Half Square Triangles - Another Method

Warning....lots of photos to illustrate this method for making half square triangles. This is the method Bonnie Hunter describes in step 2 of her Carolina Christmas Mystery.

First step - press 2 1/2" strips of light and dark together. Pressing two fabrics together before cutting or sewing makes them sort of stick together.

Bonnie uses the Easy Angle ruler for the cutting but I am using the Omnigrid ruler below and it is working great. Have to admit I have never used this ruler before - I won a complete set of Omnigrid rulers years ago for a miniature quilt I entered in a magazine contest. Wonderful prize but got rulers I didn't know what to do with so it is nice to learn how to use them.

To use this ruler you first need to square off one end of the fabric strips you pressed together.

First angle cut - do remember I am left handed so you would cut from the other end if you are right handed. Look at the placement of the ruler, the 2" line is along the bottom of the strip and the straight edge is along the cut end. (Am using 2" line as the finished block is to be 2" square)

Cut along the angled edge of the ruler and you get one set of triangles ready to stitch.

Flip the ruler over lining up the 2" line along the upper edge of the strip and cut along the straight edge of the ruler.

Now two triangle units are ready to stitch. Notice one of the tips is missing from the triangles - it is supposed to be this way.

I have found that if I stitch from the point to the other end of the triangle I have better luck. When I stitched some from the opposite direction I had trouble with the seam wanting to get too narrow as the point went under the presser foot and I had to restitch it to get the 1/4" seam.

Press the units flat first to set the seams. I set the seams of anything I sew before opening as it seems to make opening and pressing easier for some reason.

Press the triangle squares open like you do using any other method of making them.

Pressed unit all done.

Clip off the one dog ear to complete the unit.

So far this method has worked very well....will keep plugging along as I don't have time to sit long at a time to sew these days but a little at a time and soon I will have all the units finished.

There is no way I can keep up with the steps for this mystery as they are published but am working at my own speed. So far I am enjoying the process and anxious to see what the quilt will look like when it is done. I will not peek at the finished quilt if I can help it until I am to that point as I know it will be published before I am to that step.

Happy, happy quilting,
Lynn

Half Square Triangles Using Bias Strips

We used a different method to make our half square triangles for the Scrapaholic blocks. We had two strips of fabric that were cut on the bias and stitched on either side of the long bias sided then cut our half square triangle units. Here is a good tutorial on how the triangle square units were made using this method. Our bias strips were long enough to cut 5 units from each pair of strips and we cut them 2 1/4" wide.

I really liked this method as the units are cut before they are pressed open. With the traditional method you have to square up the units and a lot of times have to turn and cut both sides. Try it - it might work in some of your quilts too.

Happy Quilting,
Lynn

Half Square Triangles

I didn't have to work in the field yesterday so stitched more of my 3" scrappy fabric squares together. Probably most of you have your own system but this is how I set up my machine to stitch them together. I don't have to mark any lines on the fabric using this method.

I put the 1/4" foot on my machine, lay a ruler or any straight edge under the foot with the right side even with the right side of the foot. Lower the presser foot to hold it in place then put a piece of tape along that edge. The tape needs to be as long as the squares you are sewing together. I use painters tape as it doesn't leave a residue when removed.
Start the fabric squares by placing one tip at the right edge of the presser foot and the opposite tip on the edge of the tape.
Start stitching, keeping the tip even with the tape. When you finish stitching that pair of squares continue sewing with no fabric under the presser foot for a few stitches then lay that next pair down in the same way and stitch.

After the entire batch of squares are stitched down one side, flip the squares and start stitching down the other side using the same method.
After both sides are stitched, cut them down the center between the two lines of stitching then press open and trim to size. Ta-Da, you're done!

My squares are 3" to start and the finished half square triangles are trimmed down to 2 1/2". There isn't a lot to trim but enough to make them perfect.

I have stitched 120 of these pairs together so far. I do have about 20 more to trim yet though. Think after these are trimmed I will start putting some of them in blocks.

Happy to be Stitching,
Lynn