Bevanger

half square triangles

CRH

Ronda: Thanks for the tips as I seem to be doing a lot of HSTs lately!!

I don't understand #3- Be sure to keep 1 1/2 inch seam allowance between the point and the edge of the quilt block. Could you explain?? THanks!

Rhonda

Sure. If you sew your HSTs together and you see that your point is closer to the edge than 1/4" then you need to redo that seam on that end so you have a 1/4" seam allowance between where your point ends and the edge of the joined fabrics. If you leave your point too close to the edge then you will lose that point when your seam goes through.
The other option is to use smaller seams. But you need to have the same seam allowance throughout the whole project.

If my point is too close to the edge - I take out just about half of the seam in a 1 1/2" block and look at the corners of each of the two blocks I am joining to see if the seam in one block's corner does not go through the corner evenly(as above) or if it was stretched out of shape or wasn't cut quite square. these things will make your HSTs distort and you get a crooked join which will in turn pull your seam out of whack.
You need to make sure: an overview of my process thinking!

1 your block has a seam going evenly to the corner
2 your block is square
3 your seam in your HST was straight
4 Tack the HST's together
5 Check to see if your corners are meeting right before you sew
With pins you can't do this but with tacks you can open up the HST's
and see whether everything is in place correctly.
I don't do this every time but if I have one that is slightly off I check
to see why and can fix it now before I sew it.
6 Sew with as straight a seam as you can. If it is off ( sometimes you can hit a snag or something and it will throw your needle off a little) you need to go back and straighten it.
7. Check to make sure the two blocks are straight with each other If not sew another seam along the first one and straighten any areas that were dipped or crooked. A lot of times I have a tendency to have one end of the joined blocks seem to be wider than the other end. As the picture above. So I go back and tighten it so they lay in a staight line when laying on the table.

8 I always lay my quilt block down and look at it and straighten any seams that have been alittle too wide or too crooked even after I have my quilt top pieced. Before I use it in a project of course.

9 If you see a block that is rippling even a little that means that seam needs to be tightened.

10 I use my fingers and pinch a seam in to see where the problem area is. If I have part of a quilt block that looks like it is leaning to the left or right I will pinch in where the last joining seam (where you have joined 2 four patches for example) and see if that is what will fix it if you were to tighten that seam.


Sorry I know this is more than you asked but I thought I would pull it all together with some thoughts on how I do it.

CRH

THanks!! Guess I have been doing some of these things, but nice to have it in 1-2-3 order to diagnose a problem!! Thanks again for sharing your tips!!

Rhonda

You're welcome. Mine are not perfect but it helps to do as much prevention as you can. I HATE to rip seams so I try to keep a watch on it as it goes together. A bit annoying to do but worth the time.

JJean

I like it! I never would have thought of it. Thank you!

ania755

Thank you for the explanation....(of the HST too... :lol: )
Its a very good tip especially that some blocks are really harder and is important to keep them straight....

Rhonda

You're welcome Ania. A lot of problems can be avoided if you take time to check along the way for accuracy. It does take time but it is worth it to save on aggravation later.

ania755

You are so right.... One learn a lot from past mistakes...LOL..
I know how right you are.....Its reassuring to know we shouldn't rush so much.... :lol:

momto4

Ok to risk sounding like a complete noob (it is still early) I have been sitting here trying to think what HST stands for.. can someone help me out? lol. Im sure it is something I will say DUH to, but I can not think of it for the moment. I am still learning all the proper terminology since I am self-taught or book-taught. Thanks!

Christina

DOH!! I should have read through the whole thread apparently... Half square triangles...I KNEW it would be a DUH moment! :oops: