Today, we’re going to tackle the most challenging part of finishing Cotton Quartet: we’re going to measure, cut, trim, and prepare the two parts of the project (the outside sampler cover and the inside gingham lining) for assembly.

Whenever you’re doing finish work on something you’ve put hours and hours of embroidery into, it’s a good idea to operate with this old adage in mind: measure twice, cut once.

My version goes more like measure ten times, cut once. Better to overdo it on the measuring than to make a mistake that you can’t undo.

The other tip to keep in mind: you can always trim more off, but you can’t add more on. So when you cut, it’s ok to give yourself excess fabric. It’s not ok to short yourself.

Final tips before we launch in: read through all the instructions before you start this part, gather all the supplies you will need before you start, and give yourself a good bit of quiet, uninterrupted time to work in.