagonal of the block. You usually end up cutting off of all 4 sides. My computer is very slow these days, so I didn't do an instruction query for you. But, if you query "How to square up a quilt block", you will get lots of good information.

You can use any square ruler to square up. You just have to look at the correct lines on the ruler & turn it to the most advantageous side. I use my 6.5" Creative Grids ruler for anything that size or smaller. If I'm making larger blocks, I use my 12.5", 15.5" or 16.5" rulers. There is a squaring up ruler available from DbarJ Quilts, etc. in Rockville, MO. They're available on line. I bought mine from the lady herself when she had a booth at the local quilt festival. Mine is 8.5" square. With it you can square blocks 2.5", 3.5", 4.6", & 6.5". Whichever ruler you use for squaring, be consistent & use the same ruler for all the blocks. JCY

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Originally Posted by Clementine

Honest! I searched the forum for this as I am sure it's been addressed.
I will use "Pre-cut Charm Packs" for an example of my question.

I am a new quilter.
Saw the Jelly Roll Race video: "Hey! Even I could do that!" Fell in love with Jenny and her tutorials and here I am! :icon_bigsmile:

Charm Packs. (layer cakes, etc., etc...)
They are 5" (.duh.)
The square corresponding ruler is 5 1/2. I can understand the ruler giving me an extra 1/4th inch all around.
I know when one makes a pinwheel or whatever it becomes larger.

I made a gadjilliamtrillionmillion pinwheels for a baby quilt (Hey!! I'm going to be a Grand-Ma in January!!) Now I've come to the "squaring the blocks out part".

Wasn't using the left side of my brain until I noticed my pinwheels were different sizes.
5 or 5 1/2. Realized it depended on which of my 1,000s of rulers I used. I don't wanna buy no mo' rulers. :(

I even went to my local quilt store; and I live way out in the country so it was a bit of a trip and asked the girls there. (.duh.) Why are they working there if their vocabulary is limited to ".duh."?!

• Can someone please riddle me this and explain why the rulers are larger than the pre-cuts?
  
• What size should my finished blocks be .... I mean do I add an extra 1/2 inch to the 5 or 10 or whatever size?
  
• :icon_rolleyes: Do I need to keep buying rulers?

​

Thanks. I know my profile says my name is "Clementine" but it's really Kate.
It's my old, old internet handle and I'm so used to it :icon_razz: Some use "ClementineKate" to ease confusion.

~ClementineKate

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Kate,

I think you are over-thinking this. If you plan on using a standard charm pack (which is 5" square) to alternate with the pinwheels, your finished pinwheels will need to be 5" square. The additional 1/2" on your square ruler is so you can cut to the end of the 5" block without having to move your ruler. When you sew the blocks together you will end up with 4 1/2" squares to make your quilt top.

A layer cake is a 10" square. So if you plan on using a standard layer cake to alternate with the pinwheels, your finished pinwheels will need to be 10" square.

By cutting a layer cake into equal squares you end up with four charm packs.

I pretty much use two or three rulers. I bought one 6"x24" and found it was difficult to read for me. I gave it away and bought one I found at my LQS that I find is easier to read. I have been afraid of cutting fabric yardage, I had never done it before. I am working on a Block of the Month that requires following the pattern for each block and cutting the needed pieces from yardage. I am getting more comfortable with cutting. I use the old adage, "Measure twice, cut once" and have had good luck so far. I'm also working on a quilt top for a friend that has one 9 1/2" square alternating with a 5" charm pack four patch (which ends up being 9 1/2").

So really you just need to take a deep breath, decide what size the squares are to start off with and make sure you keep them consistent.

Please post pics as you go along, we all like to see others projects.

look for rulers on e bay and overstock.com as well as walmart sometimes their prices are good.

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Originally Posted by vchale

I would not use a square ruler to cut squares, etc. I use them for squaring up. A 6-1/2" square ruler will give you a 6-1/2" block which will be 6" finished. To cut strips, squares, etc I use the June Taylor shape cut plus. To make squares you would cut a strip the width you want and then subcut that into squares. I also use a long ruler for squaring up the top of the quilt. Having more than one ruler makes things simpler but not always necessary.
Sounds like you have lots of rulers. Any size square ruler can be used to square to a smaller size. You can mark the size on the back with some kind of tape to keep track of your goal. I know there are videos that probably explain it better.

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That is what I do, too. I use Jane Taylor's for cutting strips and charms out of yardage, and the other rulers to square up blocks.

There are a wide variety of 'square it up' rulers that cover a lot of different sizes. I have one that is called 'fit to be square'. It works pretty well and covers a lot of sizes of squares.