5 Panel Cutting Tips + Star Stacks My Hero quilt reveal!

Sometimes when you see a fabric, you know exactly what to do with it! That's how I felt when I saw the My Hero panel from Benartex - these fun comic strip-style blocks would be perfect centers for the star blocks in my Star Stacks pattern! (psst...the pattern is on sale through September 4th...use this link!)

 

Today I'm going to share my Star Stacks My Hero quilt and share my 5 tips to make fussy cutting blocks from a panel easier.

Here's the quilt - don't you love those bright colors? I love the positive messages of these prints - they make such a fabulous kids quilt!

A big thanks to my mom, who pieced this quilt for me. Next up? Quilting it! 

So let's talk fussy cutting panels. If you've worked with panels before, you may have noticed that they're not always perfectly straight. This is nothing against the fabric company - it just happens when you're printing on something slightly stretchy and movable like cotton. Let's look at how to combat that as you cut. 

Tip 1: Examine the panel before cutting. Decide where you'll cut - look at the lines in the blocks. In this case, I'm cutting 6-1/2" squares, and that measurement falls within the outer white line, so that makes things easier. 

Tip 2: Spray and press. If the block you're looking to cut feels especially crooked, spray it (I use water, but you can use starch too) and use a hot iron. This can sometimes help straighten things up and make cutting easier. 

Tip 3: Remember your 1/4" seam allowance. Anything that falls within 1/4" of the edge of the cut square (like the top edge of the lightning bolt in the block below) will be cut off. I'm ok with that here - but it's better to know in advance than realize what will be cut off after you've cut!

Tip 4: Align the ruler and find your "best" lines. Note that your best lines aren't always perfect, nor necessarily lined up with other printed lines. In the example below, I'm cutting off the outer white line, so I'm more concerned with how straight the blue border looks under my ruler than where the white line is. I want roughly the same amount of blue border to show on all sides of my block, so that's my focus as I position the ruler. 

Tip 5: Stitch with the fussy cut square on top. Especially if the fussy cut square has a border, like mine, you want to keep an eye on the inner border edge as you stitch. If you can keep your stitch line parallel to the printed inner border line, your square will look as straight as possible. (Sometimes that means taking liberties with your 1/4" seam allowance...it's ok! We all do it from time to time!)

These tips will help you to more accurately fussy cut your squares. But even if your squares don't end up perfect, don't worry! When someone (especially a kid who loves super heroes!) looks at the full quilt, they won't notice any small crooked lines!

Do you want to make the Star Stacks pattern? 

Grab the pattern (20% off through September 4th!) here in my Etsy shop. 

Ask for the My Hero fabrics at your local quilt shop, or contact one of the quilt shops carrying the fabric using this store locator.