I'm wondering, which type of triangle is easier to piece. The half triangle will have the bias on the long side and the quarter triangle will have the bias on the two short sides. I always end up having either type of triangle stretch no matter how careful I am. What do you quilters out there recommend? Which triangle seems more stable to handle? Thanks!

I don't think there's much difference except that I never want to have a bias edge on the outside of a block - makes it harder to line up. BTW, I don't starch.

Thanks for your comment. I have never starched any of my pieces either. When you are talking about not having the bias edge on the outside of a block, I assume you are meaning the blocks are at the outermost edge of a quilt?

The blocks at the edge of the quilt are more important as far as having no bias edges, but even the individual blocks should be no bias edges if possible so that it's easier to keep them all in line. Quilters rarely finish a quilt at one sitting and all the movement of the block can pull it out of square if there are bias edges. My guess is that we can't totally prevent bias on block edges, but I try to do it to give myself a better chance of keeping the whole thing straight later.

If you quick piece your triangles, you never have to deal with
bias edges. Here's a pictorial tutorial, make sure to look at all 5 pages.

http://quilting.about.com/od/quickpi...squaretria.htm

Half sqs are easier, especially if you make them using two squares, draw a line down the center and sew on either side of it. Cut on the line, and you have 2 pieces, square them up and no bias edges to deal with. :wink: :D:D:D

Unless I'm not understanding, no matter how you cut them out, any triangle is going to have a bias edge. If I were going to immediately sew them together to make a square then true, there would be little chance to stretch them. Unfortunately, my triangles are being used to fill in around the four edges of a four-patch that are being placed on point (like a diamond).
Would starching the fabric before cutting them into triangles limit the amount they might stretch?

I just want to say that this site is great! I don't belong to a guild, so I don't always have other quilters to bounce questions off of. I appreciate everyone's responses to my question!!!

Maybe staystich???

http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-92281-1.htm

Thanks for the reference to stay stitching. After reading all the responses to that thread it looks like starching is a good way to minimize stretching. I guess i better get out and buy some starch!

Olga, OT, but I LOVE YOUR BOOTS! in your avitar pic. I've come to realize a cowboy boot heel and cut is the only thing I can wear and walk w/o back problems. A long time ago a guy with whom I worked told me (we were talking about his bad back) he could only wear cowboy boots and to try them. Well, I wore 4 inch heels to work at the time and thought it would be a cold day! b4 I was ever caught wearing boots! Later in life I had a chiropracter (sp) tell me my spine was too straight and that was why my back hurt so much and why some high heels didnt bother my back (only my feet! lol), and that a cowboy boot would put a more natural curve in my back. Boy, was he right. I bought a pair on sale and as soon as I took a step my back simply stopped hurting. Somehow its the slant on a true cowboy boot that seems to be what does the magic for me, cus I tried on all kinds of boots but only a slant heel cowboy works for my back. So, here I am getting older and older and greyer and greyer wandering the streets in cowboy boots. I talk to myself too, Im really a site, but Im an upright site, lol! sharet

Sharet, I was wondering if someone would make a comment on my beautiful new boots! My daughter is a "boot wrangler" at Allen's Boots in Austin TX. If you have never been to Allen's then you haven't lived! This is my third pair of Luchesse boots. I'm 61 and I find that boots help me with my weak ankles. Also, there's just something about strutting anywhere in a beautiful pair of boots! My daughter has more than a dozen boots herself. What kind of boots do you wear?

you're correct - they'll all have at least one bias edge..the quarter square triangles will have two bias edges. and I like your boots as well - haven't had any for years but may go out and try them again.