Thread: am I smarter than a 5th grader (nooooooo!!!!!!)

Math is certainly not my thing. I tend to shy away from projects needing me to do much figuring

buy basic graph paper (quilters paper is great, but regular graph paper works fine and is cheaper). use 4 squares to an inch - this will make each square 1/4", so easy to add in seam allowances. With a PENCIL, start putting in the blocks you know about. Then it is easy to figure out how big your other blocks need to be. If you get an odd shape or still have problems figuring size, cut out your block and lay in on the paper and add your seam allowances. this will let you see the sizes without doing a lot of math. Little difficult to explain but as you try one that you already know, it will make sense.

The easy fudge factor for this is 1.4 for half square triangles. If you divide the length of the diagonal, 38, by 1.4, you get 27.14. This works because the square root of 2 is 1.4142135, which you could use to be totally accurate. If your right-angle triangle has two equal sides measuring 1 inch, the diagonal will be the square root of 1 squared plus 1 squared, which is 2. The square root of 2 is 1.4142135. The diagonal will always be 1.4142135 times the length of the side. If you want to find the length of the diagonal, MULTIPLY the length of the side by 1.4 and round up a bit. Works for me.

Thanks for this! Makes it easier