Some of you may be wondering why I am needing to start with a bigger square if I’m piecing IN pieces of fabric.
Even though I use seam allowances that are very small, sometimes the amount gained by adding a strip isn’t all that much larger than what I have lost to the two seam allowances. So that’s reason number one for adding a bit of extra to start.
The second more common problem is more of a geometry problem. Adding strips at random angles across a square makes it hard to have the square’s edges all line up again and not lose an eighth or so of an inch somewhere along the line. So, adding a bit of square to start with means I lop off some (usually a scant shred) but when I’m done I have a square with all its edges and all the squares are the same size to start. That’s a huge advantage when sewing them all together at the end. Trust me on that.
Amen