I sure hope you can follow me on this.

A new friend on the Board here was kind enough to send the cutest wallhanging pattern to me, but I'm having some trouble understanding it. The directions said to cut four 4 1/2" squares out of 4 different fabrics. Then it says to match the four 4 1/2" background squares together with them. This is clear to me. Now is when it gets hairy. "On each set mark a 1 7/8-inch square. (see diagram)". The diagram shows a 1 7/8" square marked on top of the 4 1/2" square (centered in the middle), I'm guessing it's marked, then the regular half-triangle procedure marking the square corner-to-corner & sewing 1/4" from the line on each side, cutting the square in half to make two squares again (each half a different fabric). "After sewing & cutting are complete, press seam allowances toward Fabric A. You will have made a total of eight 1 1/2" triangle sets."

DUMB question, but why do you think it said to cut the original squares at 4 1/2" when you end up with the new triangles being only 1 1/2"?? Am I thinking incorrectly or something?

Can you pm the person who sent you the pattern.?

Can you scan the pattern instructions so we can see? Does it have any pictures?

Here's a copy of the page I'm questioning. Just doesn't make sense to me to cut a 4" square down to 1 1/2". Huh?

can you post a pic of the pattern its self, it makes no sense to me either, lol, unless they are making flying geese, where you place a larger one on a small one and sew twice, but this is confusing, if you send a pic maybe we could find a differant way of sewing it too! sew many ways and sew little time

Updated a picture of the pattern itself. Step 1 says to sew a 1 1/2" square to the 1 1/2" triangle sets, so I'm GUESSING I'm just to waste that materials when I make them??

you can put two of your smaller squares diagonally on the 4 1/2" squares and make 4 (1/2 square triangle blocks) at once instead of only 2...just a way to speed it up a bit. :thumbup:
i dont know why they would start with the square in the center, seems like a lot of waste, unless what you cut off is used somewhere else? i would contact the person who designed the pattern (through a pm-private message) and ask for some clairification

Thanks. Also what I thought, but I already have everything cut out. Seems silly to me. I could see making it a little bigger as a 'buffer', but that's a big buffer!

You don't cut anything down or waste anything. You are simply making quick HST's from the squares, and if you do the math, the 4 1/2 inch is the sum of the two final HST's. I'm not sure why they have you draw the 1 7/8 inch square. It is a totally unnecessary step. Just draw the diagonal line, sew 1/4 inch on either side then cut in half on the drawn line.

That's what I thought, but the pattern says you end up with 1 1/2" triangle units.