Thread: Do You Use the Bias Square Ruler/Technique?

Good morning everyone! Recently, at a used book store, I purchased a book called Marsha Mcloskey's Quick Classic Quilts, published in 1996. The quilts are beautiful, to me! Every pattern requires bias strip piecing and the use of her bias square ruler. I never see this in current patterns, tutorials, blog posts, etc. Do any of you use this techinique? Do you like it? Is it good? Looks like a lot of trouble to me and I'm pretty certain I'd mess up trying to cut out those squares. Just wondered if I'm missing out on something.

I have been sewing for years and quilting for almost as long. I feel stupid, but to this day I have no clue what the bias is on fabric...I guess I have been lucky so far that I haven't had disasters...can someone please tell me what it is, and what I am supposed to do when I know this??

If you aren't having any problems, you're probably better off not knowing! I think the bias is the diagonal crosswise grain. It's stretchy.

If you lay your 5" x 24" ruler perpendicular to the selvedge of the fabric, the bias would be along the 45-degree line on the ruler. It's the area of the most stretch and requires careful handling. I haven't seen this book, but it sounds like working with all bias strips would require a lot of concentration.

McCloskey's claim to fame is Feathered Stars. She came up with the bias strip technique and ruler to use for making them. Strips are pieced on the bias so the finished HST edges are straight of grain. There are several other ways to accomplish this, as you probably already know, without purchasing a special ruler and book.

I got such a laugh from these responses! And now I know I'm not crazy. It just looked like too, too much for me. But aren't the quilts pretty? I was on the verge of taking the book back to the used book store & trade in for something else. Guess I'll go ahead.