This is my first attempt at a scrappy half-square triangle quilt top.

So far I have cut four inch squares, paired them up, sewn together with 1/4" seam and cut in half, then pressed.

However, I am finding now is that some of the sewed squares are not perfectly square.

Do I now have to go thru and "square" each one again, I still have the dog ears on, before I start sewing them into strips so that they will be even and "hopefully" the seams will all line up?

i square mine up again.So all are the same size.

quiltluvr, can you post a picture?
It sounds like you didn't square them up before sewing them together.
What size are the supposed to be before sewing together?
All your squares should end up the same size after trimming.
don't know if this helps or not





Ninnie

Know what?

I've been sewing for years, my blocks turn out within 1/8 inch of the expected size - and I still have to square up my HST blocks.

It's a drag, but I think the results are worth it.

Thank you for all the responses! What a help you all are. Still more questions....

I haven't reached the level of master picture poster yet. LOL Son is supposed to 'tute me on that. Soon he says anyway.

I started with 4" squared squares. I had to draw the sew lines on the backs and the diagonal cut lines, simply because I can't see enough to sew at times.

They seem to vary between 3 1/2" and 3 5/8" from the random ones I looked at.

Should I starch before squaring? Or after, before sewing into strips?

quiltluvr

after you have your hst sewen do you press them???? if so maybe you stretched the square a bit......... I am not an iron pressor when I quilt but I do finger press ( that is I use my finger nails to press the seam) and find that you squares come out better for sewing together. Hope this helps.....
Scrap quilter

you should be able to square these up with the iron and some starch since they're so close to each other in size.

I did both. Once I sewed them I did attempt to finger press open to see how they looked but ultimately I iron pressed them, no steam.

I'm wondering too, since these are all precut scraps. I spent a month (on and off) cutting up a ton of fabric into strips and multiple sizes of squares, that there was no attention paid to the orientation of the shelvages, so that may account for some of the variations.

My knowledge (and lack of!) is more from reading than actual hands on. This is my third attempt at a top in 2 1/2 years. The other two aren't finished, but I keep tryin' and buyin'! :lol:

If you watch Eleanor Burns, you will see she also squares her half square triangles. I would like to know who can do them perfectly each time?

Has anyone reached perfection yet? Please let us know how you do it!!

June

I don't know about perfection but if you use my cut down method and hold the template while you cut you should get the right size every time.

I sew two strips together and open and iron. Then center your template with two corners on the seam and cut around template with a rotary cutter. Go down the strip cutting out HSTs and then pull apart the strips and sew the other side together. Continue to cut out more HSTs. Depending on how wide you cut your strips and how close you can place your template to cut you will come out with a little scrap but not a lot if you make your strips(cewn together) the size of your template from corner to corner on the diagonal. My strips here are wider than the template because I have a fear of making them too small and I don't care if I have scraps left. I just recycle them into more blocks.