katier825

this ruler is great! it's worth every penny! it really speeds up the process!

butterflywing

if you're planning to make your square and cut it in half diagonally, remember that you need to add seam allowances where the stitching will go. in other words, it won't work. you either need to use the drawn line method, which already takes the seam allowance into account, or cut triangles which have been made larger by taking the seam allowances into account from the get-go.

as for staying 1/4' away from the drawn line, just practice a little bit. you just need confidence.

Rose Marie

I use the Fons and Porter 1/2 in ruler on occasion. The long one works well with the big squares to make 8 at a time. That way you dont need to judge 1/4 inch for each side of a drawn line since you just sew on the lines.

BellaBoo

The WonderCut ruler is the best thing I've found to make a lot of half square triangles fast. Sew two strips of fabric together and then cut along the ruler. You have perfect HSTs.

http://www.wondercutruler.com/

Some say it's pricey I say getting frustrated and wasting fabric is way pricer. :wink:

kluedesigns

i agree with you bella - i absolutely hate wasting fabric.

i have that ruler too and use it quite often.

bearisgray

I do this, also.

I like to think I am an accurate sewer, but this still works better for me.
I do waste a little fabric, but my squares made with the triangles are nice and consistenet after trimming.

The trimming is a good TV project!

Donna Mae

these triangles are done best with that aqua tool we all use.
Fons and porter have one too.
just put your two squares together and run that line down both side, sew on the lines and wala, done, with no fretting with bias edges.
Do get the right finished block size you want you have to ad 7/8" to the block size.
Right girls?

simple quilter

kendzis

Well, Kirsten, you certainly can sew the seam on the long edge of the triangle after cutting the square in half diagonally. However, then you are sewing a bias seam which easily stretches. I have had the most luck with a few other techniques: Cutting the square a bit larger, doing the diagonal line with stitching 1/4 inch on either side as you describe, cutting between the stitching, opening to the square, pressing carefully (usually to the darker side), and trimming the resulting squares to size. I also really like using paper like "Thangles" or whatever brand has the squares with the stitching lines printed - usually comes in sheets that can be cut to as many squares as you need. With either of these methods, one pins the darker and lighter pairs of fabrics to the paper on which you stitch.I run my stitching just inside the printed line to be sure the square is at least big enough and not skimpy - the 1/4 inch is not as important as the size of the square when finished! Then cut between the stitching which gives about 1/4 inch seam allowances. Again, although the paper pattern is very accurate, I check the resulting squares and trim them if necessary.
kendzis :D

bearpaw

I found this prior post really helpfull. Scroll down to Rose Marie's instructions:

http://www.quiltingboard.com/posts/list/10247.page

Here's a link to A Quilt in a Day instructions:

http://www.quiltinaday.com/RulerInst...ulerInsWEB.pdf

JoanneS

I believe the blue tape is called PAINTER'S tape. It doesn't leave sticky residue on fabric.